Radio Times: Review by:; Jane Anderson

My first proper salaried job as a journalist on Fleet Street had me working for an editor with a glass eye. His unique initiation ritual was to pop out his prosthesis and sneak it into your drink when he took you out for a “welcome” lunch.

A hysterical response meant you were unlikely to progress your career. I mention this only because he would be scuppered these days by the introduction of acrylic eyes. As Jolyon Jenkins reveals in this intriguingly peculiar programme, acrylic eyes have the advantage over their glass predecessors because they are a far more precise fit and tend to be removed for cleaning every six months by an ocularist — and not a humorist.

About this programme

As Britain's last glass eye maker is about to retire, Jolyon Jenkins explores how people use the prostheses not for their own benefit, but to make others feel more comfortable in their presence. He discovers acrylic substitutes are now more common, meets the artists responsible for painting them, and also talks to those who wear artificial eyes about their experiences.