logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2020
29m 2s

Neanderthals (Radio Edit)

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Greg Jenner is joined by the brilliant comedian Tim Minchin and Palaeolithic archaeologist Dr Becky Wragg Sykes as they take us way back in time to visit the Neanderthals. Just who were the Neanderthals? Were they the squat caveman we’ve come to know in pop culture or have we misunderstood them entirely? Join the team as we discover there is so much more to those handsome, hench beings who walked the Earth before us.

Up next
Jan 16
Hannibal of Carthage (Radio Edit)
Greg Jenner is joined in ancient North Africa by classicist Professor Josephine Quinn and comedian Darren Harriott to learn about Hannibal of Carthage and his war with Rome.Located in modern-day Tunisia, Carthage was once a Mediterranean superpower that rivalled Rome. In 218 BCE, ... Show More
28m 7s
Jan 9
Alexandria (Radio Edit)
Greg Jenner is joined in Egypt by historian Professor Islam Issa and comedian Athena Kugblenu to learn all about the history of science and philosophy in the city of Alexandria.Founded by ancient conqueror Alexander the Great, Alexandria from its earliest days was a city at the f ... Show More
28m 6s
Jan 2
The Brontës
Dead Funny History: The Brontës. Join historian Greg Jenner for a fast-paced, funny and fascinating journey through the lives of the Brontë sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne, three literary legends whose tragic family story inspired some of the greatest novels of the 19th centur ... Show More
14m 6s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2021
Neanderthals
The NeanderthalsBrian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by hominids Alan Davies, Neanderthal expert and author Rebecca Wragg Sykes, and paleontologist and woolly mammoth expert Tori Herridge and learn just how misunderstood our ancestors have been. The image of the lumbering, ape lik ... Show More
38m 58s
Aug 2023
The Cave of the Neanderthal Tools [ENCORE]
We're still on vacation, and while we wait to come back for our ninth season of Tumble Science Podcast for Kids, we're sharing one of our favorite episodes from a few years ago: The Cave of the Neanderthal Tools. What tools did Neanderthals use? That’s what Leo wants to know. W ... Show More
18m 35s
Sep 2022
Selects: What Happened to the Neanderthals?
As recently as 40,000 years ago we lived among humans from an entirely different species – Neanderthals. About the same time our species showed up, Neanderthals suddenly vanished. Just what happened to the other guys? Did our ancestors do something … bad? Find out in this classic ... Show More
50m 55s
May 2021
The Sunday Read: ‘Neanderthals Were People, Too’
<p>In the summer of 1856, workers quarrying limestone in a valley outside Düsseldorf, Germany, found an odd looking skull. It was elongated and almost chinless.</p><p>William King, a British geologist, suspected that this was not merely the remains of an atypical human, but belon ... Show More
1h 7m
Jul 2023
Homo Naledi: The First Burials?
<p>Uncovered a decade ago in the Rising Star Cave system in South Africa, Homo Naledi's discovery has impacted paleoanthropology in ways nobody could expect. Upon first discovery, it was assumed this small brained hominid lived millions of years ago - yet when dating of the fossi ... Show More
51m 46s
May 2022
The Origins of Homo Sapiens
<p>What do we know about the earliest hominins to exist? With a story spanning one million years and counting, we're discovering more about how we came to be every day. </p><br><p>In this episode of The Ancients, we're on location in the Natural History Museum in London as Trista ... Show More
42m 58s
Dec 2021
127. Neanderthals
Where did Neanderthals come from? How are they related to homo sapiens? And why are they no longer with us? Tom and Dominic are joined by Professor Chris Stringer from the Natural History Museum. Produced by Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor *The Rest Is History Live Tour ... Show More
58m 54s
Feb 2024
Ice Age Britain: Finding the First Homo sapiens
<p>Roughly 40,000 years ago, Ice Age Britain was undergoing a transformation.&nbsp;</p><br><p>The first modern humans, <em>Homo sapiens, </em>were arriving and beginning to settle in the British Isles. Their evolutionary predecessors, the Neanderthals, were on their way to extinc ... Show More
32m 58s
Dec 2020
Neanderthal cave mystery
A teenage potholer discovered a cave system near the town of Bruniquel in France in 1990 which contained a mysterious circular structure. It turned out to be nearly 200,000 years old, and built by Neanderthals – transforming our understanding of Neanderthal culture and society. L ... Show More
9m 7s