Monkey Business - Robin Dunbar, Dave Gorman and Jo Setchell
In perhaps the monkiest Infinite Monkey Cage episode there’s ever been, Brian Cox and Robin Ince attempt to uncover the secrets of love, lust and friendship in primates. Swinging by to offer a hand (or tail) are evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar, anthropologist Jo Setchell, and comedian Dave Gorman.Together the panel explores Dunbar’s number in monkeys – the idea that the number of friendships an individual can maintain correlates with brain size – with the very creator of the theory! They ask whether monkeys feel love the way we do, why some species remain strictly monogamous but others don’t, and what we could learn about ourselves through studying them. Robin goes bananas for bonobo fashion, while Dave couldn’t give a monkey’s about finding an aftershave to complement his natural smell.Series Producer: Mel Brown
Researcher: Alex Rodway
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
A BBC Studios Production
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Monkey Business - Robin Dunbar, Dave Gorman and Jo Setchell
The Infinite Monkey Cage Series 34
Robin Ince and Brian Cox go bananas for our monkiest episode yet, all about primate love.
In perhaps the monkiest Infinite Monkey Cage episode there’s ever been, Brian Cox and Robin Ince attempt to uncover the secrets of love, lust and friendship in primates. Swinging by to offer a hand (or tail) are evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar, anthropologist Jo Setchell, and comedian Dave Gorman.
Together the panel explores Dunbar’s number in monkeys – the idea that the number of friendships an individual can maintain correlates with brain size – with the very creator of the theory! They ask whether monkeys feel love the way we do, why some species remain strictly monogamous but others don’t, and what we could learn about ourselves through studying them. Robin goes bananas for bonobo fashion, while Dave couldn’t give a monkey’s about finding an aftershave to complement his natural smell.
Series Producer: Mel Brown
Researcher: Alex Rodway
Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem
A BBC Studios Production
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43 minutes
Last on
Sat 20 Dec 2025
19:15
BBC Radio 4
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Head in the Clouds - Owain Wyn Evans, Gavin Pretor-Pinney, Amanda MaycockSeries 34
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The North Pole Unwrapped - Russell Kane, Felicity Aston and Lloyd PeckSeries 34
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Broadcasts
Thu 18 Dec 2025
11:00
BBC Radio 4
Sat 20 Dec 2025
19:15
BBC Radio 4
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[Original source](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002kjvh)