Join The Dots

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

The First Dot

20170918

20250106 (BBC7)
20200628 (R4)

Janet Ellis explores the etymology of the word 'dot'. It's all to do with pus and phlegm.

A 40,000 year old dot that may help change our understanding of the behaviour of Neanderthal man and, move over colouring books, dot to dot is the new craze.

Janet tries, literally, to find the first dot.

The simple dot is one of the first marks ever made. Later, the dot helped make sense of the written word and, in the digital domain, its use helps everything work. Somehow, from being a word probably uttered infrequently, it is now absolutely part and parcel of our vocabulary.

From the morse code that could have saved the Titanic, to Harold Pinter's love of those three dots... the first Braille newspaper, royal polka-dot socks, to the conceptual art of a young Aboriginal artist - just some of the dots you'll encounter when you join the dots.

A former Blue Peter presenter, Janet Ellis has presented several features for BBC Radio 4, appears regularly on Broadcasting House reviewing the papers, and on Channel 5's The Write Stuff. Her first novel, The Butcher's Hook, was published in 2016 and longlisted for the prestigious Desmond Elliott Prize. Her second, How it Was was published in 2019. She has been a judge for the Costa New Novel Prize and was awarded an MBE for services to charity and theatre in 2016.

Contributors to this first programme include:

Dr Tania Styles of the Oxford English Dictionary

Professor Paul Pettitt from the Department of Archaeology at the University of Durham.

A Dora production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in 2017.

Janet Ellis explores the dot. A simple word for a most significant mark: from cave art to polka-dots. From 2017.

Janet Ellis explores the etymology of the word 'dot'. it's all to do with pus and phlegm. A 40,000 year old dot that may help change our understanding of the behaviour of Neanderthal man and, move over colouring books, dot to dot is the new craze.

Contributors to this first programme include Dr Tania Styles of the Oxford English Dictionary, and Professor Paul Pettitt from the Department of Archaeology at the University of Durham.

[LISTEN NOW]

Picture The Dot

20170919

20250107 (BBC7)
20200705 (R4)

Janet Ellis gets close to the canvas to see how this elemental mark has inspired great world art, from the dots of the Australian Western Desert to 19th Century Paris.

The simple dot is one of the first marks man ever made. From being a word we uttered infrequently, the advent of digital has made it one we use all the time.

The dot. We wear it, listen to it, read it and gaze on it. We send it through the air and under the waves. Each programme in this series circles a different aspect of this simple mark.

Contributors are Aboriginal Australian artist Christian Thompson and Dr Karen Serres, the Courtauld Gallery Schroder Foundation Curator of Paintings.

Geoffrey Bardon and Fay Nelson's contributions are from the film documentary Mr Patterns and used with kind permission of the Bardon family and the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's Film Australia archive. The music is by Steve Francis.

Christian Thompson's collection We Bury Our Own can be seen at https://www.christianthompson.net/we-bury-our-own-2012

A Dora production, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.

Janet Ellis explores how this elemental mark has inspired great world art.

Janet Ellis explores the etymology of the word 'dot'.

Janet Ellis explores the dot. A simple word for a most significant mark: picturing the dots in art. From 2017.

[LISTEN NOW]

The Language Of Dots

20170920

20250108 (BBC7)
20200712 (R4)

Janet Ellis looks at how the dot has helped us communicate and reflects on the dot in computer language, Morse code, Braille and the dots that get our email delivered.

The simple dot is one of the first marks man ever made. From being a word we uttered infrequently, the advent of digital has made it one we use all the time.

The dot. We wear it, listen to it, read it and gaze on it. We send it through the air and under the waves. Each programme in this series circles a different aspect of this simple mark.

Contributors include:

Dr Tilly Blyth, Head of Collections Science Museum London

Robert Saggers, Heritage Manager at the Royal Institute of Blind People

A Dora production, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.

Janet Ellis looks at how the dot has helped us communicate.

Janet Ellis explores the etymology of the word 'dot'.

Janet Ellis explores the dot. A simple word for a most significant mark: communication in Morse, Braille and beyond. From 2017.

Janet Ellis looks at how the dot has helped us communicate and reflects on the dot in computer language. Morse code, Braille and the dots that get our email delivered.

Contributors include Dr Tilly Blyth, Head of Collections Science Museum London, and Robert Saggers, Heritage Manager at the Royal Institute of Blind People.

[LISTEN NOW]

Playing The Dot

20170921

20250109 (BBC7)
20200719 (R4)

Then there was a pause... Janet Ellis explores the role of the dot in early punctuation, Harold Pinter's love of the pause, and listens to the music of the dots.

The simple dot is one of the first marks man ever made. From being a word we uttered infrequently, the advent of digital has made it one we use all the time.

The dot. We wear it, listen to it, read it and gaze on it. We send it through the air and under the waves. Each programme in this series circles a different aspect of this simple mark.

Contributors include theatre director David Leveaux, writers Keith Huston and Lynne Truss, and composer Gary Yershon.

Harold Pinter extract taken from Penguin Random House audiobook Various Voices, with permission of The Harold Pinter estate.

A Dora production, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.

Janet Ellis explores the etymology of the word 'dot'.

Janet Ellis explores the dot. A simple word for a most significant mark: punctuation, Harold Pinter and beyond. From 2017.

[LISTEN NOW]

05 LAST

The Dancing Dot

20170922

20250110 (BBC7)
20200726 (R4)

Janet Ellis explores our love affair with the polka-dot and what it says about us.

The simple dot is one of the first marks man ever made. From being a word we uttered infrequently, the advent of digital has made it one we use all the time.

The dot. We wear it, listen to it, read it and gaze on it. We send it through the air and under the waves. Each programme in this series circles a different aspect of this simple mark.

Contributors include film and TV costume designer Leonie Hartard, designer Cressida Bell, and a clown, Mattie Faint.

Janet Ellis examines our love affair with the polka-dot and what it says about us.

Janet Ellis explores the etymology of the word 'dot'.

A Dora production, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017.

Janet Ellis explores the dot. A simple word for a most significant mark: a long lasting design love affair. From 2017.

Contributors include:

* Film and TV costume designer, Leonie Hartard

* Designer, Cressida Bel

* Clown, Mattie Faint

A Dora production, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2017.

Janet Ellis examines our love affair with the polka-dot.

[LISTEN NOW]

Episodes

Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
01	The First Dot	20170918	20250106 (BBC7) 20200628 (R4)	Janet Ellis explores the etymology of the word 'dot'. It's all to do with pus and phlegm. A 40,000 year old dot that may help change our understanding of the behaviour of Neanderthal man and, move over colouring books, dot to dot is the new craze. Janet tries, literally, to find the first dot. The simple dot is one of the first marks ever made. Later, the dot helped make sense of the written word and, in the digital domain, its use helps everything work. Somehow, from being a word probably uttered infrequently, it is now absolutely part and parcel of our vocabulary. From the morse code that could have saved the Titanic, to Harold Pinter's love of those three dots... the first Braille newspaper, royal polka-dot socks, to the conceptual art of a young Aboriginal artist - just some of the dots you'll encounter when you join the dots. A former Blue Peter presenter, Janet Ellis has presented several features for BBC Radio 4, appears regularly on Broadcasting House reviewing the papers, and on Channel 5's The Write Stuff. Her first novel, The Butcher's Hook, was published in 2016 and longlisted for the prestigious Desmond Elliott Prize. Her second, How it Was was published in 2019. She has been a judge for the Costa New Novel Prize and was awarded an MBE for services to charity and theatre in 2016. Contributors to this first programme include: Dr Tania Styles of the Oxford English Dictionary Professor Paul Pettitt from the Department of Archaeology at the University of Durham. A Dora production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in 2017. Janet Ellis explores the dot. A simple word for a most significant mark: from cave art to polka-dots. From 2017. Janet Ellis explores the etymology of the word 'dot'. it's all to do with pus and phlegm. A 40,000 year old dot that may help change our understanding of the behaviour of Neanderthal man and, move over colouring books, dot to dot is the new craze. Contributors to this first programme include Dr Tania Styles of the Oxford English Dictionary, and Professor Paul Pettitt from the Department of Archaeology at the University of Durham. [LISTEN NOW]
02	Picture The Dot	20170919	20250107 (BBC7) 20200705 (R4)	Janet Ellis gets close to the canvas to see how this elemental mark has inspired great world art, from the dots of the Australian Western Desert to 19th Century Paris. The simple dot is one of the first marks man ever made. From being a word we uttered infrequently, the advent of digital has made it one we use all the time. The dot. We wear it, listen to it, read it and gaze on it. We send it through the air and under the waves. Each programme in this series circles a different aspect of this simple mark. Contributors are Aboriginal Australian artist Christian Thompson and Dr Karen Serres, the Courtauld Gallery Schroder Foundation Curator of Paintings. Geoffrey Bardon and Fay Nelson's contributions are from the film documentary Mr Patterns and used with kind permission of the Bardon family and the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's Film Australia archive. The music is by Steve Francis. Christian Thompson's collection We Bury Our Own can be seen at https://www.christianthompson.net/we-bury-our-own-2012 A Dora production, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017. Janet Ellis explores how this elemental mark has inspired great world art. Janet Ellis explores the etymology of the word 'dot'. Janet Ellis explores the dot. A simple word for a most significant mark: picturing the dots in art. From 2017. [LISTEN NOW]
03	The Language Of Dots	20170920	20250108 (BBC7) 20200712 (R4)	Janet Ellis looks at how the dot has helped us communicate and reflects on the dot in computer language, Morse code, Braille and the dots that get our email delivered. The simple dot is one of the first marks man ever made. From being a word we uttered infrequently, the advent of digital has made it one we use all the time. The dot. We wear it, listen to it, read it and gaze on it. We send it through the air and under the waves. Each programme in this series circles a different aspect of this simple mark. Contributors include: Dr Tilly Blyth, Head of Collections Science Museum London Robert Saggers, Heritage Manager at the Royal Institute of Blind People A Dora production, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017. Janet Ellis looks at how the dot has helped us communicate. Janet Ellis explores the etymology of the word 'dot'. Janet Ellis explores the dot. A simple word for a most significant mark: communication in Morse, Braille and beyond. From 2017. Janet Ellis looks at how the dot has helped us communicate and reflects on the dot in computer language. Morse code, Braille and the dots that get our email delivered. Contributors include Dr Tilly Blyth, Head of Collections Science Museum London, and Robert Saggers, Heritage Manager at the Royal Institute of Blind People. [LISTEN NOW]
04	Playing The Dot	20170921	20250109 (BBC7) 20200719 (R4)	Then there was a pause... Janet Ellis explores the role of the dot in early punctuation, Harold Pinter's love of the pause, and listens to the music of the dots. The simple dot is one of the first marks man ever made. From being a word we uttered infrequently, the advent of digital has made it one we use all the time. The dot. We wear it, listen to it, read it and gaze on it. We send it through the air and under the waves. Each programme in this series circles a different aspect of this simple mark. Contributors include theatre director David Leveaux, writers Keith Huston and Lynne Truss, and composer Gary Yershon. Harold Pinter extract taken from Penguin Random House audiobook Various Voices, with permission of The Harold Pinter estate. A Dora production, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017. Janet Ellis explores the etymology of the word 'dot'. Janet Ellis explores the dot. A simple word for a most significant mark: punctuation, Harold Pinter and beyond. From 2017. [LISTEN NOW]
05 LAST	The Dancing Dot	20170922	20250110 (BBC7) 20200726 (R4)	Janet Ellis explores our love affair with the polka-dot and what it says about us. The simple dot is one of the first marks man ever made. From being a word we uttered infrequently, the advent of digital has made it one we use all the time. The dot. We wear it, listen to it, read it and gaze on it. We send it through the air and under the waves. Each programme in this series circles a different aspect of this simple mark. Contributors include film and TV costume designer Leonie Hartard, designer Cressida Bell, and a clown, Mattie Faint. Janet Ellis examines our love affair with the polka-dot and what it says about us. Janet Ellis explores the etymology of the word 'dot'. A Dora production, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2017. Janet Ellis explores the dot. A simple word for a most significant mark: a long lasting design love affair. From 2017. Contributors include: * Film and TV costume designer, Leonie Hartard * Designer, Cressida Bel * Clown, Mattie Faint A Dora production, first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2017. Janet Ellis examines our love affair with the polka-dot. [LISTEN NOW]