Main content
Violent Entertainment
What explains our attraction to violent entertainment and what kind of violence are we most drawn to?
***Warning: This programme contains graphic descriptions of violence***
Why are we so drawn to violent entertainment? Violent films, video games and stories are very popular, as were brutal gladiatorial Roman contests and gory 14th Century jousts. What explains this enduring attraction to violence? Helena Merriman talks to the Mexican director of Heli, a professor of fairy tales and joins one of London’s most gruesome serial killer tours to answer this week’s question.
(Image of Daniel Craig pointing a gun, as James Bond. Credit: Eon productions via Press Association)
Last on
Mon 5 Aug 201308:32GMT
BBC World Service Online
Broadcasts
- Fri 2 Aug 201318:32GMTBBC World Service Online
- Sun 4 Aug 201311:32GMTBBC World Service Online
- Mon 5 Aug 201301:32GMTBBC World Service Online
- Mon 5 Aug 201308:32GMTBBC World Service Online
Podcast
![]()
The Why Factor
The extraordinary and hidden histories behind everyday objects and actions



