Lives Less Ordinary - The mortician, the "werewolf" and the keeper of brains

Download The mortician, the "werewolf" and the keeper of brains

Alexandra Morton-Hayward unlocks the secrets of the human brain but her own betrays her.

Every night Ally Morton-Hayward has a headache so painful it wakes her up. She says it makes her feel like a werewolf. But by day she's unlocking the secrets of other human brains. Ally was at university when she started feeling a shocking and extraordinary pain in her head - 'cluster headaches' - which became so debilitating she had to drop out. While the rest of her friends were finishing their degrees, Alexandra decided to do something different – she got a job as an undertaker. It was at the mortuary that Ally held her first human brain and observed its delicate texture. When she began reading about ancient human brains that had been found intact around the world, she was amazed – how could something usually so delicate survive for thousands of years? Today she's leading the effort from Oxford University to understand how this is possible, whilst her own brain pushes her to become a master of pain and resilience.

Presenter: Asya Fouks Producer: May Cameron

Get in touch: liveslessordinary@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp: 0044 330 678 2784

Published on Sunday, 1st June 2025.

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