Small Screen Science

From the forensic pathology behind Silent Witness to the science of attraction that flirts through Love Island, we look at the science behind some of the UK's favourite TV shows.Hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Karen Collins.If you enjoy the podcast please leave us a review (five stars would be perfect, thanks) as it really helps new listeners find the podcast.For more, rea

From using maths to bake the perfect pie to exploring the science of food acoustics, our first episode looks at the Great British Bake Off. We explore the science behind baking a victoria sponge or sourdough loaf, speak to 2017 Bake Off contestant Yan Tsou about using maths when creating pies and we join food acoustics specialist Dr Megan Povey to find out how the crunching and cra

Is there a better-loved British crime drama? Silent Witness has been running since 1996, season 23 aired in 2020, and it’s also one of Emma and Karen’s favourite shows. In this episode, we speak to one of the scientific advisors for the show, Dr Stuart Hamilton, who is a forensic pathologist and helps make sure all the science in the show is fact-checked. Who better to ask abou

In this week's episode on Strictly Come Dancing, we start by waltzing on over to London to explore a dance science laboratory at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, where Professor Emma Redding explains to us a little more about the field of Dance Science. Then we speak to Katie Goates from Parkinson’s UK, to find out how dance is being used to slow the progression of

We've been mugged right off and watched the latest series of Love Island, all in the name of SCIENCE. Why do we fancy people? Can we learn anything from reality TV or is it just trash? And how can we win Love Island using Science?We explore the science behind attraction and what physiological changes happen in our bodies when we meet someone who's our 'type on paper'. We're also jo

VELCOME to Blood-Sucking Science, where we explore the science surrounding Dracula!How do vampire bats find prey and survive by drinking blood? Why do we love watching horror films and vampire shows? And CAN science disprove the existence of the vampires we get in legends? We speak to vampire bat expert Daniel Streicker from the University of Glasgow, and friend of the podcast Dr B

Our series ends with a BANG as well take a look at forensic ballistics and the ethics of policing with Line of Duty!Ever wondered if you would hear the gun firing before the bullet hit you? Is it possible to trace the bullet back to the gun that fired it? What is rifling and how do guns fire? All this and more on this season’s finale.We speak to Allyson MacVean OBE about the code

To kick off the second season of Small Screen Science, we’re diving into the wonderful world of natural history documentaries, with Blue Planet II! Perhaps the most influential nature documentary series of all time, the ‘Blue Planet II effect’ has made people more aware of our impact on the environment.We chat to Simon Watt about the most endangered ‘mingers’ and why ugly

Our guests for this episode help us explore the evidence of zombie fears and folklore in our own history by looking at human burials, and exploring how viruses and pandemics can spread through a global population. (Sounds familiar these days, right?)Hosted and produced by Emma Brisdion and Karen Collins.Support us on Patreon and get access to heaps of bonus content every month: htt

When you’re talking about the paranormal and the science behind ghosts ‘who ya gonna call?’ Well it turns out that would be Chris French - our ghostbusting expert this week is the Professor behind the ‘Haunt’ project; an attempt to build a haunted room. Tune in to discover what we found when we visited Shepton Mallet Prison, the UK’s oldest and most haunted prison, in s