All Consuming

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Exploring our culture of consumption through products that have changed the world

Charlotte Stavrou and Amit Katwala explore our culture of consumption through products that have changed the world -  asking how did we get here and what happens next?

Charlotte Stavrou and Amit Katwala explore our culture of consumption through products that have changed the world. They unravel the mysteries of marketing and the formidable forces that drive purchasing habits. From toilet paper to funerals, perfume to package holidays they'll be combing the past to see how landmark innovations have shifted the course of history. And asking what happens next?

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All Consuming: Manicures

Manicures

BBC Radio 4 - All Consuming, Manicures

Amit and Charlotte buff up their knowledge on nails as they enter the world of manicures

Amit Katwala and Charlotte Stavrou scratch open the history of manicures and continue their exploration of services and products which have changed our lives

Amit Katwala and Charlotte Stavrou explore our unending appetite for manicures and find out that it's much more than just a buff and cuticle pushback. 

Gel, acrylics, French tips - there's a seemingly endless list of services that can be applied to our fingertips. But some salons have taken nail art to the next level as Charlotte found out when she visited NUKA nails in West London. 

While manicures seem to be enjoying a heyday, nail treatments aren't a modern phenomenon as writer Suzanne E Shapiro explains as she takes us on a journey from Ancient Egypt to the French Riveria of the 1920s.  

Consultant dermatologist Dr Deirdre Buckley is also on hand to warn us about the emergence of plastic allergies in manicure lovers and we also uncover the dark underside of the industry when it comes to trafficked salon workers. 

Producer: Emily Uchida Finch
A Whistledown production for 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.

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