Unexpected Elements

TV made me do it


Listen Later

Spoiler alert! At the end of the fourth season of Emily in Paris, the protagonist sets off to go to Rome. In response, the French President Emmanuel Macron has promised that “we will fight hard” to keep Emily in Paris in France. Why does he care so much? A recent study suggests that 38 per cent of all visitors to Paris name the show as one of the reasons for visiting. Inspired by this factoid, we started thinking about the ways in which TV can influence us.

We examine how Star Trek inspired mobile phones – and the outfit of one of our panelists. Plus, we find out more about the impact Dana Scully from The X Files had on a generation of girls. And what does psychology say about fandom?

But how can science influence the films? We speak to Dr Adam Rutherford, a geneticist, broadcaster, and, importantly, scientific advisor for movies. What does that last role involve? Which films get the science right? And is scientific accuracy important for a Hollywood blockbuster?

Also in the programme, we hear about the mysterious recent earthquakes in Ethiopia, and Unexpected Elements listeners with visual impairments get in touch to share the secrets of what they can see inside their heads. And finally, we take a look at the surprising connection between cricket and statistics.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton with Andrada Fiscutean and Christine Yohannes

Producer: Florian Bohr with Alice Lipscombe-Southwell and Anna Charalambou
Sound engineer: Cath McGhee

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Unexpected ElementsBy BBC World Service

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

326 ratings


More shows like Unexpected Elements

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,394 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,837 Listeners

The Naked Scientists Podcast by The Naked Scientists

The Naked Scientists Podcast

604 Listeners

Nature Podcast by Springer Nature Limited

Nature Podcast

764 Listeners

Science Magazine Podcast by Science Magazine

Science Magazine Podcast

812 Listeners

F1: Chequered Flag by BBC Radio 5 Live

F1: Chequered Flag

732 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,899 Listeners

Science Weekly by The Guardian

Science Weekly

427 Listeners

5 Live Science Podcast by BBC Radio 5 Live

5 Live Science Podcast

112 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,825 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,118 Listeners

Science In Action by BBC World Service

Science In Action

347 Listeners

More or Less: Behind the Stats by BBC Radio 4

More or Less: Behind the Stats

868 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

964 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,065 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,054 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

719 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

213 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

398 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

747 Listeners

CrowdScience by BBC World Service

CrowdScience

478 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

723 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,975 Listeners

New Scientist Podcasts by New Scientist

New Scientist Podcasts

106 Listeners