Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Lure Of Sweetness | 20180122 | 20191021 (R4) | It's the only taste we know from birth - sweetness. From China to Africa give a baby a taste of sugar and watch them smile. It lights up our dopamine centres like no other food, by comparison every other taste is one we learn to enjoy. Our craving for sweetness is an evolutionary response to a world where food had to searched for, hunted down and if need be fought over. And nothing was more prized by our ancestors than the sweet taste of sugar, whether it came from fruit, honey or plants. And it's that evolutionary programming that lies at the root of our relationship with a food stuff that has built empires, enslaved millions, given so much pleasure and caused so much harm. Sugar is not love, but it feels like it.' Bee Wilson wrote in her most recent book First Bite. She's been fascinated by it most of her life. As someone who as a teenager ping ponged between binges and crazy diets she's hugely aware of the power of sugar on the individual. In this series she looks at the history of this paradoxical food. Bee Wilson explores the history of that most paradoxical of foods, sugar. Food writer Bee Wilson explores Britain's relationship with sugar. It's the only taste we know from birth - sweetness. From China to Africa give a baby a taste of sugar and watch them smile. It lights up our dopamine centres like no other food, by comparison every other taste is one we learn to enjoy. Our craving for sweetness is an evolutionary response to a world where food had to searched for, hunted down and if need be fought over. And nothing was more prized by our ancestors than the sweet taste of sugar, whether it came from fruit, honey or plants. And it's that evolutionary programming that lies at the root of our relationship with a food stuff that has built empires, enslaved millions, given so much pleasure and caused so much harm. Sugar is not love, but it feels like it.' Bee Wilson wrote in her most recent book First Bite. She's been fascinated by it most of her life. As someone who as a teenager ping ponged between binges and crazy diets she's hugely aware of the power of sugar on the individual. In this series she looks at the history of this paradoxical food. Bee Wilson explores the history of that most paradoxical of foods, sugar. Food writer Bee Wilson explores Britain's relationship with sugar. |
| 02 | The Sweet-toothed Nation | 20180123 | 20191022 (R4) | Food writer Bee Wilson explores Britain's love affair with sugar. Food writer Bee Wilson explores Britain's relationship with sugar. Food writer Bee Wilson explores Britain's love affair with sugar. Food writer Bee Wilson explores Britain's relationship with sugar. |
| 03 | Slaves To Sweetness | 20180124 | 20191023 (R4) | Bee Wilson tells the dark history of sugar and slavery. Food writer Bee Wilson explores Britain's relationship with sugar. Bee Wilson tells the dark history of sugar and slavery. Food writer Bee Wilson explores Britain's relationship with sugar. |
| 04 | Sugar Wars | 20180125 | 20191024 (R4) | Bee Wilson explores sugar's role as a cause of conflict. Food writer Bee Wilson explores Britain's relationship with sugar. Bee Wilson explores sugar's role as a cause of conflict. Food writer Bee Wilson explores Britain's relationship with sugar. |
| 05 | From Medicine To Menace | 20180126 | 20191025 (R4) | Bee Wilson explores our current anxiety over sugar. Food writer Bee Wilson explores Britain's relationship with sugar. Bee Wilson explores our current anxiety over sugar. Food writer Bee Wilson explores Britain's relationship with sugar. |