Extra Life: A short History of Living Longer

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000w6s7/episodes/player

Documentary series about the effect of medicine on life expectancy. How the development and delivery of the smallpox vaccine eradicated the disease. 4 episodes covering Vaccines, Medical Drugs, Data and Behaviour.

Best-selling science writer Steven Johnson and historian David Olusoga embark on an investigative journey through 300 years of scientific breakthroughs and go behind the scenes of modern medicine to meet the unsung heroes tackling Covid-19 and other public health threats today. Together, they expose the normally hidden world of public health and reveal how collective efforts across the globe can lead to extraordinary outcomes.

Each episode explores one aspect of public health that has played a central role in extending life expectancy, from the history of vaccination, to how we have developed safe and effective medicines, the use of data gathering and analysis in preventing epidemics, and how our own behaviour can affect the progress of disease.

Featuring leading public health authorities and scientists on the front lines of the current pandemic, each documentary reveals how the pioneering approaches and triumphs of the past can provide a blueprint for our future in the battle to live longer.