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Prehistoric Autopsy

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Alice Roberts

George McGavin

Graeme Thomson

Jane Aldous

Prehistoric Autopsy: Episode 1: Neanderthal

Neanderthal

Episode 1

Episode 1: Neanderthal

BBC Two - Prehistoric Autopsy, Neanderthal

A team of experts reconstruct our closest prehistoric relative - a Neanderthal.

Alice Roberts, George McGavin and a team of experts rebuild our ancient ancestors from the bones up. They start with our closest prehistoric relative - a Neanderthal.

Anatomist professor Alice Roberts and biologist Dr George McGavin go on an extraordinary evolutionary journey to meet three of our ancient ancestors. By the end, they will have travelled back nearly four million years.

At the Prehistoric Autopsy HQ in Glasgow, with the help of a team of international experts, each episode follows the rebuilding of one of our most iconic ancient ancestors from the bones up. They start with our closest prehistoric relative - a Neanderthal. 

To make the reconstructions as accurate as possible, Alice and George have travelled the globe, gathering evidence from the world's leading scientists. In the lab at the Prehistoric Autopsy HQ, scientists put the latest theories to the test to see how similar or different we really are to our ancient ancestors, while experimental archaeologists look for clues as to how they lived. 

All the research has been fed to a team of model makers, who have spent months painstakingly reconstructing skeletons, muscles, skin and hair.

The team reveal the latest research that is casting a new light on Neanderthals - not just in the way they may have hunted, clothed their families and even painted jewellery, but also what they may have sounded like. 

Alice and George put their own DNA to the test to see just how closely related we really are to Neanderthals. 

And at the end of the programme, our reconstructed Neanderthal is finally revealed as we come face to face with one of our prehistoric ancestors from 70,000 years ago.

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An evolutionary journey, piecing together the bodies of our prehistoric family.

A journey into our evolutionary past, piecing together the bodies of our prehistoric family.

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Prehistoric Autopsy

Episode 1: Neanderthal

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