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Artwork for Life Without

Life Without

BBC Radio 4
Earthworms
Rats
Memory
Moon
Bees
Sodium Chloride
Sexual Behavior
Writing
Sleep Deprivation
Daylight Saving Time
Pollination
Ecology
Agriculture
Ecosystem
Soil Health
Sleep Stages (deep Sleep, REM)
Gulf Stream
Earth
Disease
Food Supply

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, economi... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes14Founded9 months ago
Number of ListenersCategories
NatureScience

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Artwork for Life Without

Latest Episodes

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 of memory, from knowing how t... more

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 gone?

Alan explores the role ba... more

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, ev... more

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 and what would the disappearance ... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Rachel Elwood
Deputy head of the School of Allied Health and Life Sciences at London South Bank University
London South Bank University
Episode: Life Without Memory
Keith Oliver
Former head teacher, author and lived-experience ambassador living with Alzheimer's disease
Episode: Life Without Memory
Kate Jones
Professor of Ecology and Biodiversity at UCL
UCL
Episode: Life Without Bats
Christina Stanley
Associate Professor in Animal Behaviour and Welfare at the University of Chester and editor of The Social Lives of Bats
University of Chester
Episode: Life Without Bats
Dr. Anjana Khatwa
Earth scientist, presenter and author of The Whispers of Rock
The Whispers of Rock (author)
Episode: Life Without North America
Tori Chow
Environmental campaigner and author
Eco-advocate/author
Episode: Life Without North America
Dr Aarti Jagannath
Associate Professor at the University of Oxford's Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute
University of Oxford
Episode: Life Without Standard Time
Rebecca Struthers
Watchmaker, historian and author of Hands of Time, A Watchmaker's History of Time
Independent/Author
Episode: Life Without Standard Time
Derk-Jan Dijk
Professor of Sleep and Physiology at the University of Surrey; founder and director of the Surrey Sleep Research Centre
University of Surrey
Episode: Life Without Sleep

Host

Dr. Alan Davies
Host of Life Without, a BBC Radio 4/ITN production for Radio 4 collaboration.

Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars from 180 ratings
  • Enjoyable

    I've been really enjoying this podcast, it's interesting to hear about what could be, should we lose some of our cornerstones. I quite like the short format, even if it means that some subjects are more skimmed over.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    PoppyKey
    United Kingdom5 months ago
  • This one was not for me. I came for the cool science, but halfway through the first episode, random people were still making motherhood statements about how people really like the moon. It felt like a huge waste of time.

    Podchaser
    3
    Sarah B
    6 months ago
  • I love this… but

    I love this novel concept of a Pod. I adore the hosts voice. However, I would love to see this pod in a longer format that can delve more into “what would actually happen(theoretically)”

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    DWKoh
    Philippines6 months ago
  • AI Slop

    Couldn’t get past Alan’s ChatGPT monologue at the beginning of the salt episode. Note to Alan: if you’re wondering whether people will notice a script is AI - they will. Listeners want human, they want your personality, not meaningless expedient slop that, actually, is hard to follow. It’s a good concept, still time to save it. You may want a human to rewrite the pod description too.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    m i l e s d e e p
    United Kingdom7 months ago
  • Had to give up - remove constant music!

    I’m sure it would be interesting but music is too constant and too loud so I had to give up- ironically where Alan said “this is where the music stops” for evolution.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Machine123(4
    United Kingdom7 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Thoughtful, accessible analysis of big what-ifs.
Listener feedback highlights requests for longer episodes and fewer musical interludes.
Audience appreciates interdisciplinary guest lineups and practical implications of hypotheticals.
Hosts provide a calm, curious tone that makes complex topics approachable.
Some episodes are critiqued for pacing or production choices rather than content quality.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#34
United States/Science/Nature
Apple Podcasts
#2
United Kingdom/Science/Nature
Apple Podcasts
#10
Canada/Science/Nature
Apple Podcasts
#12
United Kingdom/Science
Apple Podcasts
#83
Canada/Science
Apple Podcasts
#3
Australia/Science/Nature

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Life Without Bats
Q: What would you two bat enthusiasts miss the most if there were no bats?
Christina Stanley would miss seeing bats flying at dusk as a sign of summer. Kate Jones would miss the chance to use bats as indicators of biodiversity loss and monitor environmental change.
Life Without Bats
Q: What have we lost that we simply cannot replace?
Kate Jones says bats' unusual physiology could help researchers understand longevity, disease resistance and cancer prevention. Their immune responses, inflammation control and DNA repair may inform future treatments.
Life Without Memory
Q: Does losing our memory affect our relationships?
Elwood says people with amnesia can form friendships and marry, though adults may find this harder than children because children's brains are more adaptable.
Life Without Memory
Q: So for the purposes of our experiment, Rachel, what's happening? What can't we remember?
People would be unable to form new declarative memories, including new memories of personal experiences, but would retain their existing memories.
Life Without Standard Time
Q: How do you get your 14-year-old to go to bed?
The discussion notes teenagers' hormones naturally delay sleep and suggests reducing evening light exposure and increasing morning bright light to align their clocks earlier.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About Life Without

What is Life Without about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A roundtable format that investigates radical hypotheticals about disappearing elements or institutions, anchored by a thoughtful host and a rotating cast of guests from science, education, and public commentary. Episodes typically unpack immediate shocks, long-term systemic effects, and practical adaptations across domains like ecology, technology, health, culture, and policy, often with concrete timelines and vivid, scenario-driven reasoning. Notable strengths include clear, evidence-based explanations, engaging interdisciplinary perspectives, and a knack for turning abstract what-ifs into concrete questions about resilience and human behavior. A distinctive trait is linking scientific insight to real-world implications, sometimes with a ... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Life Without?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Life Without:

1. Curious Cases
2. Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
3. The Infinite Monkey Cage
4. The Rest Is Science
5. The Rest Is Entertainment

How many episodes of Life Without are there?

Life Without launched 9 months ago and published 14 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Life Without?

Recent guests on Life Without include:

1. Rachel Elwood
2. Keith Oliver
3. Kate Jones
4. Christina Stanley
5. Dr. Anjana Khatwa
6. Tori Chow
7. Dr Aarti Jagannath
8. Rebecca Struthers

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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