Greg Jenner is joined by Dr Vanessa Heggie and comedian Darren Harriott to learn about the bodybuilding boom of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The latter part of the 19th century saw the beginning of a fitness craze where the seeds of the modern-day gym and fitness culture were sown. But physical fitness also tapped into other parts of the psyche of British society at the time. From concerns over the fighting fitness of the British army to the racist pseudoscience of eugenics, this novel leisure activity tells us a surprising amount about the societal and intellectual currents that existed in this period.
For the full-length version of this episode, please look further back in the feed.
Research by Caitlín Rankin-McCabe Written by Emma Nagouse, Caitlín Rankin-McCabe and Greg Jenner Produced by Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner Assistant Producer: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow Project Management: Isla Matthews Audio Producer: Steve Hankey
You’re Dead To Me is a production by The Athletic for BBC Radio 4.
The History of Chocolate (Radio Edit)
The Victorian Christmas (Radio Edit)
Josephine Baker (Radio Edit)
The Mayflower (Radio Edit)
The Witch Craze (Radio Edit)
The History of Football (Radio Edit)
Stonehenge (Radio Edit)
Harriet Tubman (Radio Edit)
Young Napoleon (Radio Edit)
Neanderthals (Radio Edit)
The Aztecs (Radio Edit)
Blackbeard (Radio Edit)
The Egyptian Pyramids
Genghis Khan
Notting Hill Carnival
Jack Sheppard
The Haitian Revolution
Vampires in Gothic Literature
The Battle of Salamis
The Mughal Empire
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Infinite Monkey Cage
No Such Thing As A Fish
The Rest Is History
It’s a Continent
Witness History: Black history