Molly Oldfield

Everything Under The Sun

Kids EN ↓ 178 episodes

Children are full of curiosity and questions about the world. Each Friday, join Molly Oldfield, write of the weekly kids quiz in the Guardian each Saturday, the original QI elf and author and host of Everything Under The Sun (both the book and podcast) as she answers questions sent in by children around the world with the help of experts including Neil Gaiman, Heston Blumenthal, Grayson Perry, Lauren Child, Richard Branson and Sophie Dahl to the fish curators at the Natural History Museum. If you're a kid - big or small - with questions you want answered or if you want to learn interesting fac...

Author

Molly Oldfield

Episodes

#175 Why do we wear red noses on Red Nose Day? With guest experts Emma Freud & Richard Curtis. Why is your elbow called a funny bone when it’s not funny? Why does bogie come out of your nose when you cry? 20.03.2026 12:54

 In this week's show we answer three questions from Laurie, Joud and Sonny with help from special guest experts Emma Freud and Richard Curtis.    Emma Freud and Richard Curtis founded Red Nose Day and Comic Relief 35 years ago with comedian Lenny Henry. They tell us why we wear red noses and what Red Nose Day is all about.    Our second question is about funny bones, we fi...

#174 How does the Moon control the Earth's tides? w/ Brother Guy Consolmagno. What causes a blood moon? Why is there no air on the Moon? 06.03.2026 13:59

Welcome to Episode #174 of Everything Under the Sun! Welcome back! Brother Guy Consolmango, observer for the Vatican, joins us to explain what the Moon has to offer with Earth's tides! We work out what causes a blood moon! And to finish the episode off we talk about the lack of air on our Moon and why the atmosphere is so thin up there! Don't forget, if three questions just aren't enough for you,...

#173 Merry Christmas! Did Santa deliver presents to dinosaurs? w/ Andy Day! How do snow shoes work? Why does ice stick to things? 24.12.2025 10:08

Welcome to Episode #173 of Everything Under the Sun! Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you enjoy this festive episode. Andy Day, author, Cebeebies presenter, musician and dinosaur expert explains Santa's behaviour around dinosaurs! We figure out how snow shoes work! And to finish the episode off and keep us nice and warm for Christmas, we find out how ice sticks to things! Don't forget, if three qu...

#172 Where does space end? w/Jim Al-Khalili. How do ships float? What is the biggest airport in the world? 19.12.2025 10:16

Welcome to Episode #172 of Everything Under the Sun! Today we welcome back the thrillingly theoretical Jim Al-Khalili to uncover the mystery of space's edge! 🪐🔭🚀 We discover how ships float with the help of Pippa Kenton-Page's amazing contribution to Everything Under the Sun: All Around the World! 🛶⛵️🚤 And to finish it off we find out about the airports of the world, discovering the biggest...

#171 How do volcanoes erupt? w/ Robin George Andrews. How are continents made? How do we breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide? 12.12.2025 12:51

Welcome to Episode #171 of Everything Under the Sun! Today Robin George Andrews returns to tell us how and why volcanoes erupt! 🌋 We find out about ancient history as we discover how the continents were made! 🌎🌍🌏 And to round it all off, we figure out how humans breathe in oxygen, but breathe out carbon dioxide! 😮&zwj;💨 Don't forget, if three questions just aren't enough for you, there are 3...

#170 Who came up with the idea of Unicorns? w/ Catherine Cawthorne. Why do you see lightning before you hear thunder? When was the first LEGO built? 05.12.2025 12:05

Welcome to Episode #170 of Everything Under the Sun! On this week's episode the cunningly creative Catherine Cawthorne joins us to chat about Unicorns! Who came up with them and why? 🦄 We discover the science behind thunder storms! Why do we see lightning before we hear thunder? 🌩️⚡️⛈️ For our last question this week we chat about the wonderful world of LEGO and how it came to be! 🧱🪀 Don't for...

#169 How are seeds made? w/ Leon Perrie. Why don't humans have fur? Why do Hippos have large teeth? 28.11.2025 11:32

Welcome to Episode #169 of Everything Under the Sun! This week the naturally talented Leon Perrie gives all the information about how seeds are made! 🌱🫛 We find out why humans don't have fur, and discus the different theories!  And for our final question of the day we figure out why hippos have those massive teeth! 🦛🦷 Don't forget, if three questions just aren't enough for you, there are...

#168 Can whales from Antarctica learn the language of whales from Iceland? w/ Tom Mustill. Why is sea water so cold? Why do you get a runny nose when you come out from the cold? 21.11.2025 14:40

Welcome to Episode #168 of Everything Under the Sun! This week the brainy and brilliant Tom Mustill chips in on whether or not whales from Antarctica could communicate with whales from Iceland? 🐳🐋 We find out why the se can be so cold! 🥶🧊🌊 And for our final question of the day we figure out the age old question of why do we get runny noses when we come in from the cold? 🤧 Don't forget, if th...

#167 How do power stations work? w/ Kathy Joseph. How deep can whales go? How does our body produce saliva? 14.11.2025 13:20

Welcome to Episode #167 of Everything Under the Sun! This week the the brilliant Kathy Joseph chats to us about how power stations work! 🔋🔌 We discover the deepest depth a whale can go! 🐋🐳 And for our final question of the day we uncover the mysteries of how our body produces saliva! 👅😪 Don't forget, if three questions just aren't enough for you, there are 366 more in Everything Under the Su...

#166 Can some animals talk to others? w/ Jonathan Balcombe. Why do steam trains chuff? Why are panthers black and why do they climb trees? 08.11.2025 11:29

Welcome to Episode #166 of Everything Under the Sun! This week the knowledgable Jonathan Balcombe tells us how some animals communicate with others! 🙊 We find out how steam trains work and why do they make that 'chuff' sound! 🚂🛤️ And we discover why panthers climb trees and why they're black! 🐆 Don't forget, if three questions just aren't enough for you, there are 366 more in Everything Under t...

#165 Why do giant squids have such excellent eye sight? w/ Sy Montgomery. How do spiders make their webs? Who invented halloween? 31.10.2025 10:55

Welcome to Episode #165 of Everything Under the Sun! This week is a spooky special! Happy halloween everyone! This week the wonderful Sy Montgomery explains why giant squids have such excellent eye sight! 🦑 We find out how spiders make their awesome webs! 🕷️🕸️ And why we celebrate halloween in the first place! 🎃👻 Don't forget, if three questions just aren't enough for you, there are 366 more in...

#164 How do clownfish switch from male to female? w/ Laura Tranfield. How was air made? How do fireflies light up? 24.10.2025 12:53

Welcome to Episode #164 of Everything Under the Sun! This week Laura Tranfield imparts some knowledge about the way clownfish switch from male to female! 🐟🐠 We get to hear about the origins of air, and how it came to be! 💨🌬️ And how fireflies light up in that beautiful way! 🔥🪰 Don't forget, if three questions just aren't enough for you, there are 366 more in Everything Under the Sun: All Arou...

#163 How do we know whether volcanoes or dormant, extinct or explosive? w/ Robin George Andrews. How did people make sellotape? Why do toes go from biggest to smallest? 17.10.2025 14:16

Welcome to Episode #163 of Everything Under the Sun! This week we're joined by Robin George Andrews! He tells us all about volcanoes! We get to learn all about toes and why they go from biggest to smallest And how sellotape is made! Don't forget, if three questions just aren't enough for you, there are 366 more in Everything Under the Sun: All Around the World!   Check it out at www.moll...

#162 Why does the ocean give us some of our oxygen? w/ Juli Berwald. Can snakes lose teeth? How does paper get made? 10.10.2025 12:38

Welcome to Episode #161 of Everything Under the Sun! This week we’re joined by the awesome and amazing Juli Berwald! She tells us all about the relationship between the oxygen we breathe and the oceans we swim in!🌊🪸 We get to learn all about snake teeth and whether or not they fall out!🐍🦷 And how paper is made!🧻📜♻️ Don't forget, if three questions just aren't enough for you, there are...

#161 How do planets float in space? w/ Brother Guy Consolmagno. How long have tortoises been on the Earth? How do thermometers work? 03.10.2025 13:43

Welcome to Episode #161 of Everything Under the Sun! This week we’re joined by the knowledgable Brother Guy Consolmagno! He explains to us how planets manage to float in space! 🪐🚀 We learn all about tortoises and how long they've been on Earth! 🐢 And how a thermometer works!🌡️ Don't forget, if three questions just aren't enough for you, there are 366 more in Everything Under the Sun: All...

#160 How do plants grow? w/ Arief Rabik. How does the Shinkansen train go so fast? Why do mosquito bites itch? 26.09.2025 13:24

Welcome to Episode #160 of Everything Under the Sun! This week, we’re joined by the wise and wonderful Arief Rabik, a bamboo forestry advocate and founder of Indobamboo! He explains how plants grow! 🌱🫛 We learn about the fascinating Shinkansen bullet train and how it manages to go so fast! 🚄 And why do mosquito bites itch so much! 🦟 Don't forget, if three questions just aren't enough for...

#159 Why do reptiles lay eggs and mammals don't? w/ Felix Marx. How do babies learn how to talk? When did people start keeping cats as pets? 19.09.2025 14:00

Welcome to Episode #159 of Everything Under the Sun! This week, we’re joined by the brilliant Dr Felix Marx, palaeontologist, biologist and curator at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa! He explains why reptiles lay eggs and mammals don't. 🥚 We learn about the complicated process of how babies learn how to talk!  And when people started keeping cats as pets! 🐈 Don't forget, i...

#158 Everything Under The Sun - All around the world, the book! 10.09.2025 14:00

Welcome to Episode #158 of Everything Under the Sun! This week, we’re joined by the brilliant James Maclaine , fish curator at the Natural History Museum in London to answer a fishy question, why do Anglerfish have lights on their heads?  We find out about life as a wombat and why they do square poos?  And why ice cream is SO yummy!  Each answer is from Molly Oldfield's n...

#157 Can Beetles Talk To Ants? w/ Ben Hoare. How Are Candles Made? Where does the water for a river come from? 07.05.2025 16:33

Welcome to Episode #157 of Everything Under the Sun! This week, we’re joined by the brilliant Ben Hoare , nature writer and author of Animal Partnerships , to help us answer a bug-tastic question—can beetles talk to ants? Then, we’ll melt into the world of wax and wicks to discover how candles are made. And finally, we’ll follow the flow to find out where the water in a riv...

#156 How Do You Become A Chess Grandmaster? w/ FunMaster Mike Klein. Why Do Countries Have Capital Cities? Why Do Lemurs Have Stripey Tails? 25.04.2025 14:10

Welcome to Episode #156 of Everything Under the Sun! This week, we’re joined by the brilliant and always entertaining FunMaster Mike Klein —chess expert, educator, and all-around fun guy—to help us answer a seriously strategic question: how do you become a grandmaster in chess? Next, we’ll zoom out to explore the world map and ask: why do countries have capital cities? And...

#155 Why Do We Hear the Sea in Seashells? w/ Helen Scales. Why Do Eggs Have Yolks? Why Are Sheepdogs So Intelligent? 18.04.2025 14:30

Welcome to Episode #154 of Everything Under the Sun! This week, we’re joined by the brilliant Helen Scales—marine biologist, author of The Sea’s Lure , and expert in all things oceanic—to answer a fascinating question: Why do we hear the sea in seashells? Then, we’ll dive into the natural world to explore the mystery behind why eggs have yolks inside them. And finally...

#154 How do you get chickenpox? w/ Sarah Holper. Why are gorse bushes so prickly? Why does air make crisps soggy? 04.04.2025 14:20

Welcome to Episode #153 of Everything Under the Sun! This week, we’re joined by the brilliant Sarah Holper —doctor, medical expert, and author of What’s Wrong With You? An Insider’s Guide to Your Insides —to answer a curious health question: how do you get chickenpox? Then, we’ll head outdoors to investigate why gorse bushes are so incredibly prickly. And finall...

#153 How was sign language invented? w/ Rose Ayling-Ellis. How do submarines sink? Why do skunk's stink? 28.03.2025 12:40

*For a transcription of today's episode please visit our social media @itseverythingunderthesun * This week, we’re joined by the amazing Rose Ayling-Ellis , actress and advocate for the Deaf community, to help us explore a fascinating question—how was sign language invented? Then, we’ll take a deep dive into the mechanics of submarines to find out how they sink and resurface. And...

#152 Which flower has the most petals? w/ Carlos Lehnebach. Which dog is the best at smelling? Which daffodils are there in the world? 21.03.2025 13:39

Welcome to Episode #152 of Everything Under the Sun – Spring Special! 🌸🌿 This week, we’re celebrating spring with a flower-filled episode! We’re joined by the fantastic Carlos Lehnebach , a botanist and flower expert, to help us answer a blooming brilliant question—which flower has the most petals? Then, we’ll turn to our four-legged friends and sniff out the answer...

#151 How Did Ancient Egyptians Blow Their Noses? w/ Justin Pollard. How do hedgehogs make their homes? How do caterpillar eggs stick to leaves? 14.03.2025 14:51

Welcome to Episode #151 of Everything Under the Sun! This week, we’re joined by the wonderful Justin Pollard, historian and author, to help us uncover a curious question from the past—how did the ancient Egyptians blow their noses? Then, we’ll burrow into the world of wildlife to discover how hedgehogs build their cozy homes. And finally, we’ll take a closer look at tiny ca...