Introduction

High heels have been around since as early as the 10th century. Today we see them as a cornerstone of footwear fashion, with models strutting their stuff on the catwalk in heels of varying colours and styles. But how has this impractical, even masochistic piece of design become so gender-specific and has it always been this way? Greg Jenner discusses the history of high-heeled shoes with Dr Elizabeth Semmelhack from the Bata Shoe Museum and with returning comedian Lauren Pattison.

See photos of the shoes discussed: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09w4wgl/

Produced by Cornelius Mendez Script by Emma Nagouse, Harry Prance and Greg Jenner Research by Harry Prance