Adam Curtis created the BBC documentary series Pandora’s Box: A Fable from the Age of Science.
The six-part series was written and directed by British documentary maker Adam Curtis. First broadcast in 1992, it examines the political and social consequences of attempts to use scientific and technical expertise to control society. Curtis connects subjects from economics, politics, technology, and psychology across different historical periods.
The title invokes the Greek myth as a metaphor for opening systems whose consequences cannot be fully controlled. The series is not a retelling of Hesiod’s story and does not focus on mythology as its main subject. Instead, it uses historical documentary techniques, archival footage, interviews, and a strongly interpretive narrative.
Curtis later became known for essay-like documentaries that combine archive material with arguments about power, institutions, and modern society. Pandora’s Box is an early example of that approach and predates several of his better-known BBC series.