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.

The third decade teaches us that mankind is not alone in the universe: Eden, an Earth-like planet, is discovered, lending momentum to the search for extraterrestrial life.

While nations fight to stake their claims to space, an era of earthly peace sees the three superpowers - Europe, America and China - grow closer together and the world religions uniting. But internal conflicts continue to claim the lives of millions with Yorkshire suffering a biological attack.

Famine also takes its toll. The silicon age comes to an end in 2024, the same year that malaria strikes Europe. We celebrate the retreat of cancer but are puzzled by the first male pregnancy.

Scotland remains independent, while a united Ireland and England and Wales draw closer with the marriage of Prince William - the future King William V - to an Irish Catholic.

Big Brother takes control of the roads with a satellite-based traffic-guidance system. But if you want to escape it all, you can always book in at a hotel in low-Earth orbit. Happy holidays.