Journeying millions of years into the past, Winston goes on the trail of Australopithecus afarensis, an ape who took the first step towards modern man.

Two 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?

An 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.

A focus on a group of Homo heidelbergensis, advanced tool s 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.