Natural Histories

Nature that has got under our skin and profoundly impacted human culture and society across our history.

Radio 4,95 episodes

Episodes

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Aye-Aye
One of the weirdest –looking creatures on earth has both mesmerised and terrified us.
29 Nov 2019,28 mins
Pigeon
One of our oldest companions, the pigeon inspires both love and loathing.
22 Nov 2019,28 mins
Fern
Once regarded as magical and mysterious; our obsession with ferns is longstanding.
15 Nov 2019,28 mins
Poppy
Natural Histories explores the poppy and its symbolism.
08 Nov 2019,28 mins
Chicken
How did we get from the red junglefowl in Asia to the chicken now eaten in its millions?
01 Nov 2019,28 mins
Bee
About a bee: which has had a profound impact on human culture and society across history.
25 Oct 2019,28 mins
Sloth
Sloths are wildly popular but that may tell us more about ourselves than about the animal.
18 Oct 2019,28 mins
Swan
Series celebrating the infinite variety of the natural world and its depiction in culture.
25 Sep 2018,28 mins
Penguin
Penguins and us: from engaging funny figures to sentinels of change.
18 Sep 2018,28 mins
Orchid
Orchids and a world filled with beauty, femme fatales, ghosts, sex and deception.
11 Sep 2018,28 mins
Dog
Dogs have changed us and we've changed them. Brett Westwood visits Battersea to meet some.
04 Sep 2018,28 mins
Komodo Dragon
Brett Westwood on the Komodo dragon - myth, monster and reality!
28 Aug 2018,28 mins
Adder
Brett Westwood goes in search of our only venomous snake, the adder.
21 Aug 2018,28 mins
Narwhal
Brett Westwood explores our relationship with the 'unicorn of the sea', the narwhal.
14 Aug 2018,28 mins
Otter
The beguiling and mysterious otter leads Brett Westwood on a merry spraint hunt. From 2018
07 Aug 2018,28 mins
Peacock
Brett Westwood looks at the history of a bird which has become a byword for male beauty.
31 Jul 2018,28 mins
Dung Beetle
Brett Westwood delves into the delightful sphere of the dung beetle.
24 Jul 2018,28 mins
Willow
Brett Westwood looks into the cultural influence of the willow, from 2018
17 Jul 2018,28 mins
Pike
A journey into dangerous waters to explore our relationship with the fearsome pike.
10 Jul 2018,28 mins
Reindeer
Discover why there is more to reindeer than Rudolph.
21 Nov 2017,30 mins
Leopard
Brett Westwood stalks the leopard... and finds him on Exmoor.
14 Nov 2017,28 mins
Giraffe
Brett Westwood admires how the impossibility of the giraffe has captured hearts worldwide.
07 Nov 2017,28 mins
Beaver
Beavers are back, but Brett Westwood asks if they can recover their place in our culture.
31 Oct 2017,28 mins
Rhino
Brett Westwood meets a rhinoceros nose to nose and is blown away by the experience.
24 Oct 2017,28 mins
Turtle
Brett Westwood explores how the venerable, ancient turtle has influenced human culture.
17 Oct 2017,28 mins
Gull
Brett Westwood follows gulls away from the sea to landfill sites where birdwatchers gather
10 Oct 2017,28 mins
Swallow
Swift flies the skimming swallow: Brett Westwood on a much-loved seasonal-indicator bird.
03 Oct 2017,28 mins
Moth
Brett Westwood steps into the world of a creature charged with the lore of the night.
26 Sep 2017,28 mins
Baobab
Brett Westwood explores our relationship with the baobab or upside-down tree.
19 Sep 2017,28 mins
Nightingale
Brett Westwood soaks in a sound bath of nightingale song. From 2017
12 Sep 2017,28 mins