Walking with Cavemen

Series 1

The story of human evolution is told through the stories of representative members of the various species leading up to modern homo sapiens. It is ongoing climate changes that force human ancestors to develop, one by one, the unique characteristics of the modern humans. Though earlier species were superbly successful in their environments they were unsustainable when the environment changes.

Where to Watch Series 1

4 Episodes

First Ancestors
E1
First AncestorsJourneying millions of years into the past, Winston goes on the trail of Australopithecus afarensis, an ape who took the first step towards modern man.
Blood Brothers
E2
Blood BrothersTwo species of ape-man feature in the second of Professor Robert Winston's series on human ancestry: the gentle, root-munching Paranthropus boisei and the enterprising scavenger Homo habilis. Who had the best strategy for survival in their prehistoric world?
Savage Family
E3
Savage FamilyAn extraordinary new breed of ape-man called homo ergaster has taken over Africa. They are expert tool-makers, food-finders and travellers, but where they differ most from their predecessors is in their communal lifestyle. The third instalment of Professor Robert Winston's series on human ancestry travels back one-and-half million years to explore this innovative creature.
The Survivors
E4
The SurvivorsA focus on a group of Homo heidelbergensis, advanced tool users who lived in family units but who were incapable of imagination, and their descendents the Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, who came to conquer the world.