The primate Moonwatcher and his tribe hunt for food - but the appearance of a strange transparent slab sparks new feelings in them...

Arthur C Clarke's ground-breaking novel is set in our present, a vision of a future yet to be, and a past shrouded in mystery.

Read in ten parts by William Roberts - secrets of the story are revealed that the film adaptation missed.

Producer: Dirk Maggs

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2001. Show less