Claire Hooper

Brian Cox and Robin Ince end their Australian science adventure with an episode all about spiders. They are joined by ecologists Dieter Hochuli and Mariella Herberstein and comedian Claire Hooper. They learn about the strange physiology of spiders, including skin shedding, weaving sperm webs and having hundreds of babies at once. They find out exactly how spiders copulate - a process full of surprises - from males having two penises to females cannibalizing the males once the deed is done. Dieter comes to the defence of spiders: despite their deadly venom, they haven’t killed anyone in Australia in over fifty years. Perhaps they aren’t deserving of their fierce reputation after all. Producer: Caroline Steel Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

Comedians Claire Hooper and Noel Fielding share their quirky encounters with spiders' mating rituals and creating a plasticine figure of Joey Ramone. The episode also touches on string theory inspiring a comic strip, discussions on Frankenstein monsters, and audience engagement through innovative technology in podcast recordings.