The Extinction Tapes

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

The Alabama Pigtoe Mussel

20191104

20250519 (BBC7)
20200318 (R4)

Rob Newman reminds us about some now extinct lifeforms - and our role in their demise.

The Alabama Pigtoe Mussel was an unassuming little mollusc.

Half-buried in the silty banks of the Mobile River, these mussels filtered plankton and algae from the slow-moving waters.

When the last Alabama Pigtoe closed its shell forever, secrets long hidden in the river bed, came bubbling up to the surface.

Produced at BBC Bristol by Emily Knight.

Rob Newman's stories of species lost forever, and our role in their demise.

Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever.

Rob Newman tells the story of an unassuming mollusc which once lived in the Mobile River, but has gone forever. From 2019.

Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction.

The Alabama Pigtoe Mussel was an unassuming little mollusc. Half buried in the silty banks of the Mobile river, they filtered plankton and algae from the slow-moving waters. But that's not all they filtered. There were dark secrets and forgotten history buried in the riverbed. And when the last Alabama Pigtoe closed its shell forever, those secrets came boiling up to the surface.

Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight

Rob Newman tells stories of the species we've lost forever, and our role in their demise

The Extinction Tapes

The Alabama Pigtoe Mussel was an unassuming little mollusc. Half-buried in the silty banks of the Mobile River, these mussels filtered plankton and algae from the slow-moving waters.

Producer Emily Knight

A BBC Bristol production first broadcast in November 2019.

[LISTEN NOW]

The Yangtze River Dolphin

20191105

20250520 (BBC7)
20200325 (R4)

Rob Newman tells the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction.

The Yangtze River Dolphin, the 'Goddess of the Yangtze', was blind, graceful, sociable, and... pink. As the river became a highway for international trade and commerce, the Goddess was pushed further and further from their ancestral home. Can the natural world and the advance of human progress ever march in step?

Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight

Rob Newman tells stories of the species we've lost forever, and our role in their demise

The Extinction Tapes

The Yangtze River Dolphin, the 'Goddess of the Yangtze', was blind, graceful, sociable, and... pink. As the Chinese river became a highway for international trade and commerce, the Goddess was pushed further and further from their ancestral home. Is the survival of the natural world and the advance of human progress incompatible?

Producer Emily Knight

Rob Newman explains how dolphins were pushed out of their ancestral homes.

Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever.

Can humans ever progress without endangering precious marine life? Presented by Rob Newman. From 2019.

[LISTEN NOW]

Miss Waldron's Red Colubus

20191106

20250521 (BBC7)
20200410 (R4)

Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction.

Miss Waldron's Red Colobus was a black and russet-coloured West African monkey, living in the treetops in large, sociable troops, when human activity began to encroach on their land, and their way of life.

Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight

Rob Newman tells stories of the species we've lost forever, and our role in their demise

The Extinction Tapes

Rob Newman tells the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction.

Producer Emily Knight

A BBC Bristol production first broadcast on Radio 4 in November 2019.

The demise of a black and russet-coloured West African monkey.

What happened when a sociable West African monkey lost its tree top way of life. With Rob Newman. From 2019.

[LISTEN NOW]

Steller's Sea Cow

20191107

20250522 (BBC7)
20200414 (R4)

Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction.

Steller's Sea Cow was a gentle giant of the Bering Sea, a nine-meter long relative of the Dugong and the Manatee. This is a story of swaying forests of kelp; insatiable urchins covering the sea-floor; families of sea-otters, displaced by hunting, and a growing fur-trade which threatened them all. When a delicate ecosystem gets thrown out of balance, the effects can be far-reaching, and devastating.

Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight

Rob Newman tells stories of the species we've lost forever, and our role in their demise

The Extinction Tapes

Rob Newman tells the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction.

Steller's Sea Cow was a gentle giant of the Bering Sea in the Northern Pacific, a nine-meter-long relative of the Dugong and the Manatee.

Producer Emily Knight

A BBC Bristol production first broadcast on Radio 4 in November 2019.

When a delicate ecosystem gets out of balance the effects can be devastating.

How a gentle giant in the Bering Sea became a victim of the fur trade. Presented by Rob Newman. From 2019.

[LISTEN NOW]

05 LAST

The White-tailed Eagle

20191108

20250523 (BBC7)
20200421 (R4)

Rob Newman tells the story of a species we very nearly lost forever, and asks what we can learn from their triumphant return.

The White-Tailed Eagle went extinct in England in 1780. They held on in Scotland until 1916. In summer 2019, a White-Tailed Eagle flew triumphantly across the British countryside once again. We played a huge role in their near-extinction. Perhaps by understanding what so nearly wiped them out, we can play a role in their return.

Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight

Rob Newman tells stories of a species we nearly lost forever, and how they're coming back

The Extinction Tapes

The White-Tailed Eagle became extinct in England in 1780. They held on in Scotland until 1916. Then, in the summer of 2019, a White-Tailed Eagle flew across the British countryside once again. We played a huge role in their near-extinction. But, maybe by understanding what nearly wiped them out, we can now ensure that they flourish.

Producer Emily Knight

A BBC Bristol production first broadcast on Radio 4 in November 2019.

Rob Newman with the tale of a beautiful bird of prey which made a triumphant come back.

Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever.

What can we learn from the return of a bird of prey which disappeared in the last century? With Rob Newman. From 2019.

Produced at BBC Bristol by Emily Knight.

Rob Newman's tale of a bird of prey's triumphant come back.

[LISTEN NOW]

Episodes

Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
01	The Alabama Pigtoe Mussel	20191104	20250519 (BBC7) 20200318 (R4)	Rob Newman reminds us about some now extinct lifeforms - and our role in their demise. The Alabama Pigtoe Mussel was an unassuming little mollusc. Half-buried in the silty banks of the Mobile River, these mussels filtered plankton and algae from the slow-moving waters. When the last Alabama Pigtoe closed its shell forever, secrets long hidden in the river bed, came bubbling up to the surface. Produced at BBC Bristol by Emily Knight. Rob Newman's stories of species lost forever, and our role in their demise. Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever. Rob Newman tells the story of an unassuming mollusc which once lived in the Mobile River, but has gone forever. From 2019. Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction. The Alabama Pigtoe Mussel was an unassuming little mollusc. Half buried in the silty banks of the Mobile river, they filtered plankton and algae from the slow-moving waters. But that's not all they filtered. There were dark secrets and forgotten history buried in the riverbed. And when the last Alabama Pigtoe closed its shell forever, those secrets came boiling up to the surface. Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight Rob Newman tells stories of the species we've lost forever, and our role in their demise The Extinction Tapes The Alabama Pigtoe Mussel was an unassuming little mollusc. Half-buried in the silty banks of the Mobile River, these mussels filtered plankton and algae from the slow-moving waters. Producer Emily Knight A BBC Bristol production first broadcast in November 2019. [LISTEN NOW]
02	The Yangtze River Dolphin	20191105	20250520 (BBC7) 20200325 (R4)	Rob Newman tells the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction. The Yangtze River Dolphin, the 'Goddess of the Yangtze', was blind, graceful, sociable, and... pink. As the river became a highway for international trade and commerce, the Goddess was pushed further and further from their ancestral home. Can the natural world and the advance of human progress ever march in step? Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight Rob Newman tells stories of the species we've lost forever, and our role in their demise The Extinction Tapes The Yangtze River Dolphin, the 'Goddess of the Yangtze', was blind, graceful, sociable, and... pink. As the Chinese river became a highway for international trade and commerce, the Goddess was pushed further and further from their ancestral home. Is the survival of the natural world and the advance of human progress incompatible? Producer Emily Knight Rob Newman explains how dolphins were pushed out of their ancestral homes. Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever. Can humans ever progress without endangering precious marine life? Presented by Rob Newman. From 2019. [LISTEN NOW]
03	Miss Waldron's Red Colubus	20191106	20250521 (BBC7) 20200410 (R4)	Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction. Miss Waldron's Red Colobus was a black and russet-coloured West African monkey, living in the treetops in large, sociable troops, when human activity began to encroach on their land, and their way of life. Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight Rob Newman tells stories of the species we've lost forever, and our role in their demise The Extinction Tapes Rob Newman tells the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction. Producer Emily Knight A BBC Bristol production first broadcast on Radio 4 in November 2019. The demise of a black and russet-coloured West African monkey. What happened when a sociable West African monkey lost its tree top way of life. With Rob Newman. From 2019. [LISTEN NOW]
04	Steller's Sea Cow	20191107	20250522 (BBC7) 20200414 (R4)	Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction. Steller's Sea Cow was a gentle giant of the Bering Sea, a nine-meter long relative of the Dugong and the Manatee. This is a story of swaying forests of kelp; insatiable urchins covering the sea-floor; families of sea-otters, displaced by hunting, and a growing fur-trade which threatened them all. When a delicate ecosystem gets thrown out of balance, the effects can be far-reaching, and devastating. Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight Rob Newman tells stories of the species we've lost forever, and our role in their demise The Extinction Tapes Rob Newman tells the story of a species we've lost forever, and explores our role in their extinction. Steller's Sea Cow was a gentle giant of the Bering Sea in the Northern Pacific, a nine-meter-long relative of the Dugong and the Manatee. Producer Emily Knight A BBC Bristol production first broadcast on Radio 4 in November 2019. When a delicate ecosystem gets out of balance the effects can be devastating. How a gentle giant in the Bering Sea became a victim of the fur trade. Presented by Rob Newman. From 2019. [LISTEN NOW]
05 LAST	The White-tailed Eagle	20191108	20250523 (BBC7) 20200421 (R4)	Rob Newman tells the story of a species we very nearly lost forever, and asks what we can learn from their triumphant return. The White-Tailed Eagle went extinct in England in 1780. They held on in Scotland until 1916. In summer 2019, a White-Tailed Eagle flew triumphantly across the British countryside once again. We played a huge role in their near-extinction. Perhaps by understanding what so nearly wiped them out, we can play a role in their return. Produced in Bristol by Emily Knight Rob Newman tells stories of a species we nearly lost forever, and how they're coming back The Extinction Tapes The White-Tailed Eagle became extinct in England in 1780. They held on in Scotland until 1916. Then, in the summer of 2019, a White-Tailed Eagle flew across the British countryside once again. We played a huge role in their near-extinction. But, maybe by understanding what nearly wiped them out, we can now ensure that they flourish. Producer Emily Knight A BBC Bristol production first broadcast on Radio 4 in November 2019. Rob Newman with the tale of a beautiful bird of prey which made a triumphant come back. Rob Newman tell the story of a species we've lost forever. What can we learn from the return of a bird of prey which disappeared in the last century? With Rob Newman. From 2019. Produced at BBC Bristol by Emily Knight. Rob Newman's tale of a bird of prey's triumphant come back. [LISTEN NOW]