Society & Culture

The Boring Talks

by BBC Sounds

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Latest episodes

#55 -Farts

April 28, 2021 · 15 min

The colorectal surgeon and comedian Jenan Younis wants to get to the bottom of a taboo subject, that everyone has struggled with at some stage. Farts. James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is…
Jigsaws

July 6, 2020 · 25 min

It started with 'regency wedding scene' puzzle purchased for £2 in a charity shop. Now Anya Driscoll is a jigsaw junkie. In this edition of The Boring Talks, she discussions her obsession, and pieces together the history of jigsaws, the…
#53 - Car Boots

June 1, 2020 · 18 min

From Anglo-American differences, to escaping kidnappers and celebrating the classic car boot sale. In this Boring Talk, Auto Express journalist Hugo Griffiths climbs inside the 'space of temporariness' that is the car boot. James Ward…
#52 - Breakfast Cereals

May 4, 2020 · 22 min

Family holidays for the artist Louise Ashcroft meant one thing - variety pack cereals. Would it be Cornflakes? Or Frosties? Coco Pops or Ricicles? Through this multi-grain multiple choice Louise realised she could be anyone..... kind…
#51 - Oboe Reeds

April 20, 2020 · 18 min

Gouging, scraping and chopping. The reporter Chloe Veltman shows us the painstaking art of making an oboe reed, and how it can be the difference between sounding like a singing nightingale, or a belligerent duck. James Ward introduces…

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#50 - Windows

April 6, 2020 · 20 min

Where does the word 'Window' derive from? And what does it have to do with a Norwegian architectural historian and a bohemian Austrian poet? On a lyrical journey from death to inspiration, Anne Ulrikke Andersen takes a look through the…
#49 - Coal Holes

March 30, 2020 · 22 min

They are either 12, 14 or 16 inches wide, they live just outside our doors, and they come in a variety of striking designs. So why has no one heard of coal holes? Local historian Amir Dotan explores the streets of London to find the small…
Data Centres

March 23, 2020 · 30 min

What do we all use, but never visit? The sound artist Matt Parker takes us inside the bizarre world of remote Data Centres, where our wireless world is powered by rows and rows of computers running all day, everyday. But what is the true…
#47 - Crinoline Ladies

March 16, 2020 · 17 min

It began as an image of Victorian femininity, became a 1920s style icon, and perhaps ended as a 1970s toilet roll cover. Dr Kathryn Ferry looks at the curious history of the Crinoline Lady, exploring the growth of suburbia, Gone With The…
# 46 - Teletext

March 9, 2020 · 17 min

James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe. From Bamboozle, to being switched off, and now being salvaged for the digital age. James O'Malley looks at the…
#45 - Box Certificates

March 2, 2020 · 19 min

One day while breaking down a box in a corridor, Joyce Smith noticed a box certificate. Quickly followed by a second one. Now Joyce had 2 of them, and 2 of anything is the start of a collection. James Ward introduces another curious talk…
# 44 - Swearing: a personal cross-cultural comparative study of Hindi and English

February 24, 2020 · 14 min

If you hit your thumb with a hammer, what swear word would you immediately scream? Charvy Narain asked her friends and family this question, which lead to a personal journey from the 'buffalo's eye' to New York City cops and the her…