What makes us human? Iszi Lawrence, host of the British Museum Membercast, thinks it’s the wearing of socks but fortunately she’s keeping an open mind on the subject. In the second episode of the Membercast, Iszi meets Clive Gamble, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Southampton, to unpick this question. Using the oldest objects in the British Museum to illustrate his argument, Clive explores the development of the human imagination in a lively and wide-ranging interview. The conversation is interspersed with excerpts from Clive’s sell-out Members’ lecture from 2016, Brains, objects and deep history. Clive Gamble is a Trustee of the British Museum and Chairman of the British Museum Friends Advisory Council. The British Museum Membercast is a monthly podcast made available to ‘all studious and curious persons’. Comedian, podcaster and super-fan Iszi Lawrence (The Z List Dead List) presents snippets from exclusive Members’ lectures at the Museum, artfully woven together with interviews and her own musings. Please share your comments and feedback about the podcast! You can talk to us on Twitter @britishmuseum using the hashtag #membercast or email friends@britishmuseum.org

Welcome to the very first Membercast from the British Museum... The Membercast is a monthly series that lets you enjoy snippets from the exclusive Members' lectures here at the Museum. It's presented by comedian, podcaster and BM super-fan Iszi Lawrence.  In our first episode, Iszi sneaks into the back of the lecture theatre to hear curators John Giblin and Chris Spring present an overview of the special exhibition South Africa: the art of a nation at the exclusive Members’ lecture earlier this year. Iszi also tracked down the project curator Laura Snowling – with the conversation taking a rather unexpected direction… Expect to learn about some of the key objects in the exhibition as well as how to say 'I love my rabbit' in Bulgarian. No, really. You have been warned... Many of the objects mentioned in the podcast can be viewed here: http://britishmuseum.tumblr.com/tagged/SouthAfricanArt We hope you enjoy our first podcast - please share your comments and feedback!  You can talk to us on Twitter @britishmuseum using the hashtag #membercast   For questions about Membership or becoming a Member, email friends@britishmuseum.org.