Episode 1

Joe Moran has spent his life trying to get to grips with his shyness. In this Field Guide to Shyness, he explores the hidden world of reticence, navigating the myriad ways scientists and thinkers have tried to explain and cure shyness, and uncovering the fascinating stories of the men and women who were 'of the violet persuasion'.

"It feels like coming late to a party when everyone else is about three beers in and entering that state that allows them to have fluent exchanges that settle on some pre-agreed theme as if by magic."

Darwin referred to shyness as an "odd state of mind". It has no obvious benefit to our species, so why is it so pervasive, not only in humans but in other creatures - from the Virginia opossum to salamander larvae?

Read by Nigel Planer
Written by Joe Moran
Abridged and produced by Hannah Marshall
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.