Life Without
BBC Radio 4What 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
| Publishes | Weekly | Episodes | 11 | Founded | 4 months ago |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Listeners | Categories | NatureScience | |||
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Latest Episodes
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
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 argued to do away with the twice-y... more
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 hallucinations, sleep is keeping all ou... more
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 really matter?
From the feather wi... more
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Reviews
- 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 Podcasts5PoppyKey
United Kingdom22 days 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.
Podchaser3a month agoSarah B- 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 Podcasts3DWKoh
Philippines2 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 Podcasts2m i l e s d e e pUnited Kingdom2 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 Podcasts2Machine123(4United Kingdom2 months ago
Listeners Say
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Chart Rankings
How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.
Apple Podcasts | #96 |  United States/Science/Nature |
Apple Podcasts | #1 | United Kingdom/Science/Nature |
Apple Podcasts | #10 | United Kingdom/Science |
Apple Podcasts | #21 |  Canada/Science/Nature |
Apple Podcasts | #144 | Canada/Science |
Apple Podcasts | #3 |  Australia/Science/Nature |
Talking Points
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Audience Metrics
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Frequently Asked Questions About Life Without
What is Life Without about and what kind of topics does it cover?
This roundtable series explores hypothetical disappearances of essential elements and the cascading effects on society, technology, environments, and daily life. Across episodes, discussions weave scientific context with cultural and practical implications—from sleep, timekeeping, and nutrition to bees, earthworms, writing, and even larger-scale systems like energy and geopolitics. Notable strengths include expert panels that ground speculative questions in evidence, plus vivid scenario-building that connects science to everyday decisions, policy, and resilience. The show tends to attract listeners who enjoy thought experiments anchored by real-world science and interdisciplinary viewpoints, with episodes that often mix rigorous explanation... more
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How many listeners does Life Without get?
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How many subscribers and views does Life Without have?
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Which podcasts are similar to Life Without?
These podcasts share a similar audience with Life Without:
1. The Rest Is Science
2. Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
3. Sliced Bread
4. No Such Thing As A Fish
5. Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth
How many episodes of Life Without are there?
Life Without launched 4 months ago and published 11 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.
How do I contact Life Without?
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What guests have appeared on Life Without?
Recent guests on Life Without include:
1. Dr. Anjana Khatwa
2. Tori Chow
3. Dr Aarti Jagannath
4. Rebecca Struthers
5. Derk-Jan Dijk
6. Sophie Bostock
7. Dominic Wyse
8. Nels Abbey
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.