FACTORALY

Hats have been around for a while. Egyptians and Romans wore them, and so do food delivery riders today. This one's all about this ubiquitous headgear. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sheep are part of our heritage. We have worn woollen clothing forever, we have walked on woollen carpets from Axminster. We have work sheepskin in fighter planes and in used car lots. There's more to sheep than black or white. Click on the pics, as always, for shaggy stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The telegraph revolutionised communication for peace, war and finance, not to mention birthdays and weddings. Simon's feeling poorly this time, so our friend Greg Dwyer stands in for him and telegraphs an excellent performance (as usual). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fans have been keeping us cool for centuries, from huge ones that cool a whole room to small ones that flutter and send messages. We hope this episode makes you one of our biggest fans. If only... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We all make mistakes. Sometimes they make things better, sometimes, they make things worse, and sometimes they end up creating whole new industries and products! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lego is amazing stuff. You can build everything from a simple dwelling to Hogwarts with it. This episode looks at Lego from its British beginnings to its Danish interplanetary existence today (inasmuch as you can build a death star!) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Poison is popular in crime fiction and around everywhere in, usually, in safe quantities, unless you live in Australia! This time, we go deep into venom and poison and come out with a healthy respect for toxins - but not the sort you need to flush out after a bit of exercise! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trivia is, by its nature, a rabbit hole. This time, we've decided to take a look at the animals that make the holes. Rabbits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NASA is so well known that it's synonymous with space exploration. This time, the rabbit holes you'll enter by clicking the pics are more like wormholes! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's no such thing as a curry. Well, there is, but it's not called that. So when you go for a curry, there can't be any calories in it because it doesn't exist. And anyway, it's very good for your health. So, tuck into this lot below! And click the pics to find out more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time, we're running away to join the circus. From the Circus Maximus to the painting of clown faces on eggshells, this episode contains all the fun of the circus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eating. Everone does it, but not everyone - or everything - eats the same things. This episode tackles the specifics of what we beat and why we eat it. And why we don't. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fishing, or rather, angling, is still the UK's most popular pastime. We'll look at fishing techniques - including the weird world of Catfishing (no, not that catfishing) - and lures. from vast collections to the vastly expensive million dollar one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dentistry. Science? Craft? Artform? Torture? Or all of these? In this episode, we look at the history of dentistry, what dentists have invented, and lots more shiny stuff. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

East Anglia is hard to get to from London, which is probably why it's been allowed to keep so much of its unique character! And Norfolk is even further away than Suffolk, so it's special in all kinds of ways. This episode looks at just some of the character and characters that make up this distinctive county. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nuts are some of the best and healthiest foods there are - even if they're not always technically nuts! This episode goes into the different types of foodstuff that we call nuts, and explains why some of them aren't nuts at all.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It makes the world go around... but how much do you actually know about its history? In this episode, we go from bartering to Bitcoin and from cocoa beans to million-pound coins. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

According to nutritionists, this time it's the most important meal of the day. There won't be much nutrition in sugary cereals, but you might feel better for a Bircher. Find out all about the breaking of the fast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Rubbish isn't always waste. Sometimes it can be really useful. Find out more in this rubbish episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From days of the week to 'Things' in long houses, the Vikings wandered the world, and left their mark, their art and their language everywhere they went. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time it's life on two wheels as Simon and Bruce investigate the history and tragedy (sorry, MAMILs) and the general story of the bicycle. From its bone-shaking beginnings to the oddest tandem, you'll discover much more about the bike than you ever wanted to know! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Glue has been used for so long for so much that it's become integral to our lives from top (hair products) to toe (shoe soles) and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time we discuss how pretty paper can be. Whether it's folded, cut, curled, or mashed, paper is immensely versatile. Come in and listen to a little 'Silhouetta' of two men! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this longer-than-usual episode, you'll learn how obsessed the world has become with taking images, where it all started, and how many pictures it takes to capture a nuclear explosion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, it's footwear. We find out how clogs messed up machinery and learn to tell our right foot from our left. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.