BBC Wildlife - UK (2020-04)

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April 2020 BBC Wildlife 87

Radio
choice

What donaturalistsbringtothetable?

Knowledge, humour and an eclecticmixofcuriosfoundinnature,that’swhat.

Radiomaynotbethefirstmediumthat

springstomindfora show-and-tell

formatbut,forthemostpart,thisnew

programmereallymakesit work.Sue

Perkinschairsa changingpanelof

comediansandnaturalists– including

BBCWildliferegularsHelenScales,

NickBakerandDougAllan– whobring

alonginterestingitemsfromthenatural

worldtobediscussed,andreveala

raftoffascinatingfactsintheprocess.

Inthefirstepisode,thediverse

objectsofferedupfordeliberation

includea 15-million-year-oldsperm

whaleearboneand...a pieceofbroccoli.

There’s more to it than you might think.

Theconversationsthatsurroundeach

curiosityprovideplentyofscopefor

humour– thinkBBCTwo’sQI. Did

youknowwhaleshaveregional

accents?Andwouldyouliketo

hearthepanel’sattemptsat

whattheymightsoundlike?

Meanwhile,backwith

broccoli,welearnabout

thechemicalreactionsit

producesandthehuman

body’sresponsetothem.

“Broccoliis tryingtokillyou,

butit actuallygivesyoua bit

ofa superpower,”reveals

ethnobotanist

JamesWong.

A lotis

packed into

30 minutes,includinga special-

guestspot– DaveClarke,headof

invertebratesatZSLLondonZoo

(wheretheshowis recorded),

bringsalonga selectionofspider

exoskeletonstobeinspected.

ThoughSueandher

guestsdodescribewhat

they’relookingat– thelarge

shellofa venomouscone

snailis “thesizeandshape

ofa Cornetto”– thefactthat,as

a listener,youcan’tseewhat’s

beingexaminedcansometimesbe

a littlefrustrating(though

perhapsnotin

thecaseof

thebroccoli).

Sue: Je Angharad Moran

 Spicer/Getty; shells: Getty

NATURETABLE

AVAILABLE ON BBC SOUNDS

OURWILDWORLD

Theshellsofmarinecone

snailsarebeautifulbut

theirvenomousinhabitants

canbedeadly.Below:Sue

Perkins hosts the new show.