The Boring Talks

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.

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 …

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 …

Family holidays for the artist Louise Ashcroft meant one thing - variety pack cereals. Would it be Cornflakes? Or Frosties? Coco Pops or Ricicles? …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

…

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 …

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 of the tape loading. The strange …

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 did feel better about it after …

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 Talk he shares his passion for …

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

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: Alex Baxevanis
Producer: Luke Doran

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
Contributor: Ed Carter
Producer: …

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
Producer: Luke Doran

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.

Presenter: James Ward
Contributor: …

Who is taller, Robbie Williams, David Duchovny or the chef James Martin? And what does being ‘solid tall’ actually mean?
The writer Greg Stekelman …

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 …

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 Townsend
Producer: Luke Doran

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't actually exist.

…

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

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 ho.

Presenter: James Ward
…

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 of the species, including …

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 Ward
Contributor: Tracy King
Producer: …

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

17th Century Dutch landscape paintings can be very dull, but is there something more exciting …

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?

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

Did Bentham leave his …

From lollipop sticks, to batteries and used car headlight bulbs, the collectaholic Anne Griffiths has always made art from the 'accumulations of the …

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 …

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 written in male and …

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

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: Luke Doran

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 …

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
Contributor: Keith Kahn-Harris
Producer: …

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

Presenter: James Ward
…

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

The writer Nicholas Tufnell proves that poetic inspiration can be found in the most unlikely places, including …

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, …

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 …

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

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
Producer: Luke Doran

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
Contributor: Peter Fletcher
Producer: Luke …

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: James Ward
Contributor: Eleanor …

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.

…

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 …

Once called 'Green Girdles', today's Green belts are strange and relatively unknown places. Follow the writer John Grindrod on his guided tour …

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
Contributor: Louise Ashcroft
…

From beautifully crafted tourist attractions, to nightmarish dystopian visions, the broadcaster Tim Dunn shares his love for the 'little works of …

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
Contributor: Liam Shaw
Producer: Luke Doran

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
Editor: Moy McGowan

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

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
Producer: Luke Doran
Editor: Moy …

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

Presenter: James Ward

Producer: Luke Doran

Editor: Moy …