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Ancient DNA Secrets

Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by Ben Willbond, Turi King, Tom Booth and Sir Paul Nurse to look at the story of Richard III and the incredible secrets hidden in ancient DNA.

Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by Horrible Histories alum Ben Willbond, ancient DNA experts Prof Turi King and Dr Tom Booth and Nobel prize winner Sir Paul Nurse, as they uncover some of the incredible revelations being revealed through study of ancient DNA. The discovery of the skeleton of Richard III under a Leicester car park made headlines around the world.Turi King talks about her involvement in identifying the regal remains using DNA extracted from his teeth and how she was able to prove that these ancient bones really did belong to King Richard. The panel also hear about a mysterious box of bones found in Winchester Cathedral purporting to date from the 8th and 9th century that could belong to some of our ancient Anglo Saxon kings and queens of England, including those of King Canute and his wife Queen Emma. Could the study of ancient DNA change our understanding of history, and perhaps even upset the line of succession?

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Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

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42 minutes

Last on

Mon 31 Jul 2023 16:00

Broadcasts

  • Sat 29 Jul 2023 19:15
  • Mon 31 Jul 2023 16:00

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