311 analysis
The future on screen: what TV gets right and wrong about the future
Television and streaming are full of programmes about the future. We check their subjects against the evidence and say what leaders should do about them.
Programmes such as The Future with Hannah Fry on BBC Two, Channel 4's Grayson Perry Has Seen the Future and Netflix's What's Next? The Future with Bill Gates bring the future to millions of viewers. For each programme and episode we describe what it covers, show where its subjects stand on the 311 Starburst, the map of more than 1,000 emerging technologies and trends and when each is expected to reach wide use, and set out what leaders should take from it. Some subjects on screen are arriving now; others are decades away. Knowing which is which is the point.
Programmes
Programmes we have checked
Coming next
On our list
Programmes we are checking next. Each links to the broadcaster's own page.
- Will AI Take My Job? Dispatches Channel 4, 2025. AI and jobs.
- The Race for Quantum Power (Channel 4 News) Channel 4, 2026. Quantum computing.
- Limitless: Live Better Now National Geographic (Disney+), 2025. Health, brain power and pain.
- Tech Now (BBC News) BBC News channel, 2025 to 2026. Technology shaping everyday life.
How we do it
Our method
Describe, do not copy
A short factual description of each programme in our own words, with a link to the broadcaster's own page. No clips, stills or transcripts.
Check against the evidence
Each subject is matched to the 311 Starburst, which dates when technologies and trends reach wide use, researched by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit.
Say what to do
Three points for leaders on every page, and a route to a private briefing on the subject.
Answers
Common questions
Which TV programmes about the future does the 311 Institute cover?
Current and recent programmes from broadcasters and streamers such as the BBC, Channel 4, Netflix, PBS and Bloomberg, starting with The Future with Hannah Fry. New programmes are added as they air.
How do you judge what a programme gets right or wrong?
We do not review the programme as entertainment. We take the subject of each programme or episode and show where it stands on the 311 Starburst: how ready it is and when it is expected to reach wide use.
Can Matthew Griffin comment on a programme for the media?
Yes. Producers and journalists can use the media enquiry route below and we reply within one working day.