The Human Face is a 4 part BBC series that examined the science behind facial beauty, expression, and fame. John Cleese, actor, comedian, visiting professor, and best-selling author on psychology, investigated identity, perception, creativity and sexuality and their relation to the human face, combining art, technology and human interest stories. Paul Ekman served as scientific adviser.Episode guide-
Part One: Here’s Looking at You
Investigated family resemblances, facial recognition and the purpose of the face and its features, going back to five hundred million years ago. It also speculated about the multi-racial face of the future and showed surgeons in Kentucky preparing for the world’s first facial transplant.
Part Two: Fame and Infamy
Looked at the ubiquity of famous faces on billboards, magazines, and movie screens, and the messages they carry about sex, politics, glamour and power. Considering Diana, Princess of Wales, Jackie Onassis, Marilyn Monroe, it told the story of the face as icon, from Egyptian mummies to Hollywood stars.
Part Three: Survival of the Prettiest
Studied whether human physical attractiveness is a matter of personal taste, looking at standards of beauty that are shared worldwide: a pretty face suggest fertility and ugliness suggests poor health. Big eyes, smooth skin and symmetrical features are valued, and can lead to a better job, more money, and better sex.
Part Four: Secrets and Lies
Looked at how the face communicates without speech, focusing on expressions, disguise and the mysterious art of face-reading