In this episode, Greg Jenner is joined in nineteenth-century England by Dr Michael Taylor and comedian Sara Pascoe to learn all about pioneering palaeontologist Mary Anning.

Born to a cabinet-maker father who collected and sold fossils to make extra money, Anning went fossil hunting from a young age. Over the course of her life, she discovered complete ichthyosaur, plesiosaur and pterosaur skeletons, and made great contributions to the emerging discipline of palaeontology. But she was also shut out by the largely male scientific establishment. This episode charts her extraordinary life story, exploring the significance of her discoveries against the background of nineteenth-century debates about religion and science and controversies around the age of the earth.

This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.

Hosted by: Greg Jenner

Research by: Annabel Storr

Written by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner

Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner

Audio Producer: Steve Hankey

Production Coordinator: Ben Hollands

Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse

Executive Editor: James Cook