The Golden Thread

BBC Radio 4 Extra

BBC Radio 4 FM

Original version

BBC Radio 4 LW

The Golden Thread: 4. The Risks of Rayon

4. The Risks of Rayon

BBC Radio 4 - The Golden Thread, 4. The Risks of Rayon

The dangers involved in producing synthetic fabrics like rayon.

How prisoners of war in Germany produced rayon and the popularity of nylon stockings.  Read by Francesca Dymond.

All cloth begins with a twist. 

The murky wartime history of rayon, nylon production in Delaware and the concern about the environmentally unfriendliness of synthetics.

Kassia St Clair unravels more of the stories behind our well-known fabrics.

Abridged by Laurence Wareing.

Read by Francesca Dymond.

Producer: Eilidh McCreadie

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2018

BBC Radio 4

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Factual: Science & Nature

By Kassia St Clair. The story of how fabrics have changed and shaped the world we live in.

Journalist Kassia St Clair uncovers the fascinating stories of how fabrics have shaped the world we live in.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Golden Thread

4. The Risks of Rayon

Genres

Series

BBC Radio 4 LW

About BBC Radio 4