The BBC is airing some "periodic tales" on Radio 4. Familiar Radio 4 voices introduce elements from the Periodic Table and the unique roles they play in human existence - with a little help from the irreverent Tom Lehrer. Listen to these ten elements:

• Krypton: Heidli Nicklaus on the Superman element, krypton
• Helium: Brian Perkins dramatises the effects of Helium
• Silver: Trevor Harrison (Eddie Grundy in the Archers) finds some unusual properties of Silver
• Cobalt: Hedli Nicklaus (Cathy Perks) takes on the goblin element of cobalt
• Selenium: Carole Boyd (The Archers' Linda Snell) unearths selenium
• Oxygen: Brian Perkins bravely dramatises the effects of oxygen
• Arsenic: Charlotte Green takes on the deadly history of arsenic
• Mercury: Carole Boyd (Linda Snell) reflects on mercury, the poisonous liquid metal
• Iodine: Charlotte Green on the discovery of iodine's essential place in brain development
• Nickel: Trevor Harrison reveals that the space station Mir is largely made of nickel

[[Note added Dec 2009: sadly these recordings no longer exist on the BBC site. I did offer to host them here but no luck]]