Why do referee's make strange decisions? Is it because they're showboating or stupid or both? Or is it because they're a bit too short and resent being vertically-challenged, especially in the midst of all those tall players? Well, there is research that shows - in general - that short refs give more fouls, penalties, and yellow and red cards than taller ones. Find out why. You'll never watch a match the same way again.

The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.

Ten presidents have sought re-election and lost. It's an exclusive club of what some people call 'losers' - and some really ARE losers. Donald Trump's biggest fear is becoming the 11th member of that small club. We examine what being a one termer means, why it's seen as so ignominous, and speculate on whether the club (and our museum) will get a new name on the roster. 

The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.

Our Professor of Irrelevant Studies wants you to think deeply about what is and isn't relevant. Perhaps nothing is irrelevant and that makes everything - whatever it is you're interested in or are doing - truly relevant. It sounds like the most irrelevant course of study available and perhaps it is, but why should that even matter? It's time to think differently about relevance.

The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.

Totalitarianism is back in fashion but it's nothing like the 20th century version. We've had sight of a breezy new book rumoured to have been backed by a certain American strongman and his chubby friend from North Korea (though we can't confirm that fact) and the pitchy 'tips' sound like Tweets but are horrifyingly familiar... and dangerous. 

The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.

We all crave silence - sometimes. But finding it is hard in a world which never stops. In this simple, sometimes very quiet, meditation on the true nature of silence we discover that 'noise' isn't the problem; it's how you deal with it and how you respond to the sounds of the world around you. 

The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.

We all know that some people find clowns creepy – and funeral directors as well as taxidermists too. But why. What is ‘creepiness’ and can it be studied? And when we encounter robots that are almost human, but not quite, why do we feel as if we’re in what’s called ‘the uncanny valley’? Our Professor of Creepy Studies (who happens to be a robot) explains. And we interview Marc Abrahams from ImprobableResearch.com (who’s also the organizer of the globally renowned Ig-Nobel Awards) to find out if even being interested in the nature of creepiness is itself… creepy.

The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.

In fiction and drama – and in reality too – tech companies have either become cults or try to be cults. Why is that? Are they any different from ordinary corporations? South Mimms U investigates the religious impulse that’s common in tech companies – from start-ups to multi-billion dollar multinationals – and uncovers a strange local company called Qamquat – that’s Kumquat with a ‘Q’ – where all the board members have to be celibate as if they’re in a religious order. Nothing is quite as it seems. 

The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.

Forrest Gump said, ‘Stupid is as stupid does’ but does that mean it’s a bad thing? Might being ‘stupid’ be good for humanity? After all, stupidity (for most of us) is a great teacher. It’s how most of us learn how NOT to be an idiot. Though, of course, a minority never learn. Our expert in stupidity isn’t an idiot or a moron, just a little confused about practical things, but when we finally get hold of him he has a few good words to the wise. 

The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.

We were told that the office of the future would be digital, dispersed, and full of hotdesks. But myabe the truth is darker. Could the office of the future be like a series of hothouses for labour? That's what some people want and they're designing them now!

The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.

Struggling with endless diet plans? Still not the weight or dress size you want? Don’t worry, it may be all over. There’s no need to diet anymore. Why? This podcast reveals why. It’s good news for EVERYONE – in the short term at least. Ditch all those complicated diets which either demand you starve or exercise yourself to within an inch of your LIFE or live like a caveman and/or woman (or both). Dr Bellie Trice has the best news you’ve heard since Ben & Jerry’s last high-calorie breakthrough.

The only university that makes you chuckle AND learn at the same time.