Everything Under The Sun

Children are full of curiosity and questions about the world.

Each Friday, join Molly Oldfield, write of the weekly kids quiz in the Guardian each Saturday, the original QI elf and author and host of Everything Under The Sun (both the book and podcast) as she answers questions sent in by children around the world with the help of experts including Neil Gaiman, Heston Blumenthal, Grayson Perry, Lauren Child, Richard Branson and Sophie Dahl to the fish curators at the Natural History Museum.

If you're a kid - big or small - with questions you want answered or if you want to learn interesting facts about life on earth, this is the award winning podcast for you.

Do check out Everything Under The Sun - a curious question for every day of the year, published by Ladybird books now!

#156 Can Beetles Talk To Ants? w/ Ben Hoare. How Are Candles Made? Where does the water for a river come from?
May 7, 2025 – 16:33
#156 How Do You Become A Chess Grandmaster? w/ FunMaster Mike Klein. Why Do Countries Have Capital Cities? Why Do Lemurs Have Stripey Tails?
Apr 25, 2025 – 14:10
#155 Why Do We Hear the Sea in Seashells? w/ Helen Scales. Why Do Eggs Have Yolks? Why Are Sheepdogs So Intelligent?
Apr 18, 2025 – 14:30
#154 How do you get chickenpox? w/ Sarah Holper. Why are gorse bushes so prickly? Why does air make crisps soggy?
Apr 4, 2025 – 14:20
#153 How was sign language invented? w/ Rose Ayling-Ellis. How do submarines sink? Why do skunk's stink?
Mar 28, 2025 – 12:40
#152 Which flower has the most petals? w/ Carlos Lehnebach. Which dog is the best at smelling? Which daffodils are there in the world?
Mar 21, 2025 – 13:39
#151 How Did Ancient Egyptians Blow Their Noses? w/ Justin Pollard. How do hedgehogs make their homes? How do caterpillar eggs stick to leaves?
Mar 14, 2025 – 14:51
#150 How do we know about the Kraken? w/ Katherine Rundell. How do sea creature not get water in their eyes? How many metres deep is the ocean?
Mar 6, 2025 – 17:17
#149 How do underwater volcanoes erupt w/ Robin George Andrews. Why does lava not melt volcano's rocks? Why are dolphins so clever?
Feb 28, 2025 – 14:46
#148 What sound do sharks make? w/ James Maclaine. Who Were The First Ninjas? Who's The Strongest, Samurais or Ninjas?
Feb 20, 2025 – 13:32
#147 When were the first pirates? w/ Iszi Lawrence. What was the first book written? What is water made out of ?
Oct 7, 2024 – 12:40
#146 How do solar panels make electricity? With Yasmin Ali. Why do people smile back when we smile on them? Why does the moon follow us?
Sep 26, 2024 – 12:17
#145 Why do some countries have wars? With Lord Alf Dubs. Why are baby animals so cute? How did chicken pox get it's name?
Sep 12, 2024 – 11:31
#144: Bee stings, colours, and maths with Chris Haughton
Sep 5, 2024 – 15:12
How many kilos can a whale eat? With Tom Mustill. How do mermaids grow their tails? What lives in the Mariana Trench?
May 30, 2024 – 12:40
Why do people yawn? With Dr Sarah Holper. Why do lions have manes? Which ocean animals are already extinct?
May 10, 2024 – 12:41
Can animals laugh? Why do sperm whales sleep vertically? With Felix Marx from Te Papa Museum. Why do people say that cats have nine lives?
May 2, 2024 – 13:12
How did the Milky Way form? With Jim Al-Khalili. Why is there no gravity on space? Why is Earth called Earth?
Apr 26, 2024 – 13:24
Why do people's voices sound different? With Professor Guri Sandhu. How do echoes work? How did the Grand Canyon open up?
Apr 5, 2024 – 14:30
What happens to garbage that is not recycled? With James Piper. Why does pollution cause climate change? Which part of the world is most affected by global warming?
Feb 23, 2024 – 14:43
Why do our hearts beat when we're afraid? How are spiders born? Why do some children look like their parents?
Feb 9, 2024 – 15:41
How are robots made? Why is the immortal jellyfish immortal? Can babies talk to other babies?
Feb 2, 2024 – 15:40
Where were the first schools? With Jonathan Taylor. How did some homo sapiens survive the Ice Age? Why do men have beards?
Jan 26, 2024 – 17:31
How is magic made? With Sophie Dahl. Why do bats hang upside down? How does kinetic sand work?
Dec 22, 2023 – 13:30
Why do people get wrinkles? With Ross Barr. How does sunscreen work? How are stars made?
Dec 15, 2023 – 13:26
What noises did dinosaurs make? With Jack Horner. Who built the Eiffel Tower? Why do nails grow?
Dec 1, 2023 – 13:52
Why is lava so hot? With Robin Andrews. What are fireworks made of? Why do pandas eat bamboo?
Nov 24, 2023 – 12:45
Why does an elephant's tummy rumble? With Jonathan Balcombe. Why do we get pins and needles? How do mirrors reflect?
Nov 17, 2023 – 10:23
Why are bugs so little? With Erica McAlister. What are electrons made of? What is the richest place in the world?
Sep 29, 2023 – 12:41
Would it be possible to transfer your body onto a computer? With Lath Carlson. How do aeroplanes fly? How many eggs does an octopus lay?
Sep 22, 2023 – 13:25
Why is garlic good for your heart? With Tara Lee. How do skunks get their smell out? Do seagulls and snakes sneeze?
Sep 15, 2023 – 12:58
How was ballet invented? With Dame Darcey Bussell. Why do penguins waddle? What are bones made from?
Sep 8, 2023 – 15:00
Who invented chess? With Fun Master Mike from Chesskids. Why are piggy banks shaped like pigs? Why are penguins black and white?
Aug 31, 2023 – 15:03
How can you store so many things in your mind? With Louise Gooding. Why is the bit in your eye around your pupil coloured? Why are tears salty?
May 19, 2023 – 10:40
Why does our hair go static when we're jumping on the trampoline? With Fran Scott. How does electricity get into the clouds and make thunder? Why do sun and rain make rainbows?
May 12, 2023 – 14:02
Can people mind read? With Derren Brown. Have you ever lost a best friend? How many humans are in the world?
May 5, 2023 – 16:37
How do astronauts get on the space station (and what happens if they're really tall)? With Nicole Stott. How high up are clouds? Why do clouds move?
Apr 28, 2023 – 10:26
Why do we think it's funny when people trip and fall down? With Tweedy the Clown. Why can't horses throw up? Why are clownfish stripy?
Apr 21, 2023 – 12:08
What is the healthiest food in the world? With Tim Spector. How was the first yoghurt made? What does the 'C' stand for in Vitamin C?
Mar 10, 2023 – 17:21
Who created superheroes? With Paul Levitz. Why does the British passport have a unicorn on it? Why do bulls have horns?
Mar 3, 2023 – 13:09
COMO Point Yamu, Phuket x Everything Under The Sun
Dec 31, 2022 – 09:24
Who was the first person to see Santa? How old is Santa? How did Father Christmas meet the elves? With Neil Gaiman. Why do red berries grow on holly?
Dec 24, 2022 – 13:48
How do you make perfume? With Mandy Aftel. How is the Earth made? Where does snow come from?
Dec 15, 2022 – 10:10
How were our bones made? With Dame Professor Sue Black. How long do humans live for? Why do we laugh when we get tickled?
Dec 8, 2022 – 12:13
Why do dogs pant? With Crufts. Why do dogs have fur? How far up a redwood tree can a cat climb?
Dec 1, 2022 – 13:58
How do worms make soil healthy? With Sarah Langford. Do wormholes actually exist? How can tardigrades survive in space?
Nov 24, 2022 – 11:30
Why is the symbol for pride a rainbow? With Gareth Peter. Why are some sunsets not the same colours? Why do diamonds shine?
Nov 17, 2022 – 10:54
Why are insects good for the planet? With Gavin Broad. Why do bees have yellow and black stripes? Why is baby poo yellow?
Nov 11, 2022 – 11:57
How can we understand hieroglyphics? With Ilona Regulski. Who wrote the first dictionary? Why do pens dry out?
Nov 3, 2022 – 13:55
What colour blood do jellyfish have? What are jellyfish made of? With Juli Berwald. Why are black cats and the number 13 unlucky? Can spiders be born with less than 8 legs?
Oct 27, 2022 – 14:31

Recent Reviews

Artemis16

Love this podcast!

I’m so glad that I stumbled upon this gem! My daughter and I love to listen to an episode each night before she goes to bed. We also have a mini dance party to the intro music 😀
AndyA_80

Love it!

Everything Under the Sun is fun and informative for listeners of all ages. Highly entertaining and highly re-listenable (an important quality for something your kids will enjoy).