The Dating Game: One Man's Search for the Age of the Earth

How old is the Earth? At the end of the nineteenth century, scientists were all looking for a clock that would provide an answer to this, the greatest Time question of all. The Dating Game tells the story of one man's vision of developing a geological timescale, a great vision which lasted fifty years despite scientific opposition, financial hardship and personal tragedy. Arthur Holmes fought to convince The Establishment of an Earth of great antiquity: a fight which eventually transformed the moribund 'art' of geology into a dynamic science.

Cherry Lewis has had a life-long passion for rocks and fossils. After Drama College and running her own business for several years, she finally decided to indulge her passion and studied geology as a mature student at Bristol University. Her degree was succeeded by a PhD on Tibetan granites and post-doctoral research at University College London, which led to a career in the oil industry. Whilst writing her thesis she discovered the work of Arthur Holmes and became captivated by the man who pioneered the way towards determining the true age of the Earth.