I had the pleasure of speaking to Dr. Tim Davis, the maths consultant on the new Apple TV+ thriller Prime Target (you can read our review for that here). When Dr. Davis was approached by the producers of the show to serve as its mathematics adviser, he never expected that he would end up with his very own IMDb page and be so entwined into the fabric of the production.
Absurd though the show may inevitably seen (which is part of the fun of it!), with its notions of a mathematical equation being the centre of a massive conspiracy theory that is leaving a trail of bodies in its wake, the maths you see on screen is grounded in realism. Yes, insular academic genius Edward Brooks (played by Leo Woodall) might indulge in scribbling formulae on tablecloths (or whatever surfaces he can get his hands on). However, such frenetic sequences are not mere sound and fury signifying nothing - equivalent to the blind keyboard mashing that passes for 'hacking' in Hollywood). No, dear reader: We have ourselves a show whose creative team were conscientious enough to actually consult a mathematician in its depiction of mathematicians. This is a step in the right direction and a practice that Dr. Davis hopes more productions will adopt moving forwards.
As a lecturer in mathematics at Northeastern University in London, Dr. Davis was integral to the show's creation, having provided input from the script stage, numerous insights throughout prep, all the way through to rehearsals and filming, even ending up on set to coach the actors. He worked closely with Woodall on all maths work, collaborating with the art department and ensured continuity of the maths through the episodes. Such attention to detail is something that has rarely been given in depictions of mathematics on screen.
"I think what really made it a great time is the cast and crew. They allowed me to say 'okay, that doesn't necessarily work.' Obviously, there were bits and pieces [that had to be simplified] for story reasons and whatever, but a lot of [the time] l'd be like, 'guys, that really doesn't make a lot of sense for them to do this, so l'd recommend you do this.' And I'm glad they really took into account what I said and what we wanted it to do."
Of course, a balance had to be struck in the show's depiction of mathematics, Dr. Davis told me. It had to be as accurate as possible, yes, but also allow for some "fudging" (a technical term, I was assured) to serve the needs of the fictional narrative. The mathematical concepts were roadmapped to ensure that they built upon each other in a logical and chronological way. Â The mathematics depicted in the show increases in complexity throughout the episodes, allowing the audience to see the characters' research becoming more advanced without necessarily needing to understand all the details.
Inevitably, comparisons will be drawn by viewers between this show and the acclaimed Ron Howard film A Beautiful Mind in its depiction of a troubled mathematical genius. However, even putting aside the fact that John Nash was a real person and Edward Brooks was not, Dr. Davis spoke of how he wanted to take a different approach that focused more on the foundations of mathematics and logical thinking - that is, pure mathematics.
As Dr. Davis put it:
"I wanted the maths that they were doing to be 'If you do this, you get to this, which gets you to that, which gets you to something else. And of course there's bits along the way that don't necessarily work, but I wanted all of the maths to be correct.'
"I worked very closely with the producers and the writers, and I would say, this is what I think this is some maths that he could do or the other actors could do in this bit. And why we want to do that is because it leads to this. And so there are bits that are interconnected."
He also spoke passionately about his hopes that Prime Target would act as a springboard for the general audience to learn more about maths, especially pure maths, beyond the rote sense in which it is taught at secondary/high school.
"| really want to get maths out there in the wider population. You see how Brian Cox and Neil deGrasse Tyson have really taken physics more into the mainstream and more people are talking about it and interested in, and I sort of want to do the same for mathematics."
Dr. Davis expressed his hopes to continue to work on similar projects in the future, whether that be in the realm of further fiction or even non-fiction programming - noting the potential for increased output of quality mathematics-focused TV and film projects to inspire more people to engage with and appreciate the subject.
By helping to create accurate and engaging representations of mathematical concepts, he and consultants like him hope to herald a new era of television and film that seeks to work in closer collaboration with the sectors and fields it portrays - to educate and inspire whilst continuing to entertain audiences.
To that, we should all say, more power to them (yes... that is a ham-fisted maths pun).
Episodes 1-5 of Prime Target are available to watch now on Apple TV+.
New episodes premiere every Wednesday through March 5.
Thank you to Dr. Davis and Apple TV+ for facilitating this interview.