The maths secrets of The Simpsons

Dr Simon Singh, a former Cern physicist and bestselling author of Fermat's Last Theorem, lifts the lid on the hidden maths behind one of the most successful shows in TV history.

Most people are unaware that The Simpsons' writing team is bristling with maths PhDs, and that the programme contains a huge amount of mathematics in its content.

Dr Singh, science writer and author of The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets, told the Today programme's John Humphrys said that the writing team was full of "mathletes" one of whom "went to Harvard when he was 16".

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday 1 October 2013.