Last Chance to See - BBC Radio Documentary - Douglas Adams, Mark Carwardine Audiobook

Written by Douglas Adams, Mark Carwardine
Read by Douglas Adams, Mark Carwardine, Peter Jones
Format: M4B
Bitrate: 160 Kbps
Unabridged

This collection includes the initial pilot show and the complete BBC radio series from 1989, in which Adams and Carwardine embark on a quest to track down weird and wonderful threatened species across the globe. Voyaging from New Zealand to Chile, they hope to encounter the flightless Kakapo parrot, the river dolphin revered as the ‘goddess of the Yangtze’ and the secretive, confusing manatee - as well as the randy Rodrigues fruit bat, the terrifying (and smelly) Komodo dragon and the solitary Juan Fernandez fur seal.

Funny, thought-provoking and poignant, Last Chance to See combines Adams’ inimitable humour and Carwardine’s expertise to provide a unique snapshot of our vanishing world and the rare creatures that inhabit it.

Sadly the Kakapo remains critically endangered, and the Yangtze River dolphin was declared functionally extinct in 2006. Part travelogue, part natural history show, this unforgettable account of a remarkable voyage of discovery serves as a reminder to protect our planet while we still can.

1. Ralph, The Fragrant Parrot of Codfish Island

Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine search New Zealand for a Kakapo, a large, green parrot that has forgotten how to fly

2. Gone Fishing!

In search of a tragic Chinese ‘river princess’: the Yangtze River dolphin.

3. Animal, Vegetable or Mineral?

In search of a secretive and confusing creature in the Amazon - the Manatee.

4. The Answer is Blowing in the Wind

Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine go in search of a ‘flying fox’ near Mauritius Island: the Rodrigues Fruit Bat.

5. A Man-Eating, Evil-Smelling Dragon

Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine search for a slightly terrifying creature, with terrible breath: the Komodo Dragon.

6. The Sultan of Juan Fernandez

A visit to Robinson Crusoe Island, near Chile, to find: a Juan Fernandez Fur Seal.

7. Natural Selection: In Search of the Aye-Aye

The original radio programme that inspired Last Chance to See.

Presented by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine.

Natural Selection: In Search of the Aye-Aye

Produced by Tim Grout Smith.

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 1 November 1985

Produced by Chris Muir.

Series producer: Gaynor Shutte.

Additional music by Steven Faux.

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 4 October 1989-8 November 1989

My recordings from BBC iPlayer.