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The Remarkable Life of the Skin (Omnibus)

Exploring the many layers and lives of our largest, most visible and yet most misunderstood organ. Read by Gunnar Cauthery.

Perched on the exterior of our delicate, intricate bodies, the skin is our largest and fastest-growing organ, weighing nine kilograms and covering two square metres.

We see it, touch it and live in it every day. It’s a habitat for a mesmerisingly complex world of micro-organisms. Its physical functions are vital to our health and indeed our survival, and it’s crucial to our sense of identity.

Yet how much do we really know about it?

Through the lenses of science, sociology and history, Dr Monty Lyman leads us on a journey through the comedy, tragedy and exquisite humanity of our most underrated and overlooked organ.

By delving into something that seems so familiar, he reveals how the skin is far stranger and much more complex than we’ve ever imagined.

Written by Dr Monty Lyman

Omnibus of five parts abridged by Libby Spurrier

Read by Gunnar Cauthery.

Producer: David Blount

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.

1 hour, 10 minutes

Last on

Sun 15 Oct 202302:30

Broadcasts

  • Sun 21 Jul 201909:00
  • Sun 21 Jul 201920:00
  • Sat 14 Oct 202307:30
  • Sat 14 Oct 202312:30
  • Sat 14 Oct 202318:30
  • Sun 15 Oct 202302:30