Blinded By Science

Professor Mike Hart and Dr Chris Murray don't like each other. One is a leading research scientist hoping to be the new government advisor on genetics, while the other is a leading research scientist hoping to be the new government advisor on genetics.

Blinded By Science is the story of their battle to impress the new government minister and reach the firmament of their profession. Natural selection will prevail. There can only be one winner and the rivals, who are researching the same morally and ethically thorny area of gene therapy and genetic modification, both have to decide how far they are prepared to adjust their own moral and ethical make-up to get ahead.

Hart is a conservative traditionalist; the 'trust me' patriarch playing to a fear that science will take over. He doesn't see the need for using embryonic stem cells. He is also a stickler for grammar, desperate to restore his self-esteem by means of a dodgy self-help CD and in the midst of trying to save his ailing marriage to the formidable Cathy, herself a busy GP. The younger Murray is a bit of a hippy, a bit organic, a bit let's suck it and see - he has no qualms about using embryos for research.

After a messy fall out at a genetics conference, Hart and Murray agree to work together - but unfortunately the damage to Hart's personal life and career are irreversible.