A Frytful Scare, Part 2
Curious Cases
BBC
4.8 • 4.1K Ratings
🗓️ 1 November 2019
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Rutherford and Fry delve into the history of roller coasters in the second instalment of their investigation into why we enjoy being scared.
Amelie Xenakis asks: "Why do people enjoy rollercoasters? I am a thrill-seeker and I am always terrified before riding a roller coaster but I enjoy the ride itself. (I would like BOTH of you to ride a roller coaster if possible)."
Never ones to shy away from a challenge, the pair attempt to channel their inner adrenaline junkies with a trip on one the UK's scariest rollercoasters at Thorpe Park.
They discover the birth of the roller coaster in the 18th century, when Catherine the Great enjoyed careering down Russian Ice Mountains covered in snow. Adam talks to scary sociologist Margee Kerr, author of 'Scream! The Science of Fear', about how the modern roller coaster evolved.
David Poeppel from New York University studies the science of screaming, and we discover what makes screams uniquely terrifying. Plus, psychologist and broadcaster Claudia Hammond describes some early experiments which tested how fear affects our body.
Presenters: Adam Rutherford, Hannah Fry Producer: Michelle Martin
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2019.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:04.8 | MUSIC |
| 0:10.6 | I'm Dr Adam Rutherford. |
| 0:12.3 | And I'm Dr Hannah Fry. |
| 0:13.6 | And you are going to send us your everyday mysteries. |
| 0:16.5 | And we are going to investigate them using the power of... |
| 0:19.8 | Science! |
| 0:20.5 | Science! |
| 0:21.2 | Science! |
| 0:22.2 | I like it. |
| 0:23.2 | MUSIC |
| 0:26.6 | OK, so it's a second part of why we... |
| 0:30.0 | I say we, why I enjoy being scared. |
| 0:32.8 | You hated it. |
| 0:34.2 | The last one, horror. |
| 0:36.0 | This one, adrenaline-right. |
| 0:38.6 | Amusement parks. |
| 0:39.8 | MUSIC |
| 0:40.9 | Yeah. |
| 0:42.0 | It didn't start well, did it? |
| 0:44.4 | And went downhill from there. |
| 0:46.1 | Much like a roller coaster. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.