Series 1

The extraordinary story of how the human species, Homo sapiens, first emerged, where the discoveries of recent years are revolutionising the understanding of humanity's origin story.

Following early Homo sapiens's ancestors as they step out of Africa and venture into the wider world, heading into areas inhabited by other human species.

Shocking new insights into the demise of modern humans' sister species, the Neanderthals, Homo sapiens's possible role in their downfall and how it become the last human species on Earth.

During the height of the Ice Age, one of the coldest times humanity has ever known, Homo sapiens steps into the last habitable continents on the planet: the Americas.

Around 12,000 years ago, as the Ice Age finally thaws, humanity makes a dramatic shift - abandoning nomadic life for permanent settlements.