Recorded on Wednesday 14 April 2021.

From lacemakers to vascular surgeons; Savile Row tailors to molecular  scientists, potters to violinists or racing car drivers – those from  apparently unrelated professions all use their hands.

After a lifetime spent in the medical profession, conducting surgery  in war zones and trauma wards to reach the peak of his profession,  Kneebone combines his experiences as a doctor with insights from the  fields of art, science and music to understand the importance of manual  dexterity for our well-being and wider culture.

Kneebone, who is Professor Of Surgical Education at Imperial College,  London, has written numerous papers and essays about how the loss of  manual skills is impacting on our creativity, productivity and mental  health and will also be discussing his podcast, Countercurrents as well  as his new book, ‘Expert; Understanding the Path to Mastery’ in which he  reveals the process by which humans learn how to perfect their skills.

‘Roger Kneebone is a legend’ Mark Miodownik, author of Stuff Matters

‘Fascinating and inspiring’ Financial Times

‘The pandemic has made the necessity of relying on experts evident to all . . . this is a rich exploration of lifelong learning’ Guardian