BBC World Service Australasia

The Thought Show

Factual

Brings together in a single hour The Why Factor; More or Less and Trending.

RussianVodkaShop.jpg

The Thought Show: Rise of Extreme Pranking, the Fall in Drinking in Russia, Learning About Pain

Discussion & Talk

Factual: Life Stories

WS More or Less: Has Russian Drinking Fallen by 80% in five years?

15/02/2018 GMT

Rise of Extreme Pranking, the Fall in Drinking in Russia, Learning About Pain

BBC World Service - The Thought Show, Rise of Extreme Pranking, the Fall in Drinking in Russia, Learning About Pain

The rise of extreme pranking; has drinking in Russia gone down? Also, understanding pain.

The disturbing rise in extreme internet pranks that simulate real life attacks; has drinking fallen by 80% in five years in Russia? And, why we need to understand more about pain.

Why has there been a disturbing rise in internet pranks that simulate real life attacks? In an exclusive interview, we hear from  YouTuber Arya Mosallah, who had his channel terminated after some of his videos - which some thought resembled acid attacks - were removed from the site. And we look at the ethics and morals of the people making videos in the pranking genre.

There’s a stereotype of Russia as a nation of vodka-swilling hard drinkers – but is that idea out of date? The Russian health minister told a conference recently that the country’s alcohol consumption there has dropped by 80% in just five years. Can that be true?

Pain comes to us all at some point in our lives, but a person’s pain is a unique experience and describing what hurts is not a simple task. Sandra Kanthal asks why we need to understand more about pain and reports on new ways being developed to measure and manage it.

(image: People stand next to a shelf with strong drinks in a food store in Moscow. Credit Andrey Smirnov/Getty Images)

BBC World Service

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Thought Show

Rise of Extreme Pranking, the Fall in Drinking in Russia, Learning About Pain

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service Australasia

About BBC World Service