Life Without

Roundtable discussions on how society would function without essential things AI summary

BBC Radio 4 Visit website › Science · EN · 17 episodes · latest 2026-11-13

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What it is about

What if, one day, something essential to our world suddenly vanished? No warning. No explanation. Just gone. What happens next? Life Without is a roundtable-style podcast that explores this fascinating and thought-provoking question with insight, evidence-based assumptions and a range of perspectives. Hosted by Alan Davies, each episode brings together 2 guests, scientists, psychologists, economists, sociologists and journalists to discuss the unexpected consequences of losing something vital to our world. Each episode starts with a bold, imaginative question: What would happen if something fundamental—like the moon, salt, sleep, or even something as random as rats—suddenly disappeared from the world? What's the immediate fallout? How does society cope? And how long would it take before things started unravelling?

Publisher’s own description, taken unchanged from the podcast feed.
(C) BBC 2026

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Latest episodes

  1. 2026-11-13 · 15 min

    The Atlantic’s great conveyor belt stops. In this episode of Life Without, Alan Davies closes the Gulf Stream. What happens when one of the ocean’s great express routes no longer carries heat, salt and marine life? Alan…

  2. 2026-11-06 · 15 min

    No more tears, for sore eyes or sad films. In this episode of Life Without, Alan Davies turns off the tap. What happens when humanity loses the tears that protect our eyes as well as the ones we cry?Alan examines how…

  3. 2026-10-30 · 15 min

    The ocean’s tiniest drifters disappear. In this episode of Life Without, Alan Davies removes plankton from the sea. They may be hard to see, but what happens when the foundation of ocean life is suddenly gone? Alan…

  4. 2026-10-23 · 15 min

    No new memories. In this episode of Life Without, Alan Davies takes away our ability to form them. We can still live in the moment, but what happens when that moment will not stay with us? Alan explores different kinds…

  5. 2026-10-16 · 15 min

    No bats in the night sky. In this episode of Life Without, Alan Davies imagines a world where bats suddenly disappear. From tiny insect-eaters to fruit bats, what would humanity miss when these remarkable mammals are…

  6. 2026-10-09 · 3 min

    What if, one day, something essential to our world suddenly vanished? No warning. No explanation. Just gone. What happens next?Life Without is a roundtable-style podcast that explores this fascinating and…

  7. 2026-04-17 · 15 min

    What would happen to the world if the USA disappears? In this episode of Life Without, Alan Davies explores a planet earth without the land mass of North America. How would opening up the Atlantic impact us in the UK…

  8. 2026-04-10 · 15 min

    Spring Forward, Fall Back or what if we just didn’t? In this episode of Life Without, Alan Davies looks at how our circadian rhythms would be impacted if we simply stopped changing the clocks. Some scientists have…

  9. 2026-04-03 · 15 min

    We all know the importance of sleep, but what happens if we literally can’t? In this episode of Life Without, Alan Davies breaks down how long a world full of sleepy people could function. From memory loss to…

  10. 2026-03-27 · 15 min

    How many of us even use a pen these days and what if we never picked one up ever again? In this episode of Life Without, Alan Davies looks at our ancient skill of handwriting. If we could no longer write, would it…

Episode details from the publisher’s feed. Playback happens at the publisher.

Publisher details

Owner
BBC
Oldest episode in feed
02/2026
Typical length
14 min
Format
Episodic Newest first, episodes stand alone

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