In bringing you tomorrow's news today, we have mapped a path from the already familiar landscape of life in 2000 through to the uncharted territories of 2050.

Your guides are scientists and experts whose ground-breaking work is already creating the new millennium. We do not have a crystal ball, but the research, intuition and imagination of today's leading minds can help us look into the future. At times we may appear irreverent - but never malicious.

Our vision is bold. History teaches us that it must be. Few could have predicted the impact of the first moon landing; the fall of communism; the advent of the pill or the Internet. The next five weeks will sometimes amuse, occasionally disturb, but always keep you thinking.

Reality hits hard in this decade as technological advances fail to provide solutions to some of the world's greatest problems. A video camera given to a five year old African girl provides documentation of her life but is unable to save her from starvation. The global traffic guidance system crashes causing traffic chaos and the number of aids-related deaths this century reaches 100 million.

The number of female presidents continues to climb as Chelsea Clinton is elected US President and the Women's Football World Cup draws an audience of three billion.

Space appears to draw closer as people stand on Mars for the first time, floating mirrors provide daylight for the Arctic Circle and fish-like creatures are found thriving on Jupiter. The first space bank discloses dubious loans and space pirates cause havoc with translunar freight

Seven unofficial communities are uncovered in England and Wales and Westminster moves to Warwickshire. Finally, we realise that love never dies as Collette, a talking ape, officially marries her human speech facilitator.