´óÏó´«Ã½

* This programme was to have been broadcast on Saturday 10th September but was postponed following the death of Her Majesty The Queen. *

Dr Hannah Fry delves into the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Archive to uncover a fascinating selection of programmes all about codes, secrets and ciphers.

As a mathematician, Hannah specialises in understanding patterns of human behaviour.

And nowhere does the human factor smash headlong into the reality of numbers than in the secretive world of code-breaking.

Have a pen and paper handy as she'll be giving you a code to try and crack, offering hints which will help throughout the programme.

She’s being helped by two experts who between them have got numbers and words covered:

* Bobby Seagull - Maths teacher and author of The Life-changing Magic of Numbers.
* Richard Rogan - Editor of The Times Cryptic Crossword.

They'll share their insights into codes, and give their takes on Hannah's fascinating selection from the archive:

* A creepy delve into the world of Cold War number stations - Simon Fanshawe investigates in ‘TRACKING THE LINCOLNSHIRE POACHER’.

* David Baddiel tries to understand Cryptic Crosswords.

* A famous example of a literary code in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story ‘THE ADVENTURE OF THE DANCING MEN’, adapted by Bert Coules.

* In ‘THE BLETCHLEY GIRLS’, Tessa Dunlop tracks the stories of some of the often side-lined women at the codebreaking station Bletchley Park in the Second World War,

* In a special episode of ‘THE INFINITE MONKEY CAGE’, Katy Brand joins the team in the security agency GCHQ to talk ciphers.

So, pens at the ready. Listen out for the clues - and get cracking.

Producer: Kevin Core

Made for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in February 2020.

Image credit: Paul Wilkinson

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