S4, Ep2 Potato crisps: the curious history of a salty snack

Have you ever wondered what is actually inside a packet of crisps? Potatoes, obviously, you would think. Air, perhaps just as obviously – but it’s not the air you are expecting. There's history in there too, and rivalry. Who made the very first potato crisp?

And, what exactly is a crisp? Or potato chip, as they say in America. To be a crisp, does it need to be literally a thin slice of potato? Or can it be a maize – or puff corn – snack, like a Wotsit? And have you ever noticed how eating a crisp is both a savoury, and a sonic, experience? Listen, and discover so much more.

Narrated by William Scott-Masson

Sound editing by Max Watson

Script by Camilla Akers-Douglas

Produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking

Theme music by James Burrell Music

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