Trailer

James Wong introduces "Unearthed", launching August 5th 2020.

Uncovering a multi-million pound smuggling trade

One wintery morning in 2014, somebody stole a tiny and extremely rare waterlily from the collection at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was never seen again, and they were never caught. James Wong begins his journey into the mysterious world of plants and fungi by looking at the criminal underwo…

The curry killer: How Kew helped bring a murderer to justice

Plants have the power to cure – and also kill. In this episode we hear how a spurned woman murdered her lover with just a mysterious plant substance. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew was instrumental in the race to identify the material, and how it was used, so to bring the killer to justice. James…

Curious cures and mysterious medicines

Deep in some of the world’s most hard-to-reach places lies a wealth of plant knowledge that could offer the next life-saving cure. In this episode, James Wong explores how Kew scientists works alongside remote communities on the ground to understand plants’ medicinal properties. And there’s a his…

Zombies, tripping and the everyday normality of fantastic fungi

In this episode James Wong learns how there’s nothing weirder and more wonderful than the everyday. Hear about the depression trials that have seen sufferers tripping on magic mushrooms, and the zombie fungus that causes ants to explode. Fungi may get a bad press for growing on your shower curtai…

Harm or Harmony: How safe are we from the foods we eat?

4 years ago, 15 year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse lost her life to a severe sesame allergy. In this episode, James Wong speaks to Natasha’s parents Tania and Nadim, who worked with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to confirm the plant substance that caused their daughter’s death and on their fight to…

The Disappearing Forests: Is ecocide a crime?

Time is running out for the world’s forests, ecosystems and the life they support. The consequences for human life and climate could be catastrophic – unless we take action now. In this episode James Wong speaks to scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to understand how forest loss and ti…

Dirt on our hands: Overcoming botany’s hidden legacy of inequality

Dirt on our hands: Overcoming botany’s hidden legacy of inequality  In this special episode of Unearthed, professional plant geek, author, and broadcaster James Wong explores the histories of inequality and personal experiences that lie behind a seemingly democratic and wholesome world of plants. …

Unearthed: Journeys Into The Future Of Food, From The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Coming on Thursday 6th October 2022

The way we produce and consume food is having a devastating impact on our natural world. How can we avoid disaster, and feed the world well? Unearthed: Journeys into the future of food, from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, explores our contemporary relationship with food: what are we eating? What…

We have a problem

The food we eat connects us to the wider world; to global history, cultures and traditions. But the practises we’ve ended up with today mean that our systems are failing and many of our favourite foods and farming practises are heading towards extinction. In this first episode, Advolly Richmond ex…