Planet of the Apemen
Planet of the Apemen is a BBC dramatised documentary on the struggles of Homo sapiens with Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis. In the not-too-distant past, humans shared this planet with other species of hominid. This series tells how, against all the odds, Homo sapiens survived, following the journeys of two different groups of modern humans as they encounter other human species. The first group encounters Homo erectus and is forced to cross the Thar Desert to reach the sea. The second group encounters Neanderthals in Europe.
| Episode 1 - Home Erectus |
Episode 1 - Home Erectus
This episode is set 75,000 years ago in India, following a catastrophic super-volcanic eruption which forced a showdown between our ancestors and a completely different species of human, Homo erectus, who up until that point had reigned supreme.
Episode 2 - Neanderthal
This episode is set 35,000 years ago and depicts Homo sapiens' encounter with Homo neanderthalensis. As the ice caps retreated, the Neanderthal stronghold in Europe weakened, providing a window of opportunity to which modern humans owe their existence.
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