PHOTOGRAPH: ALICE JONES/BBC
THE TRADITIONAL CASTELLS(human towers) of Catalonia are one of the phenomena investigated in a new BBC One series, Brian Cox: Forces of Nature. Turning the attentions of his planet-sized brain to Earth, the physicist explores everything from Icelandic volcanoes to giant Nepalese honeycombs to reveal how just a handful of laws shape everything we see. ‘A person building a human tower is acting against the force of gravity,’ he says. ‘If they fall, they’re not falling directly towards the ground, but to the centre of the Earth. Human towers are a good example of gravity in action – and a spectacular story in their own right’. Begins early July; catch up on bbc.co.uk/iplayer; pictured: a castell team compete in Tarragona, Spain.