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I have to confess, I struggle to watch science documentaries these days – I prefer a bit of escapism from work. But one series I will definitely be tuning in to is the BBC’s , presented by Brian Cox (pictured above).

I didn’t watch Cox’s on this topic, made 15 years ago, but this latest is well timed. There are currently around 40 probes out there exploring our planetary neighbours, sending back incredible new insights.

I got to watch one episode, Volcano Worlds, at a screening at London’s Science Museum. Cox kept his feet on the ground as he visited terrains analogous to those of other volcanic worlds, including Saturn’s moon Enceladus, with its icy crust and glacial eruptions, and Jupiter’s moon Io, bubbling over with sulphurous plumes.

The stunning visual effects painted a picture of these alien worlds. I had read about many of these discoveries for work, of course, but seeing them come to life on the screen gave me goosebumps. Sheer escapism after all.