This is an I-Heart podcast.

Guaranteed Human.

Before we start the episode, one production note.

In this episode, we have a lot of quotes from Roald Dahl from his interviews with Barry Farrell.

Rather than just have me read them in my terrible British accent, we decided to bring them to life.

So, we use an actor's performance and some custom software to create a doll-like voice.

Okay, now on to the episode.

We've heard a lot about Roald Doll so far.

His days as a fighter pilot, his work as a spy with the irregulars, his screenwriting in Hollywood.

What if I told you that on his way to becoming the most successful children's author

ever, Dahl took a quick little detour to become a world-class neuroscientist?

At this point in the season, I feel like you might actually believe me, as you should.

Here's Tom Solomon, a doctor who knew Dahl, speaking on Liverpool TV.

In his life, he did some amazing medical things. He actually invented a new neurosurgical device to treat water on the brain, to treat hydrocephalus.

And the treatments went very good.

So he invented a new one, and it was used around the world.

Thousands of children benefited.

Okay, then, Roll Dahl, the neuroscience engineer.

I promise it's an even crazier story than that doctor just alluded to.

But in order to really understand why it was necessary for him to become an expert in the brain,

I gotta tell you about about doll's kids.

Of all the masks that doll tries on,

...