Professor Brian Edward Cox OBE, FRS is an English physicist who serves as professor of particle physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester. He is best known to the public as the presenter of science programmes, especially the Wonders of... series and for popular science books, such as Why Does E=mc²? and The Quantum Universe. He has been the author or co-author of over 950 scientific publications.

Cox has been described as the natural successor for BBC's scientific programming by both David Attenborough and Patrick Moore.  Before his academic career, Cox was a keyboard player for the British bands D:Ream and Dare.

He was born on 3 March 1968 in the Royal Oldham Hospital in Oldham, Lancashire, England.  His parents worked for Yorkshire Bank, his mother as a cashier and his father as a middle-manager in the same branch.

He recalls a happy childhood in Oldham that included pursuits such as dance, gymnastics, plane spotting and even bus spotting.  Source: Wiki

He attended the independent Hulme Grammar School in Oldham from 1979 to 1986.  He has stated in many interviews and in an episode of Wonders of the Universe that when he was 12, the book Cosmos by Carl Sagan was a key factor in inspiring him to become a physicist.  He said on The Jonathan Ross Show that he performed poorly on his maths A-level exam: "I got a D ... I was really not very good ... I found out you need to practice." (photo: AGU)

In the 1980's to 1990's, Cox became a member of two rock bands.  He was a keyboard player with the rock band Dare from 1986 to 1992 and released two albums with him. 

Dare's debut album, Out of the Silence, was released in 1988 on A&M Records. It was recorded in Los Angeles at singer, Joni Mitchel’s private studio in Beverly Hills.  The lineup for this album consisted of Darren Wharton (vocals/keyboards), Vinny Burns (guitars), Martin 'Shelley' Shelton (bass), James Ross (drums), and Brian Cox (keyboards).

In 1992, Cox joined D:Ream,  a group that had several hits in the UK charts, including the number one "Things Can Only Get Better", later used as a New Labour election anthem, although he did not play on the track.

In 2005, Cox was the presenter of two episodes of Horizon, an ongoing and long-running British documentary television series on BBC Two that covers science and philosophy.  The episodes are Einstein's Equation of Life and Death and Einstein's Unfinished Symphony.

In 2006 Brian Cox received the British Association's Lord Kelvin Award for this work as an elected International Fellow of The Explorers Club.

Cox was the presenter of his third Horizon episode, The Six Billion Dollar Experiment.

Cox was the presenter of his fourth and fifth Horizon episodes, What on Earth is Wrong with Gravity and Do You Know What Time It Is. 

In 2008, Cox hosted The Big Bang Machine.  A documentary hosted by Prof. Brian Cox and published by BBC.

Professor Brian Cox visits Geneva to take a look around Cern's Large Hadron Collider before this vast, 27km long machine is sealed-off and the experiment to create the simulation of a black hole begins. When it's up and running, it will be capable of creating the conditions that existed just a billionth of a second after the Big Bang. Brian joins the scientists who hope that the LHC will change our understanding of the early universe and solve some of its mysteries. (Source: Documentary Mania)

Cox was the presenter of his sixth Horizon episode, Can we Make a Star on Earth.

Why Does E=mc²? (And Why Should We Care?) is a 2009 book by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw.  This was the first full-scale book from Professors Cox and Forshaw.

The book aims to provide an explanation of the theory of relativity that is accessible to a general reader. The authors also explain what Einstein’s most famous equation, E=mc² stands for.

The Horizon Guide: Moon is a Science documentary hosted by Brian Cox, published by BBC in 2009.

Professor Brian Cox takes a look through nearly 50 years of BBC archive at the story of man's relationship with the Moon.

From the BBC's space fanatic James Burke testing out the latest NASA equipment to 1960s interviews about the bacon-flavoured crystals that astronauts can survive on in space, to the iconic images of man's first steps on the Moon and the dramatic story of Apollo 13, Horizon and the BBC have covered it all.

But since President Kennedy's goal of landing a man on the Moon before the end of the 1960s was reached, no one has succeeded in reigniting the public's enthusiasm for space travel and lunar voyages. Why?

On his journey through the ages, Professor Cox explores the role that international competition played in getting man to the Moon and asks if, with America no longer the world's only superpower, we are at the dawn of a bright new space age. (Source: http://docuwiki.net/index.php?title=Horizon_guide:_moon)

In 2010, Cox hosted Wonders of the Solar System, a television series co-produced by the BBC and Science Channel.

Cox was a guest as himself on Dani's House, a British children's comedy-drama series broadcast on CBBC and starring Dani Harmer.

Cox was a panellist in Would I Lie to You?, a British comedy panel show aired on BBC One, made by Zeppotron for the BBC.

In 2010 Brian Cox won the Institute of Physics Kelvin Prize for his work in communicating the appeal and excitement of physics to the general public.

In tough economic times, our exploratory science programs -- from space probes to the LHC -- are first to suffer budget cuts. Brian Cox explains how curiosity-driven science pays for itself, powering innovation and a profound appreciation of our existence.

Listen to audio:

Source: TED

The Quantum Universe: Everything That Can Happen Does Happen is a 2011 book by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw.

The book aims to provide an explanation of quantum mechanics and its impact on the modern world that is accessible to a general reader. The authors say that "our goal in writing this book is to demystify quantum theory". Starting with the concepts of wave–particle duality and a non-technical description of the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the book explains the uncertainty principle, energy levels in atoms, the physics of semi-conductors and transistors, and the Standard Model of particle physics. A more mathematical Epilogue discusses the role of quantum mechanics in models of stellar evolution, and derives the Chandrasekhar limit for the maximum mass of a stable white dwarf.

The Sky at Night is a monthly documentary television programme on astronomy produced by the BBC.  Brian Cox is a guest on its 700th edition.

Cox started to host Wonders of the Universe, a television series produced by the BBC, Discovery Channel, and Science Channel.  The series has four episodes, Destiny, Stardust, Falling and Messengers.

On 15 March 2011, he won Best Presenter and Best Science/Natural History programme by the Royal Television Society for Wonders of the Universe.  (Photo: The Guardian Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

On 25 March 2011, he won twice at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards for 'Best Performer' in a non-acting role, while Wonders of the Solar System was named best documentary series of 2010.

Cox was a panellist on QI, a British comedy panel game television quiz show from BBC, on its Series I, Episode 7 "Incomprehensible".

The One Show is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests.  Brian Cox was an interviewed guest broadcast on 16 December 2011.

Lee Evans, Professor Brian Cox and Sue Johnston join Chris Evans and Louise Minchin in the One Show studio. John Sergeant looks at the science behind the perfect Christmas cracker joke, and Phil Tufnell tries his hand at ice sculpting. (Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b018cp2b)

On 5 October 2012 Cox was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Open University in the UK for his "Exceptional contribution to Education and Culture".

Cox was a panellist on QI, a British comedy panel game television quiz show from BBC, on its Series J, Episode 12 "Justice".

Wonders of Life: Exploring the Most Extraordinary Phenomenon in the Universe is a 2013 book by Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen.

The book aims to explore the mystery of where life came from and what it is, and is explained in a way that is accessible to a general reader. The book is based on a series with the same name Wonders of Life.

Science Britannica is a science documentary hosted by Brian Cox, published by BBC in 2013.  Professor Brian Cox guides viewers through 350 years of British science to reveal what science really is, who the people are, who practise it, and how it is inextricably linked to the past, present and future of each and every one of us. (Source: DocuWiki.net)

Human Universe is a 2014 book by Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen. The book aims to explore Human life as well as understand what it is, and is explained in a way that is accessible to a general reader. The book is based on a series with the same name Human Universe.

Monty Python Live (Mostly) (also billed as Monty Python Live (Mostly): One Down, Five to Go) was a stage show by the Monty Python comedy group in The O2 in London in July 2014. Planned as a single performance for 1 July, it was expanded to 10 shows due to the high demand for tickets. 

The ten stage shows were held on 1–5 and 15–20 July 2014.  The first night of the show sold out in 45 seconds of being available to purchase.

There were surprise cameos by (amongst others) Stephen Fry, Mike Myers, and Professors Brian Cox and Stephen Hawking. Cox and Hawking were shown in a pre-recorded video towards the end of the Galaxy Song.  While Cox was criticising the scientific flaws of the song lyrics, he was run down by Hawking in his wheelchair, who continued to sing the song.

Human Universe is a British television series broadcast on BBC Two, presented by Professor Brian Cox.  An accompanying book was also published.  The series consists of five sixty-minute episodes.

Forces of Nature is a 2016 book by Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen.  The book accompanies the BBC One TV series of the same name, Forces of Nature.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2016.

Forces of Nature is a four-part television documentary series presented by physicist Brian Cox. The series was co-produced by BBC Studios, PBS and France Télévisions and originally aired in the United Kingdom weekly from 4 July 2016 at 21:00 on BBC One.

The Entire Universe is a unique collaboration from the creators of Spamalot, starring Professor Brian Cox, and combines fascinating facts about the birth of the universe with larger than life comedy characters penned by the legendary Eric Idle.

In this special programme, Professor Brian Cox will initially appear in the manner to which he is accustomed by giving an auspicious scientific Christmas lecture. However, upon turning up to the infamous Rutland Weekend Television, he soon realises he is in fact in a major musical put on by the Muriel Tritt School of Music and Dance, choreographed by Arlene Phillips.

Throughout the programme, Professor Brian Cox continues to patiently mentor Eric in an attempt to make up for his entire lack of education in science. The result is an extraordinary explosion of comedy, music and dance depicting the birth of The Entire Universe - in just one hour. Alongside Brian and Eric in an out of this world plot, Warwick Davis plays the part of The Big Bang, Noel Fielding takes on Einstein and Hannah Waddingham tackles time, while Robin Ince attempts to keep order.

Life of A Universe is a science documentary hosted by Brian Cox, published by ABC in 2017.

In this fascinating two-part special, Professor Brian Cox tackles the biggest story of them all - the beginning and end of everything.

How did our Universe come into existence? Was there a time before the Big Bang? Do our laws of physics inexorably lead to the existence of us? When will the last day on Earth be? When will the stars die and the sky go dark? What will be left at the very end of the everything? Is the end of the Universe really even the end?

Inspired by the Southern Sky as he travels Australia, Brian reveals our very latest understanding about how the Universe began & how it will end. In answering these questions, the two films focus on the work of eminent Australian scientists and the unique clues that can only be revealed by exploring the Southern Sky. Both films also feature added input from global cosmological luminaries such as Stephen Hawking, Brian Greene and Neil Degrasse Tyson. (Source: www.abccommercial.com)

In 2017, following on from the seventh series of BBC Stargazing Live in Australia, ABC TV broadcast an Australia-focused series on 4–6 April 2017, co-anchored by Brian Cox and Australian television presenter Julia Zemiro and featuring Kumi Taguchi.

The One Show is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests.[1] It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones alongside Matt Baker(Mondays to Thursdays) and a guest host on Fridays.

(Image source: https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/640x360/p064rsgf.jpg)

Matt Baker and Angellica Bell are joined by Professor Brian Cox, Nicola Walker, and the England Netball team, who have just returned from their Commonwealth Games glory. (Source: www.bbc.co.uk)

Edited.

A second Australian series aired on 22-24 May, 2018. It featured a Guinness World Record for the most people simultaneously observing an object in the night sky, when approximately 40,000 registered citizens watched the moon for 10 minutes on the 23rd May.

Edited.