Professor Brian Cox has admitted he was nervous about presenting his first ever television series for BBC One.

In Forces Of Nature, Professor Cox will take viewers on a grand tour of Earth to explain what makes our planet so special.

The Oldham-born physicist has been at the helm of numerous programmes including BBC Two’s Stargazing Live and Wonders Of The Solar System. A move to the BBC’s flagship channel comes with a larger reach and the expectation of higher ratings.

Professor Brian Cox makes his BBC One debut (Richard Ansett/BBC)
Professor Brian Cox makes his BBC One debut (Richard Ansett/BBC)

“I was, I will admit, nervous about that,” Professor Cox told the Radio Times. “My BBC Two stuff is quite polemical, very authored. This has to reach a very broad audience but not underestimate them.”

He added: “I’ve found it much more challenging, yeah, and therefore interesting.”

Professor Cox, 48, studied physics at the University of Manchester. Formerly a keyboard player with D:Ream, who had a 1993 number one hit with Things Can Only Get Better, he made a successful transition to broadcasting.

Professor Brian Cox (Matt Faber/PA)
Professor Brian Cox (Matt Faber/PA)

Professor Cox became a household name after Wonders Of The Solar System aired on BBC Two in 2010. Despite all the acclaim for his TV series, he is not as enamoured.

“I’m comfortable with all the things that I’ve made, but I don’t really like a lot of them,” he said. “I dislike some more than others and like some more than others, but there’s not many that I really like.”

Forces Of Nature, which will be broadcast on July 4, appears to have bucked the trend.

An iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada in Forces Of Nature (BBC)
An iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada in Forces Of Nature (BBC)

In the opening episode, The Universe In A Snowflake, Professor Cox will travel to Spain, Nepal and Canada as he uncovers the diversity of shapes in our natural world.

Talking about the instalment, he said: “The Universe In A Snowflake is one of the ones I really like. I think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever made.”

Read the full interview in the Radio Times, out now.