David Baddiel Tries to Understand

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Crying

Monday, November 26, 2018 • Duration 14:01

David Baddiel tries to understand crying: why does water come out of our eyes when we get emotional?

David sets off to meet two experts who have each studied this. They have lots of theories, but is there an answer?

Producer: Giles Edwards

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Global Trade

Wednesday, November 14, 2018 • Duration 14:04

David Baddiel tries to understand global trade.

With trade in the headlines - from both Brexit and President Trump - David is keen to understand how world trade works (or doesn't), and where the World Trade Organisation fits in. With help from Dr. Meredith Crowley, an expert in international trade and trade policy at Cambridge University, and Chris Southworth, Director General at the International Chamber of Commerce, can David get to grips with it all in just 14 minutes?

Producer: Giles Edwards

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The US Electoral System

Wednesday, August 3, 2016 • Duration 13:56

David Baddiel tries to get to grips with the US electoral system.

2016 has seen lots of twists and turns in American politics, and David isn't the only one to have found them confusing. So after a tweet from Susie Dent, David sets out to understand what has been going on. He starts by speaking to an academic expert on American politics, which doesn't completely clear things up. So he asks the US Ambassador to London, Matthew Barzun, to help clear up a few points, and comes away from the meeting with more than just a better understanding of the process: the Ambassador shows David how he can get involved.

Producer: Giles Edwards.

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The IMF

Wednesday, July 27, 2016 • Duration 13:40

David Baddiel tries to understand what the International Monetary Fund actually does.

He starts by speaking to the former Chancellor, Alastair Darling, and rapidly discovers that he might first need a quick course on basic macroeconomics. But even once he's got through that, can he figure out what this very opaque-seeming international body is and does?

Producer: Giles Edwards.

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Pi

Wednesday, July 27, 2016 • Duration 14:01

David is asked by a member of the public to try and understand Pi, and what it means for its digits to continue infinitely. He starts out with a mathematician and the biggest circle he can find, and then tracks down a philosopher. But can he understand it well enough to explain it himself - to one particularly demanding member of the public?

Producer: Giles Edwards.

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The Cloud

Wednesday, July 13, 2016 • Duration 13:50

After receiving suggestions of topics that merit explanation through social media, David Baddiel sets out to make sense of The Cloud (as in computing, rather than meteorology). David speaks to the head of IT for the Chartered Institute of Information Technology, and visits an IBM data centre as he tries to grapple with what this term actually means, before returning to explain it to the man who originally suggested he try to understand it.

Producer: Giles Edwards.

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Nuts

Wednesday, July 6, 2016 • Duration 13:45

David Baddiel sets out to make sense of some apparently puzzling topics.

In the first programme of this series, after receiving suggested topics on social media, David tries to understand why nuts have hard shells. He visits the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew to meet the head of the arboretum, and a nut tree; and speaks to Thor Hanson, the author of 'The Triumph of Seeds'. On his journey to understanding David finds himself discussing evolution, fruit, badger poo, concrete and absent-minded squirrels.

Producer: Giles Edwards.

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Sunni and Shia Islam

Wednesday, January 28, 2015 • Duration 14:24

In the final episode in the series, David Baddiel tries to understand the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam.

David speaks to senior theologians from both traditions, but can he navigate his way through the complicated theological, political and social distinctions?

Producer: Giles Edwards.

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Derivatives

Wednesday, January 21, 2015 • Duration 13:55

Continuing his quest for understanding, David Baddiel explores derivatives. What are they and how do they work?

David begins by meeting journalist Janice Turner, who initially suggested the subject, and she explains why she believes we should all try to understand derivatives.

Then David visits the London Metals Exchange, the last place with open outcry trading in London, where he discusses the history of derivatives with financial historian D'Maris Coffman. And on a trading floor at Canary Wharf he hears how the market works today.

At the end, he returns to try to explain to Janice what he's learned, with D'Maris ready to pass judgement on his understanding.

Producer: Giles Edwards.

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Cryptic Crosswords

Wednesday, January 14, 2015 • Duration 14:07

Continuing his new series where he tries to make sense of apparently puzzling matters, David Baddiel seeks to understand something which is meant to be puzzling: cryptic crosswords.

David gets help from a crossword champion and and also from a leading compiler who sets him a special crossword. Can he put his learning into practice and complete it?

Producer: Giles Edwards.

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David Baddiel Tries to Understand – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

David Baddiel Tries to Understand – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify