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Natural Histories Episodes

  1.

    Aye-Aye

    One of the weirdest –looking creatures on earth has both mesmerised and terrified us.

  2. Pigeon

    One of our oldest companions, the pigeon inspires both love and loathing.

  3. Fern

    Once regarded as magical and mysterious; our obsession with ferns is longstanding

  4. Poppy

    Natural Histories explores the poppy and its symbolism.

  5. Chicken

    How did we get from the red junglefowl in Asia to the chicken now eaten in its millions?

  6. Bee

    About a bee: which has had a profound impact on human culture and society across history.

  7. Sloth

    Sloths are wildly popular but that may tell us more about ourselves than about the animal.

  8. Swan

    Series celebrating the infinite variety of the natural world and its depiction in culture.

  9. Penguin

    Penguins and us: from engaging funny figures to sentinels of change.

  10. Orchid

    Orchids and a world filled with beauty, femme fatales, ghosts, sex and deception.

  11. Dog

    Dogs have changed us and we've changed them. Brett Westwood visits Battersea to meet some.

  12. Komodo Dragon

    Brett Westwood on the Komodo dragon - myth, monster and reality!

  13. Adder

    Brett Westwood goes in search of our only venomous snake, the adder.

  14. Narwhal

    Brett Westwood explores our relationship with the 'unicorn of the sea', the narwhal.

  15. Otter

    The beguiling and mysterious otter leads Brett Westwood on a merry spraint hunt. From 2018

  16. Peacock

    Brett Westwood looks at the history of a bird which has become a byword for male beauty.

  17. Dung Beetle

    Brett Westwood delves into the delightful sphere of the dung beetle.

  18. Willow

    Brett Westwood looks into the cultural influence of the willow, from 2018

  19. Pike

    A journey into dangerous waters to explore our relationship with the fearsome pike.

  20. Reindeer

    Brett Westwood learns that there is more to reindeer than Rudolph.

  21. Leopard

    Brett Westwood stalks the leopard... and finds him on Exmoor.

  22. Giraffe

    Brett Westwood admires how the impossibility of the giraffe has captured hearts worldwide.

  23. Beaver

    Beavers are back, but Brett Westwood asks if they can recover their place in our culture.

  24. Rhino

    Brett Westwood meets a rhinoceros nose to nose and is blown away by the experience.

  25. Turtle

    Brett Westwood explores how the venerable, ancient turtle has influenced human culture.

  26. Gull

    Brett Westwood follows gulls away from the sea to landfill sites where birdwatchers gather

  27. Swallow

    Swift flies the skimming swallow: Brett Westwood on a much-loved seasonal-indicator bird.

  28. Moth

    Brett Westwood steps into the world of a creature charged with the lore of the night.

  29. Baobab

    Brett Westwood explores our relationship with the baobab or upside-down tree.

  30. Nightingale

    Brett Westwood soaks in a sound bath of nightingale song. From 2017

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