Victorian Bodybuilding (Radio Edit)

Published: Sept. 30, 2023, 9 a.m.

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Greg Jenner is joined by Dr Vanessa Heggie and comedian Darren Harriott to learn about the bodybuilding boom of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The latter part of the 19th century saw the beginning of a fitness craze where the seeds of the modern-day gym and fitness culture were sown. But physical fitness also tapped into other parts of the psyche of British society at the time. From concerns over the fighting fitness of the British army to the racist pseudoscience of eugenics, this novel leisure activity tells us a surprising amount about the societal and intellectual currents that existed in this period.

For the full-length version of this episode, please look further back in the feed.

Research by Caitl\\xedn Rankin-McCabe\\nWritten by Emma Nagouse, Caitl\\xedn Rankin-McCabe and Greg Jenner\\nProduced by Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner\\nAssistant Producer: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow\\nProject Management: Isla Matthews\\nAudio Producer: Steve Hankey

You\\u2019re Dead To Me is a production by The Athletic for BBC Radio 4.

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