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Is whispering rude or comforting? What sensations can whispers produce and why has this sound world grown in popularity? Dr Jacob Downs is a composer and music researcher at Newcastle University. He's been to test out the acoustics in St Paul's Whispering Gallery, and he talks to Professor Nicola Dibben from the University of Sheffield, who has studied whispering in popular music; Dr Julie Rose Bower, who experiences ASMR (a tingling sensation sometimes triggered by whispering and other soft sounds); and Jessica Holmes, Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen, who has studied the techniques used by the American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish.

Jacob Downs is on the New Generation Thinkers scheme run by the Â鶹Éç and the Arts and Humanities Research Council to share research on the radio.

Producer: Simon Funnell

We hear a short extract of the choral piece 'Fireworks', composed by Will Harmer and performed by the National Youth Choir of Great Britain conducted by Emily Dickens, as well as extracts from 'Je t'aime moi mon plus' by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, 'What was I made for?' by Billie Eilish, and Hans Lang's 'Oh So Quiet' sung by Bjork.