Podcast
Peter 2.0
Hosted by Unedited Stories · EN
Peter Scott-Morgan intends to defy his fatal diagnosis and live on as a cyborg.
Peter is extraordinary. A robotics scientist, an acclaimed business process expert and an accomplished author. Peter and his partner, Francis, were also the first same-sex couple to be legally married in the UK.
In 2017, Peter discovered he had a Motor Neurone Disease (MND). From the very start, he saw this terminal diagnosis as an opportunity to put his fascination with robotics and science fiction into practice and become the world's first human cyborg.
This three-part podcast documents Peter's curious journey, which could have profound implications for many people who suffer from conditions like MND. It opens up that big question: What does it mean to be human if you can continuously improve your 'quality of life'?
Peter has a looming problem. "It's like trying to build a lifeboat after the ship has already started sinking." The increasingly debilitating effects of his diagnosis are closing in on his ambition. He encounters restrictive attitudes towards his new disability and the challenge of recruiting some of the world's greatest minds, including IBM and Microsoft, to engage with his very personal problem. "We have to pull a number of rabbits out of a hat."
What keeps Peter going is surprising. Living as a gay man, for forty years, has prepared him for this pioneering mission, despite the scepticism and prejudice he will encounter. "What makes you a man is what's up here" Peter remarks as he raises a feeble hand to head height.
Peter 2.0 was created by sifting through over 100 hours of footage from a Channel 4 documentary, Peter The Human Guinea. The podcast reached the Top Ten in Apple Podcast's Science list, was selected for the coveted New and Noteworthy recommendation and was shortlisted for a Rose D'or and won silver for Smartest Podcast at British Podcast Awards in 2021.
In the first three episodes, we'll explain Peter's journey to his ground-breaking transformation. The rest of the season follows Peter adapting to his new life as a cyborg.
For more information on Peter's progress visit https://www.scottmorganfoundation.org/
written and presented by Chris Durlacher
production team: Agata Mastalerz and Helen McAuly Stewart
music composer: Sandy Nuttgens
producer: Bernard P Achampong
assistant producer: Rhys Gunter
executive producer: Pat Younge
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3episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Episode 3: Running Out Of Time
Aug 26, 202000:23:35Tap to summarizeTime is running out. Peter’s initial diagnosis means he only has a few months left. If the technology doesn’t all come together in time, he could be locked in – unable to speak or share his thoughts in other ways. He has to recruit the best minds in the world if he stands a chance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Episode 2: Define Being A Man
Aug 26, 202000:40:04Tap to summarizeAmidst the incredible technological challenges of becoming a cyborg, Peter is resolute. He has been fighting for years, defining what it means to be a man. Now those battles are coming to a head. Some of his technologies work, while others are failing. What does it mean to be human? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcribe →Episode 1: Learning to Thrive
Aug 26, 202000:44:30Tap to summarizeTeenage Peter was a fan of Doctor Who and Star Trek. Both TV shows inspired him to embark on an extraordinary challenge. Peter intends to beat his fatal diagnosis with radical science. We hear how Motor Neurone Disease began to change his life and how you go about becoming a cyborg. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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