The First Britons - Tim Minchin, Prof Chris Stringer and Dr Selina Brace

The Infinite Monkey Cage returns for a brand-new series, with Professor Adam Rutherford and comedian Jessica Fostekew swinging into the cage as guest presenters. In this first episode, they find out who were the very first people to land on the British Isles… if they even were Isles at all.

Joined by anthropologist Professor Chris Stringer, geneticist Dr Selina Brace and comedian Tim Minchin, they learn that our British ancestors got to hang out with hippopotamuses, uncover what ancient DNA can tell us about man’s earliest best friends, and discover that some Homo sapiens became more than just friends with our Neanderthal cousins... The panel also gets to the bottom of some of the most pressing scientific debates: like if Cheddar Man was really a looker and whether the Brits have always had bad teeth.

Producer: Mel Brown
A BBC Studios Production