The Remarkable Life of the Skin (Omnibus)

Original version

BBC Radio 4 Extra

Factual: Science & Nature

The Remarkable Life of the Skin

BBC Radio 4 Extra - The Remarkable Life of the Skin (Omnibus)

Exploring the layers and lives of our largest yet most misunderstood organ.

Exploring the many layers and lives of our largest, most visible and yet most misunderstood organ. Read by Gunnar Cauthery.

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.

Written by Dr Monty Lyman

Omnibus of five parts abridged by Libby Spurrier

Read by Gunnar Cauthery.

Producer:  David Blount

A Pier production  for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in July 2019.

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