
5. The Taste of Words
11 year old Esther visualises days of the week in a kind of 3D structure. It’s something called ‘synaesthesia’ and she wants to know why it happens - and why other people don’t experience things the way she does.
Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain explore the vibrant and varied ways different people experience the world, from the man who tastes individual words - including all the stops of the tube - to the composer who sees music in shapes and colours.
And along the way, they figure out why Mozart is white wine while Beethoven is red.
Contributors:
Professor Julia Simner: Professor of Psychology,University of SussexProfessor Jamie Ward: Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of SussexJames Wannerton, President of UK Synaesthesia AssociationCoriAnder: electronic music producer
Producer: Ilan GoodmanExecutive Producer: Alexandra FeachemA BBC Studios Audio Production
Curious Cases
Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain tackle listeners' conundrums with the power of science!
- No. of episodes: 150
- Latest episode: 2025-05-16
- Science Technology