The Wonder Podcast for Curious Kids

Have you ever wondered why humans chose to ride horses? It was a moment in history which changed the future of both species forever. This relationship has endured for over five thousand years, and the horse has been described as one of the greatest technologies that man has ever harnessed. Horses are prized for their speed, strength and adaptability, and revolutionised transport, war, farming and more. But it hasn't always been a happy partnership. Listen and enjoy Narrated by Alexandra Tolstoy Sound editing by Max Watson Script by Henrietta McMicking Produced by Henrietta McMicking and Camilla Akers-Douglas Theme music by James Burrell Music Instagram @wonderpodcasts Twitter @wonder_podcasts Facebook @wonderpodcasts To contact us email camilla@wonderaudio.couk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk

Have you ever wondered who had the bright idea of inventing the light bulb? Well, it’s credited to a rather unusual man, Thomas Edison. An man who had a gift – not so much for inventing as for taking an existing idea, and finding ways to make it better, or cheaper, or both. During his lifetime Thomas Edison invented a truly extraordinary range of things – ideas that define our modern world – but he is best known for inventing the electric light bulb. And guess what? He didn’t even invent it. People had been making wires glow with heat since 1761. But he worked out that by using a carbonised bamboo filament a bulb could last over 1,200 hours. His whole life is an extraordinary true story. We hope you enjoy listening. Narrated by Sophia Milburn Sound editing by Max Watson Script by Camilla Akers-Douglas Produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking Theme music by James Burrell Music Instagram @wonderpodcasts Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk

There’s a group of almost 4,000 volunteers known as the White Helmets. They have become famous for their bravery in the Syrian civil war. They are famous too for the white hardhats they wear. Most of the volunteers are men but there are also around 200 women. Their proper name is the Syria Civil Defence. They have been trained to protect and help people during war and disasters. They are unarmed and neutral which means they have promised to help anyone no matter their religion, background, or which side they are on. This is a true story about ordinary people who become heroes in war. Narrated by Harriet Dunlop Sound editing by Max Watson Script by Henrietta McMicking Produced by Camila Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking Theme music by James Burrell Music Instagram @wonderpodcasts Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts To contact us email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk

Have you ever considered what an extraordinary invention plastic is? The word plastic means mouldable and therein lies its ingenuity, it can be moulded into every conceivable size shape and colour. It can be thick or thin, large or small, strong or delicate. Plastic is complicated: it has life saving medical uses but is life threatening to the natural world. Almost every piece of plastic ever made still exists today. Listen and explore how in just 150 years this synthetic material has got into every corner of our lives. Narrated by Henrietta McMicking Sound editing by Max Watson Script by Henrietta McMicking Produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking Theme music by James Burrell Music Instagram @wonderpodcasts Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk

Have you ever wondered about the power of the moon? Craned your neck and stared, deep, into her mysteries? Like a wolf howling through the night, what questions would you ask of her, what secrets would you try to uncover? The moon has the power to conjure werewolves. It controls the tides of our seas and oceans, and it has inspired mankind to reach for a new frontier. Its power to capture our imagination and to keep us asking questions is legendary... Narrated by Ben Ellis Sound editing by Max Watson Script by Tom Catchpole Produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking Theme music by James Burrell Music Instagram @wonderpodcasts Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk

Have you ever wondered what is actually inside a packet of crisps? Potatoes, obviously, you would think. Air, perhaps just as obviously – but it’s not the air you are expecting. There's history in there too, and rivalry. Who made the very first potato crisp? And, what exactly is a crisp? Or potato chip, as they say in America. To be a crisp, does it need to be literally a thin slice of potato? Or can it be a maize – or puff corn – snack, like a Wotsit? And have you ever noticed how eating a crisp is both a savoury, and a sonic, experience? Listen, and discover so much more. Narrated by William Scott-Masson Sound editing by Max Watson Script by Camilla Akers-Douglas Produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking Theme music by James Burrell Music Instagram @wonderpodcasts Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk

Have you ever wondered what exactly are the Crown Jewels, or why kings and queens wear crowns? We tell the extraordinary history of the British Crown Jewels, and how over the centuries they have been lost and stolen, melted down, and remade. Among the crowns, sceptres and orbs, there is even a single stone – the Koh-i-Noor diamond – which is believed to be so cursed that kings are afraid to wear it. You may well ask yourself, how are these things relevant to me? Well, as symbols of power they are invaluable, literally and symbolically, to both you, and I, and the State – although it is unlikely that we will ever wear a crown ourselves. Narrated by Luke Irwin Sound editing by Max Watson Script by Camilla Akers-Douglas Produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking Theme music by James Burrell Music Instagram @wonderpodcasts Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk

How do we see? And how do we see colour? Does the world look the same through another person's eyes? In this podcast discover how the human eye works and how it sees colour. You may be surprised to learn that not everyone sees colour in the same way: a few are colour blind; others are tetrachromats which means they have an extra type of cone cell in their eye, and can see as many as 100 million different colours. While dogs' eyes are quite similar to our own, insects have completely different eyes from people, and can see colours of light not visible to the human eye, such as ultra violet and infrared. And, believe it or not, there are even more colours in the rainbow than you might ever have realised 🌈 This podcast is read by Camilla Akers-Douglas, with sound editing by Max Watson. The script was written by Nicola Kličková and Tomáš Klička, and produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking. Our theme music is by James Burrell To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk Social media Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts Instagram @wonderpodcasts

Why do we worry? And what can we do about it? This episode explains to children that day-to-day worries are a normal part of life. In fact, sometimes worry is a positive, rather than negative, thing. When faced with predators, a sense of fear protected our ancient ancestors and, even today, it can push us out of our comfort zone. And when it all gets a bit too much, there are things we can do to relieve some of our worries, as we explain. This podcast is written, and read to you, by Henrietta McMicking, with special thanks to child and adolescent therapist Ruth Burnett. It was produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas, with sound editing by Max Watson. Our theme music is by James Burrell To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk Social media Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts Instagram @wonderpodcasts

Have you ever wondered why poo is funny? It’s stinky. It’s perfectly revolting, but if you say the word poo a few times, children – and some adults – start to smile, even laugh. And it can, of course, be surprisingly useful – as a food source, a fertiliser and for marking animal territory. But adult humans don’t tend to like talking about poo so we thought we'd do just that instead. This podcast is written, and read to you, by Camilla Akers-Douglas, with sound editing by Max Watson. It was produced by Henrietta McMicking. Our theme music is by James Burrell To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk Social media Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts Instagram @wonderpodcasts

Have you ever sent a secret message to a friend? Or tried to use a clever code to protect a secret? Have you ever tried to crack a code? There are many ingenious ways to conceal, and reveal, a secret message. Keeping secrets, and code breaking, can be a matter of life and death, as Mary, Queen of Scots found out to her cost. Alan Turing's work as a code breaker during WW11 may have shortened the war by two years and saved 14 million lives. Today super-fast computers give us new ways to encrypt messages but, as ever, there is a constant race between those who create new methods of encryption and those who want to break it. This podcast is read by Luke Irwin, with sound editing by Max Watson. The script was written by Nicola Kličková and Tomáš Klička, and produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking. Our theme music is by James Burrell To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk Social media Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts Instagram @wonderpodcasts

All around the world during the darkest months of winter people light candles and look forward to a time of new hope. Why do Christians celebrate Christmas at this time of year? Why do Jewish people, Hindus, Jains, Sihks and some Buddhists celebrate with festivals of light at this darkest time? And how does Christmas vary from country to country? No matter how hard Oliver Cromwell, the Grinch and Covid-19 try, it really is impossible to cancel Christmas. This podcast is read by Henrietta McMicking with sound editing by Max Watson. The script was written by Henrietta McMicking and produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas. Our theme music is by James Burrell To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk Social media Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts Instagram @wonderpodcasts

Wherever they sailed, they plundered, pillaged and stole, so the story goes. But were the Vikings really the fierce invaders of the history books who ransacked our monasteries and captured human slaves? Or where they simply peaceful traders with an interest in travel? The clue is in the names: the word Viking did not originally mean a single group of people. It meant a pirate or raider. And with names like Thorfinn Skullsplitter, Eric Bloody Axe and Hairy Breeches, could they really have just been traders? In this podcast we look at the clues left behind by history and ask, just how berserk did the Vikings go? This podcast is read by Oliver Akers-Douglas with sound editing by Max Watson. The script was written by Camilla Akers-Douglas and produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking. Our theme music is by James Burrell To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk Social media Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts Instagram @wonderpodcasts

It is exactly 400 years since a ship called the Mayflower arrived on the east coast of America, bringing 102 English settlers to the New World. Today some 35 million people all over the USA claim to have had an ancestor on the Mayflower. As they built their colony on the Massachusetts coast, the so-called Pilgrims encountered the Wampanoag people who were unsure about the threat the new arrivals posed. The settlement became known as Plymouth, or Patuxet to the local tribes. This podcast is read by Pandora Colin with sound editing by Max Watson. The script was written by Henrietta McMicking, and produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking. Our theme music is by James Burrell To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk Social media Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts Instagram @wonderpodcasts

Have you ever wondered why chocolate tastes so good, why it is so completely and utterly scrumdiddlyumptious? In fact the raw cocoa bean tastes horrible, and it takes a lot to turn this tropical rainforest nut into chocolate. Humans have loved it for longer than you might think, and the Aztecs drank it before going into battle. But only about 120 years ago, after a young Swiss company called Nestlé started adding milk and sugar to chocolate, did we really fall in love with it. Besides eating it, and drinking it, we have also used it as currency, to disguise a bomb and as a prop in early horror films. This podcast is read by Thomasina Miers with sound editing by Max Watson. The script was written by Camilla Akers-Douglas and produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking. Our theme music is by James Burrell To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk Social media Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts Instagram @wonderpodcasts

Have you wondered if zero is actually a number? Or if infinity is a number or a concept? What is an imaginary number? And how do numbers explain the shape of the ancient pyramids? Why is the number 60 so interesting? Just how large is the number Googol, the number that gives a certain search engine its name? And how does maths make our world more beautiful? Listen, and discover. This podcast is read by Luke Irwin with sound editing by Max Watson. The script was written by Tomáš Klička and Nicola Kličková, and produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking. Our theme music is by James Burrell To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk Social media Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts Instagram @wonderpodcasts

Her real name was Krystyna Skarbek. She was Polish but spied for the British during WW11. She was brilliant and daring in a male-dominated field. And a law unto her self. She took risks few others would have done. And saved lives with her rare ingenuity. Codenames and pseudonyms, she had many: Madame Marchand, Jacqueline Armande or just plain Pauline. And, of course, Christine Granville. She was a real-life female James Bond. And, it is said that she was Ian Fleming’s inspiration for Vespar Lynd, the female double agent in his first-ever James Bond novel, Casino Royale. This podcast is read by Lucasta Cummings with sound editing by Max Watson. The script was written by Henrietta McMicking and produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas. Our theme music is by the amazing James Burrell To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk Social media Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts Instagram @wonderpodcasts

Once the heavens were the domain of just gods and angels – which is one of the reasons why Icarcus fell back to earth. Humans only really mastered flight when they developed their understanding of two crucial concepts: lift and thrust. In the early 1900s, with the invention of the petrol engine, the Wright brothers took to the sky in a biplane, albeit for only 59 seconds at first. By 1949, when the first commercial jet-engine airliner crossed the Atlantic Ocean, 44 passengers were considered a lot. Today the world’s largest airliner – the mighty Airbus A380 – can hold more than 600 people and fly over 8,000 miles without refuelling. And, aeronautical engineers are working on improving the design and efficiency of the planes of the future even further. This podcast is read by Luke Irwin with sound editing by Max Watson. The script was written by Tomáš Klička and Nicola Kličková, and produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking. Our theme music is by the amazing James Burrell To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk Social media Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts Instagram @wonderpodcasts

Welcome to Season 2 of The Wonder Podcast. This episode tells the true story of a thief who stole the Mona Lisa. Every year 10 million visitors come to the Louvre museum in Paris to see this portrait of a 16th-century Italian noblewoman by Leonardo da Vinci. But it was not until she was stolen on 21 August, 1911 that the Mona Lisa achieved global fame. So who took her, and why wasn't she found for over two years? Did you know that Pablo Picasso was even a suspect? This podcast is read by Henrietta McMicking with sound editing by Max Watson. The script was written by Henrietta McMicking, and produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas. Our theme music is by the amazing James Burrell To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk Social media Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts Instagram @wonderpodcasts Our thanks to Ruthie Knapp, author of the children’s picture book ‘Who Stole Mona Lisa?’, for first alerting us to this story

The new coronavirus has had a huge impact on our daily lives, and has made some people very sick but others who caught it haven’t been ill at all. You might be wondering how we fight off illnesses like coronavirus. This week’s episode is about the immune system and how it works to protect humans from diseases caused by viruses and bacteria. Using the garden as an analogy, we explain the difference between red and white blood cells, and the innate and adaptive immune system. In order to make this serious but relevant subject more fun, we break with our narrative style to tell the story in dialogue form. This episode is read by both Henrietta McMicking and Arthur Akers-Douglas. We are eternally grateful to our amazing sound editor Max Watson. The script was written by Nicola Booth and produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking. Our theme music is by James Burrell. To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk Social media Twitter @wonder_podcast Facebook @wonderpodcasts Instagram @wonderpodcasts