Image: Photo © The National Gallery, London
National Gallery's podcast 'Stories in Colour' launches Season two
Is pink really for girls? What is synaesthesia? Was mauve the original brat green?
The second series of 'Stories in Colour', a podcast by the National Gallery, launches today (20 May 2026).
Today we have access to over 16 million digital colours, and modern chemistry can produce a huge range of stable pigments for every hue imaginable, but this has not always been the case. 'Stories in Colour' explores the hidden histories woven into colour from antiquity to the present day. In season two, we explore the forgotten women colour theorists, toxic pigments and how everyone went mauve mad in the 19th century and so much more.
Across eight episodes, host Beks Leary from the Gallery’s Digital department talks to experts from the Gallery and beyond, including curators, scientists, historians and artists about how colour has changed the world, scientifically, religiously, artistically and more.
This new season follows on from the success of Series one, which launched in May 2025, and our Gold miniseries that launched last autumn.
The first episode of series two is available now. In the first episode, we explore the fascinating condition of synaesthesia and how it manifests with Professor of Neuroscience Jamie Ward and award-winning composer Dr Deborah Pritchard.
Other guests include author and award-winning arts critic Chloë Ashby, art historian, writer and presenter Evie Hatch, author Kassia St Clair, ‘The Colour Club’ founder Zeynep Sagir, curator Dr Alexandra Loske, Associate Professor in Colour and Philosophical Studies Dr Vien Cheung, National Gallery educator Ed Dickinson, author Victoria Finlay and artist Stuart Semple.
Lawrence Chiles, Head of Digital, says: ‘It's great to be back with a new 'Stories in Colour' series with eight new episodes. We had such wonderful feedback from our audiences for the previous series. We're continuing the in-depth and accessible discussions that connect the nation's paintings through art, science and history with some fantastic guests to be enjoyed on the commute, cooking dinner or watching on TV.’
Stories in Colour is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
Notes to editors
Image © The National Gallery, London
'Stories in Colour: Series 2' consists of eight roughly 50-minute episodes.
The first episode is available from 20 May, with releases scheduled every Wednesday until 8 July, see schedule below:
|
Episode |
Title |
Speaker(s) |
Release date |
|
1 |
Synesthesia and the harmony of colour |
Jamie Ward, Deborah Pritchard |
20 May 2026 |
| 2 | A blue more expensive than gold |
Victoria Finlay |
27 May 2026 |
|
3 |
Deadly chemical cousins: oranges and yellows |
Evie Hatch |
3 June 2026 |
|
4 |
The mauve measles |
Kassia St Clair |
10 June 2026 |
|
5 |
Decoding paintings through colour |
Chloë Ashby |
17 June 2026 |
|
6 |
The forgotten women colour theorists |
Alexandra Loske, Zeynep Sagir |
24 June 2026 |
|
7 |
The hunt for the blackest black |
Stuart Semple |
1 July 2026 |
|
8 |
Pink is for girls, blue is for boys |
Vien Cheung, Ed Dickenson |
8 July 2026 |
To find out more visit nationalgallery.org.uk/podcast
The National Gallery
The National Gallery is one of the greatest art galleries in the world. Founded by Parliament in 1824, the Gallery houses the nation’s collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the late 13th to the early 20th century. The collection includes works by Artemisia Gentileschi, Bellini, Cezanne, Degas, Leonardo, Monet, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Rubens, Titian, Turner, Van Dyck, Van Gogh and Velázquez. The Gallery’s key objectives are to care for and enhance the collection and provide the best possible access to visitors. Admission free.
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