#49 - Coal Holes

The colorectal surgeon and comedian Jenan Younis wants to get to the bottom of a taboo subject, that everyone has struggled with at some stage. Farts.James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.

It started with 'regency wedding scene' puzzle purchased for £2 in a charity shop.Now Anya Driscoll is a jigsaw junkie. In this edition of The Boring Talks, she discussions her obsession, and pieces together the history of jigsaws, the art of jigsaws and whether or not they could save your life (spoiler - they can't really).James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting... maybe.

From Anglo-American differences, to escaping kidnappers and celebrating the classic car boot sale. In this Boring Talk, Auto Express journalist Hugo Griffiths climbs inside the 'space of temporariness' that is the car boot.James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.

Family holidays for the artist Louise Ashcroft meant one thing - variety pack cereals. Would it be Cornflakes? Or Frosties? Coco Pops or Ricicles? Through this multi-grain multiple choice Louise realised she could be anyone..... kind of. Join her for a creative, personal journey through her favourite corn syrup-infused inflated grain.James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.

Gouging, scraping and chopping. The reporter Chloe Veltman shows us the painstaking art of making an oboe reed, and how it can be the difference between sounding like a singing nightingale, or a belligerent duck.James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.

Where does the word 'Window' derive from? And what does it have to do with a Norwegian architectural historian and a bohemian Austrian poet? On a lyrical journey from death to inspiration, Anne Ulrikke Andersen takes a look through the windows in the life of Christian Norberg-Schulz.James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.

They are either 12, 14 or 16 inches wide, they live just outside our doors, and they come in a variety of striking designs. So why has no one heard of coal holes? Local historian Amir Dotan explores the streets of London to find the small metal discs you may not have noticed before, but may well have stepped over thousands of times.James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.

What do we all use, but never visit? The sound artist Matt Parker takes us inside the bizarre world of remote Data Centres, where our wireless world is powered by rows and rows of computers running all day, everyday. But what is the true cost of these centres to our planet? What do they sound like? And why does one have an empty white room with an executive leather armchair and a faceless portrait hanging on the wall?James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.

It began as an image of Victorian femininity, became a 1920s style icon, and perhaps ended as a 1970s toilet roll cover. Dr Kathryn Ferry looks at the curious history of the Crinoline Lady, exploring the growth of suburbia, Gone With The Wind and 'crinolinemania'.James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.

James Ward introduces another curious talk about a subject that may seem boring, but is actually very interesting.... maybe.From Bamboozle, to being switched off, and now being salvaged for the digital age. James O'Malley looks at the life, death and resurrection of Teletext.