An unprecedented global journey to explore the frontiers of how we view colour, make colour and use the power of colour to communicate meaning. Colour is a fundamental part of our world. Landscapes, animals, fashion, painting, movies, food – everything around us resonates with the language of colour. All our waking lives – and even in our dreams – we navigate our way through a world of colour. Yet, whoever we are, colour has the power to stop us in our tracks – and to make us wonder.

Why is the sky blue? Why do leaves turn yellow in autumn? And why does red play so powerful a role in so many cultures? Is colour real or is it just a construct of our brains?

Drawing on the latest scientific findings and technology, Cracking the Colour Code is a series for people who are seeking answers to many of the questions that relate to colour and who, at the same time, wish to enjoy the incredible diversity and sensation that colour has to offer in our world. While colour is a child of science and physics, it triggers within us a host of emotional, intuitive and intellectual responses – deeply rooted within ourselves and our culture. The series is both food for the intellect and the senses – delivered as a carefully arranged and orchestrated feast, yet one that is playful and provocative.

Based on three years of extensive research, Cracking the Colour Code draws on a range of disciplines and leading experts – including physicists, neurologists, artists, ethnologists, colour consultants, historians, artisans and marketing executives – each in some way intimately concerned with the nature and power of colour. Each offers insights – even new discoveries – that will challenge our understanding of colour.

From the stunning capabilities of the eye and brain to the story of how we’ve come to view the world as we do; from ancient ochre cave paintings to mimicking the iridescence of butterfly wings; and from India’s holi festival to one of the world’s leading colour forecasters, Cracking the Colour Code takes you on three unique journeys, making for spectacular, ground breaking television.