Podcasts by The Boring Talks

#55 -Farts from 2021-04-28T06:00

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...

Jigsaws from 2020-07-06T16:48

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 obs...

#53 - Car Boots from 2020-06-01T04:00

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 tempora...

#52 - Breakfast Cereals from 2020-05-04T04:00

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...

#51 - Oboe Reeds from 2020-04-20T09:46

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...

#50 - Windows from 2020-04-06T04:00

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 ...

#49 - Coal Holes from 2020-03-30T04:00

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 expl...

Data Centres from 2020-03-23T05:00

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 compute...

#47 - Crinoline Ladies from 2020-03-16T05:00

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, expl...

# 46 - Teletext from 2020-03-09T05:00

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 f...

#45 - Box Certificates from 2020-03-02T05:00

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....

# 44 - Swearing: a personal cross-cultural comparative study of Hindi and English from 2020-02-24T05:00

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 ...

The Sounds Of Computer Games Loading from 2020-02-17T05:00

James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.

The clunk and click of the datasette machine. The white noise o...

#42 - The Lexicon Of Breakups from 2020-02-10T05:10

James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.

In 2011, comedian Rosie Wilby was dumped by email. (Though she ...

#41 - Pencils from 2020-02-10T05:00

James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.

Brian Mackenwells is passionate about pencils. In this Boring T...

#40 - Thank You (again) from 2019-02-27T18:03

James Ward says thank you for listening to series two and chooses the best numbers from each of the talks.

Presenter: James Ward Producer: Luke Doran

#39 - Doormats from 2019-02-25T05:01

Can a doormat actually increase the value of your property by £30k? Alex Baxevanis explains all in his study of the doormats from his block of flats.

Presenter: James Ward Contributor: Ale...

#38 - Markham Moor Roof from 2019-02-18T05:01

Just off the Markham Exit on the A1 motorway lies an architectural wonder. Ed Carter shares his love for an unusual roadside roof, with help from a whistle or two.

Presenter: James Ward Co...

#37 - Watergate Tape 'Silence' from 2019-02-11T05:01

The neuroscientist Sophie Scott takes a close listen to the long 'silent' gap on the Watergate Tapes. Buzz. Click. Buzz. Click. Buzz.

Presenter: James Ward Contributor: Sophie Scott Produc...

#36 - Shanghai Architecture from 2019-02-04T05:01

From the 'eye of Sauron' building, to a deserted London town. The designer Hannah Cameron takes a walk back through the buildings that shaped her time living in China's biggest city.

Prese...

#35 - How Tall Are Celebrities? from 2019-01-28T05:01

Who is taller, Robbie Williams, David Duchovny or the chef James Martin? And what does being ‘solid tall’ actually mean? The writer Greg Stekelman (same height as Emilio Estevez) explores the wo...

#34 - Sounds of Grassroots Football from 2019-01-21T05:01

The squelch of the white line marking machine, the crack of the ball against the crossbar, the shrill cry of the full time whistle. Sound researcher Paul Whitty captures the sounds of grassroots...

#33 - Change from 2019-01-14T05:01

Are you sick of getting too many coins in your change at the supermarket? Can British coins be better? Fear not people, Adam Townsend has the fix.

Presenter: James Ward Contributor: Adam T...

#32 - Roads That Don't Exist from 2019-01-07T05:01

A Brixton block of flats, an oddly-angled building in Piccadilly and a park that 'smells like bins'. Road enthusiast Chris Marshall explores how London has been quietly shaped by roads that don'...

#31 - Happy New Year from 2018-12-31T05:01

James Ward says 'Happy New Year', and that's about it really.

#30 - An Underwhelming Christmas from 2018-12-24T05:01

Are you dreaming of a white Christmas, or maybe a magical trip through a Winter Wonderland? Well forget it. Rhodri Marsden explores the disappointing realities of the festive period.

Ho ho...

#29 - Animal Vaginas from 2018-12-17T05:01

Science has historically studied penises more often than vaginas, but why? Florence Schechter and Emma Parkin attempt to redress the balance by examining some curious genitalia from the female o...

#28 - Asterix Puns from 2018-12-10T05:01

Tracy King, with the help of the Asterix comic books, proves that puns definitely are not 'the lowest form of wit'. Warning: this podcast may contain some Latin jokes.

Presenter: James War...

#27 - Dutch Landscape Paintings from 2018-12-03T05:01

A windmill. Two hunched countrymen. Lots of drab sky.

17th Century Dutch landscape paintings can be very dull, but is there something more exciting going on? Maybe. The writer Andrew Male ...

#26 - Call Centres from 2018-11-26T05:01

How many days of our lives do we spend 'on hold'? What does 'business in the front, party out back' actually refer to? Has God been replaced by salad? The artist Louise Ashcroft explores the u...

Jeremy Bentham's 'Auto-Icon' from 2018-11-19T05:01

James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.

Did Bentham leave his body to University College London? Does h...

#25 - Jeremy Bentham's 'Auto-Icon' from 2018-11-19T05:01

Did Jeremy Bentham leave his body to University College London? Does he really still attend council meetings there? Has anyone actually played football with his head? Subhadra Das debunks some myt...

#24 - The Taxonomy Of Cornflakes from 2018-11-12T05:01

From lollipop sticks, to batteries and used car headlight bulbs, the collectaholic Anne Griffiths has always made art from the 'accumulations of the bricolage of everyday life'. But how did Anne...

#23 - NATO Phonetic Alphabet from 2018-11-05T05:03

Charvy Narain is fed up with people mispronouncing her name, especially when trying to book a taxi down the phone. Could the NATO phonetic alphabet help clarify things? Or will it just add to th...

#22 - Toilet Graffiti from 2018-11-05T05:01

Declarations of love, offers of sex, messages of hope and even film reviews. The graffiti we leave behind in toilets is strange, personal and anonymous. But is there a difference between what is...

#21 - Thank You from 2018-06-07T16:00

James Ward says thank you for listening to series one and chooses the best word from each of the twenty talks.

Presenter: James Ward Producer: Luke Doran

#20 - Carry On Shakespeare from 2018-06-04T04:01

Infamy! Infamy! The writer and broadcaster Samira Ahmed explains just why the Carry On films are actually better than Shakespeare.

Presenter: James Ward Contributor: Samira Ahmed Producer:...

#19 - Ice Cream Vans from 2018-05-28T04:01

Good maths, a strong bladder and the ability to hold eight '99s' in one hand. Ali Coote remembers the important lessons she learned as an Ice Cream Van driver.

Presenter: James Ward Contri...

#18 - Kinder Egg Linguistics from 2018-05-21T04:01

What's 119mm long & 55 mm wide, and contains a world of linguistic pleasure? Keith Kahn-Harris explores the wonders of the Kinder Surprise warning label.

Presenter: James Ward Contribu...

#17 - Gasometers from 2018-05-14T04:01

Tall rusting skeletal relics of our industrial past. Why would anyone care about London's Gasometers? Sarah O'Carroll explains.

Presenter: James Ward Contributor: Sarah O'Carroll Producer:...

#16 - Toilet Roll Serial Numbers from 2018-05-07T04:01

'Do you recall the fogged beef, mate?'.

The writer Nicholas Tufnell proves that poetic inspiration can be found in the most unlikely places, including a toilet roll. But what is 'fogged be...

#15 - Smell Walks from 2018-04-30T04:01

The artist and designer Kate McLean leads us, nose first, on a smell walk across the world. This podcast may include the odours of cooking sausages, carbolic soap, shattered dreams and bins. Listen

#14 - Name Change from 2018-04-23T04:01

Can you change your name to your existing name? And, more importantly, why would you bother? James Michael Ward explains what happened when he tried to become James Michael Ward.

Presenter...

#13 - Basalt from 2018-04-16T04:01

Is basalt really the most boring type of rock in the world? Not according to Dr Anne Jay.

Presenter: James Ward Contributor: Dr Anne Jay Producer: Luke Doran

#12 - British Earthquakes from 2018-04-09T04:01

Rhodri Marsden is underwhelmed by British earthquakes. He thinks it's time to reassess how we report these 'tremors'. Is he right? Maybe.

Presenter: James Ward Contributor: Rhodri Marsden ...

#11 - Sneezing from 2018-04-02T04:01

Since 2007 Peter Fletcher has been counting and documenting all of his sneezes. Every single one. Now he tells us why, and what he has learned along the way.

Presenter: James Ward Contribu...

#10 - Lampposts from 2018-03-26T04:01

Are you for or against lampposts? The author and design historian Dr Eleanor Herring looks at the controversial history of the lamppost, and those that have railed against them.

Presenter:...

#9 - Sounding Gestalts from 2018-03-19T05:01

What exactly is a 'Sounding Gestalt'? And how can you make music from a Gentleman's cravat or E. coli? The artist Laurence Jordan will explain.

Presenter: James Ward Contributor: Laurence ...

#8 - Danish Public Information Films from 2018-03-12T05:01

From brick making to motorbikes, Dr Claire Thomson celebrates the golden age of Danish Public Information Films (that's 1935 to 1965, in case you were wondering).

Presenter: James Ward Con...

#7 - Green Belt Land from 2018-03-05T05:01

Once called 'Green Girdles', today's Green belts are strange and relatively unknown places. Follow the writer John Grindrod on his guided tour through a world of naturists, cavemen and rancid pi...

#6 - The Argos Catalogue from 2018-02-26T05:01

The artist Louise Ashcroft takes us inside the mysterious portal that is the Argos catalogue, and examines what it reveals about people’s desires and aspirations.

Presenter: James Ward Con...

#5 - Model Villages from 2018-02-19T05:01

From beautifully crafted tourist attractions, to nightmarish dystopian visions, the broadcaster Tim Dunn shares his love for the 'little works of art' that are model villages.

Presenter: J...

#4 - Wooden Pallets from 2018-02-12T05:01

How did the wooden pallet become the 'single most important object in the global economy'? Liam Shaw delves deep in to the history of this ubiquitous object.

Presenter: James Ward Contribu...

#3 - Yellow Lines from 2018-02-05T05:01

The journalist Andrew Male takes a personal journey in to the mysterious beginnings of yellow line road markings.

Presenter: James Ward Contributor: Andrew Male Producer: Luke Doran Ed...

#2 - Book Pricing Algorithms from 2018-01-29T05:01

A book for $1.7 million? To a computer, it made sense. Sort of. Tracy King explains.

Presenter: James Ward Contributor: Tracy King Producer: Luke Doran Editor: Moy McGowan

#1 - The End Of The World from 2018-01-29T05:00

What is the specific date of Armageddon according to Douglas Adams? Steve Cross close-reads The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy to find out

Presenter: James Ward Contributor: Steve Cross ...

Boring Talks #00 from 2018-01-07T18:27

Behind every boring subject is another layer of boringness you could have never imagined.

Presenter: James Ward Producer: Luke Doran Editor: Moy McGowan