Episodes
| Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jungle Royalty, The Jaguar | 20211207 | 20211213 (R4) | ~Wild Inside embarks on something we hardly ever witness - a look inside some of nature's most wondrous animals. Its a rare chance to delve deep into some enigmatic and very different wild animals - from a reptile, to a mammal to a fish - unravelling the intricate internal complexity inside three of the most amazing animals ever to evolve. What makes the ultimate predator? What are the keys to successful survival in an ever-changing environment? Whilst we've gained a lot by observing their behaviour from the outside, to truly understand these animals, we need to look at what's on the inside too. Ben Garrod, Professor of Evolutionary Biology and Science Engagement at the University of East Anglia, together with friend and expert veterinary surgeon Dr Jess French, open up and investigate what makes each of these animals unique. During each animal post mortem, they're joined by experts in comparative anatomy, evolution and behaviour as they put these enigmatic animals under the knife. Along the way they reveal some unique adaptations which give each species a leg (or claw) up in surviving in the big wild world. The series begins with one of the truly exotic loaners of the cat family - which at just over two metres long, covered with beautiful gold and black rosette markings, is pure jungle royalty - the greatest of the South American big cats - the Jaguar Part 2: One of the largest predatory reptiles - the Burmese Python whose extraordinary singular body plan has enabled nearly 4000 species of snakes to succeed in inhabiting nearly every part of the planet, Part 3 : The largest bony fish you might never have heard of - the bizarre looking Oceanic Sunfish which is being spotted increasingly in UK waters Presenters: Prof Ben Garrod, Dr Jess French Producer: Adrian Washbourne Ben Garrod and Jess French glimpse inside three animals from the big wild world. |
| The Alpaca | 20221018 | 20221024 (R4) | Alpacas may have been domesticated for thousands of years but their native lands are the steep hostile mountains of South America where they continue to thrive far from the modern luxuries of animal husbandry. Prof Ben Garrod and Dr Jess French delve deep inside this hardy herbivore to unravel the anatomy and physiology that's secured the success of this extraordinary member of the camelid family of camels, llamas and vicugna Producer Adrian Washbourne Ben Garrod and Jess French unravel the secrets to success of the alpaca. Ben Garrod and Jess French glimpse inside three animals from the big wild world. |
| The Aphid | 20240130 | 20260112 (R4) |  The tiny sap-sucking aphid, at just a few millimetres long, is the scourge of many gardeners and crop-growers worldwide, spreading astonishingly rapidly and inflicting huge damage as it seeks to outwit many host plants' natural defences. With insights and guidance from aphid expert George Seddon-Roberts at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, some delicate dissecting tools, and a state of the art microscope, Professor Ben Garrod and Dr Jess French delve inside this herbivorous insect to unravel the anatomy and physiology that's secured its extraordinary reproductive success, whilst offering new clues as to how we could curtail its damaging impact in the future. Co-Presenters: Ben Garrod and Jess French Executive Producer: Adrian Washbourne Producer: Ella Hubber Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth Ben Garrod and Jess French unravel the secrets to success of the sap-sucking aphid. Ben Garrod and Jess French glimpse inside animals from the big wild world Prof. Ben Garrod and Dr Jess French delve inside the tiny, sap-sucking aphid to unravel its extraordinary success as a plant pest, and give clues to curtailing its damaging impact. |
| The Aphid | 20240130 | The tiny sap-sucking aphid, at just a few millimetres long, is the scourge of many gardeners and crop-growers worldwide, spreading astonishingly rapidly and inflicting huge damage as it seeks to outwit many host plants' natural defences. With insights and guidance from aphid expert George Seddon-Roberts at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, some delicate dissecting tools, and a state of the art microscope, Professor Ben Garrod and Dr Jess French delve inside this herbivorous insect to unravel the anatomy and physiology that's secured its extraordinary reproductive success, whilst offering new clues as to how we could curtail its damaging impact in the future. Co-Presenters: Ben Garrod and Jess French Executive Producer: Adrian Washbourne Producer: Ella Hubber Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth Ben Garrod and Jess French unravel the secrets to success of the sap sucking aphid. Ben Garrod and Jess French glimpse inside animals from the big wild world Prof. Ben Garrod and Dr Jess French delve inside the tiny, sap-sucking aphid to unravel its extraordinary success as a plant pest, and give clues to curtailing its damaging impact. | |
| The Aphid | 20240130 | 20240807 (R4) | The tiny sap-sucking aphid, at just a few millimetres long, is the scourge of many gardeners and crop-growers worldwide, spreading astonishingly rapidly and inflicting huge damage as it seeks to outwit many host plants' natural defences. With insights and guidance from aphid expert George Seddon-Roberts at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, some delicate dissecting tools, and a state of the art microscope, Professor Ben Garrod and Dr Jess French delve inside this herbivorous insect to unravel the anatomy and physiology that's secured its extraordinary reproductive success, whilst offering new clues as to how we could curtail its damaging impact in the future. Co-Presenters: Ben Garrod and Jess French Executive Producer: Adrian Washbourne Producer: Ella Hubber Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth Ben Garrod and Jess French unravel the secrets to success of the sap-sucking aphid. Ben Garrod and Jess French glimpse inside animals from the big wild world Prof. Ben Garrod and Dr Jess French delve inside the tiny, sap-sucking aphid to unravel its extraordinary success as a plant pest, and give clues to curtailing its damaging impact. |
| The Bearded Vulture | 20240123 | 20240129 (R4) 20260106 (R4) |  Ominously called the lamb vulture, there are many myths and misconceptions surrounding the bearded vulture. Flying the mountainous ranges across central Asia and eastern Africa, with a wingspan of almost three meters, the bearded vulture is am impressive Old World vulture. Prof Ben Garrod and Dr Jess French are looking past the beautifully coloured plumage, and delving deep inside to learn what this bird of prey really eats and what keeps its great wings aloft. Co-Presenters: Ben Garrod and Jess French Executive Producer: Adrian Washbourne Producer: Ella Hubber Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth Ben Garrod and Jess French delve inside a decorated bird of of prey, the bearded vulture. Ben Garrod and Jess French glimpse inside animals from the big wild world Ben Garrod and Jess French ruffle some feathers and delve inside a colourfully decorated bird of prey, the bearded vulture, in order to understand how its unusual diet. |
| The Burmese Python | 20211214 | 20211220 (R4) | Ben Garrod and Jess French unravel the internal secrets to success of the Burmese python. Ben Garrod and Jess French glimpse inside three animals from the big wild world. |
| The Cheetah | 20220927 | 20221003 (R4) | Zoologist Ben Garrod and veterinary surgeon Jess French armed with their dissection tools, return with a new series taking on natural history from the inside out as they delve deep into some amazing internal anatomy to unravel the secrets to survival of some of nature's iconic animals. It's a rare opportunity to examine some amazing and very different wild animals - on land, in the air and deep in the oceans - unravelling their intricate internal complexity. Whilst we can gain a lot by observing their behaviour from the outside, to truly understand these animals, we need to look at what's on the inside, too. What makes the ultimate predator? What are the keys to successful survival in an ever-changing environment? Evolutionary biologist Professor Ben Garrod from the University of East Anglia, together with friend and expert veterinary surgeon Dr Jess French open up and investigate what makes each of these animals unique, in terms of their extraordinary anatomy, behaviour and their evolutionary history. Along the way they reveal some unique adaptations which give each species a leg (or claw) up in surviving in the big wild world. The series begins with one of the rarities of the cat family - the cheetah, which at just under 2 metres long, is the world's fastest land animal capable of reaching speeds of up to 70mph in 3 seconds. As Ben and Jess reveal, the body's rear muscles, large heart and nostrils enable it to achieve record breaking accelerations. But over long distances, it risks total exhaustion and predation from larger carnivores and the risk of losing its valuable prey. We hear during the course of this intricate dissection, how it treads a fine line between speed and stamina in the quest for survival. Producer Adrian Washbourne Ben Garrod and Jess French dissect the secrets of the fastest land animal, the cheetah Ben Garrod and Jess French glimpse inside three animals from the big wild world. |
| The Great Grey Owl | 20221004 | 20221010 (R4) | One of the world's large owls by length, the Great Grey Owl is an enigmatic predator of coniferous forests close to the Arctic tundra. It's most often seen hunting around dawn and dusk, when it perches silently at the edges of clearings. But as Prof Ben Garrod and Dr Jess French delve deep inside to understand its true secret to survival, they find the deep feathery coat belies a deceptively small head and body thats evolved unbelievably powerful abilities to silently detect and ambush unsuspecting prey. Producer Adrian Washbourne Ben Garrod and Jess French delve beneath the deep feathery plumage of the grey grey owl. Ben Garrod and Jess French glimpse inside three animals from the big wild world. |
| The Harbour Porpoise | 20221011 | 20221019 (R4) | Prof Ben Garrod and Dr Jess French get under the skin of the harbour porpoise to unravel this enigmatic and shy aquatic mammal's extraordinary survival skills - from it's ability to dive for long periods to accurately echolocating its fast moving prey. They join Rob Deaville, project leader for the Cetacean's Stranding Investigations Programme at ZSL (Zoological Society of London) to open up and examine what makes this animal unique in terms of its anatomy, behaviour and evolutionary history. Producer Adrian Washbourne Ben Garrod and Jess French get under the skin of the enigmatic harbour porpoise. Ben Garrod and Jess French glimpse inside three animals from the big wild world. |
| The Ocean Sunfish | 20211221 | 20211227 (R4) | Ben Garrod and Jess French get under the skin of Mola mola the world's largest bony fish Ben Garrod and Jess French glimpse inside three animals from the big wild world. |
| The Red Kangaroo | 20240116 | 20240122 (R4) 20260105 (R4) |  Wild Inside returns for a new series to take a look at some of our planet's most exceptional and unusual creatures from an entirely new perspective: the inside. Whilst we can learn a lot from observing the outside, the secrets to the success of any animal – whether they swim, fly, or hop – lies in their complex internal anatomy. How do these wild animals survive and thrive in harsh and changing environments? To truly understand we need to delve inside. Professor Ben Garrod, evolutionary biologist from the University of East Anglia, and expert veterinary surgeon Dr Jess French, open up and investigate what makes each of these animals unique, in terms of their extraordinary anatomy, behaviour and their evolutionary history. Along the way, they reveal some unique adaptations which give each species a leg (or claw) up in surviving in the big, wild world. The series begins with an icon of the outback – known best for its hopping, boxing, and cosy pouch – the red kangaroo. Despite the immense heat and lack of water, these marsupials dominate Australia, with their evolutionary history driving them to success. From the powerful legs which allow them to hop up to 40km an hour, to an unexpected reproductive system that keeps their populations plentiful, Ben, Jess and marsupial expert Dr Jack Ashby reveal a mammalian anatomy which holds many surprises. Further episodes : 2: Sometimes ominously called the lamb vulture – the Bearded Vulture is a bird of legend but survives on an astounding diet of up to 90% bone. And its anatomy reflects its unusual dinner. 3: The formidable sap sucking aphid which at less than 3mm long is the scourge of many crop growers worldwide, outwitting the plants it feeds on, whilst cloning itself to produce identical offspring every 20 minutes. 4: Found lounging in their thousands on coastlines along the western coats of North and Central America – the California Sea Lion is a master of land and sea. Co-Presenters: Ben Garrod and Jess French Executive Producer: Adrian Washbourne Producer: Ella Hubber Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth Ben Garrod and Jess French hop into the anatomy of the largest marsupial, the red kangaroo Ben Garrod and Jess French glimpse inside animals from the big wild world Ben Garrod and Jess French hop into the anatomy of the world's largest marsupial, the red kangaroo, to understand its unique strategies of survival, reproduction, and movement. |
| The Sea Lion | 20240206 | 20260113 (R4) |  Professor Ben Garrod and Dr Jess French get under the skin (and blubber) of the California sea lion, to crack the key to its success both on land and at sea. Its ability to dive hundreds of meters down, keep warm in icy waters, and run on land, can all be explained through its unique internal anatomy. They are joined by zookeeper and sea lion trainer Mae Betts, who adds insight into the intelligence of these sleek marine mammals. Co-Presenters: Ben Garrod and Jess French Executive Producer: Adrian Washbourne Producer: Ella Hubber Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth Ben Garrod and Jess French get under the skin (and blubber) of the California sea lion. Ben Garrod and Jess French glimpse inside animals from the big wild world Ben Garrod and Jess French get under the skin (and blubber) of a marine mammal which is comfortably at home at land and sea, the sea lion. |
| The Sea Lion | 20240206 | 20240212 (R4) | Professor Ben Garrod and Dr Jess French get under the skin (and blubber) of the California sea lion, to crack the key to its success both on land and at sea. Its ability to dive hundreds of meters down, keep warm in icy waters, and run on land, can all be explained through its unique internal anatomy. They are joined by zookeeper and sea lion trainer Mae Betts, who adds insight into the intelligence of these sleek marine mammals. Co-Presenters: Ben Garrod and Jess French Executive Producer: Adrian Washbourne Producer: Ella Hubber Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth Ben Garrod and Jess French get under the skin (and blubber) of the California sea lion. Ben Garrod and Jess French glimpse inside animals from the big wild world Ben Garrod and Jess French get under the skin (and blubber) of a marine mammal which is comfortably at home at land and sea, the sea lion. |