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.

Why can’t we tickle ourselves? Why - and how - do we blush? Why do we sometimes experience a pleasurable ‘aesthetic shiver’? In today’s episode, Dr Lyman explores the relationship between our brain and our skin.

Written by Dr Monty Lyman
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Read by Gunnar Cauthery
Producer: David Blount
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4 Show less