The Earth Transformed by Peter Frankopan (Omnibus)

Peter Frankopan's epic history on how the changing climate has shaped the rise and fall of civilisations.

Read by Hugh Bonneville.

In his acclaimed new history Peter Frankopan takes us from the Big Bang to the present and beyond. Here he shows us that the natural world has always been a defining factor in the twists and turns that global history has taken since the beginning of time.

We'll discover the role that volcanic eruptions, oceanic shifts, rainfall and solar activity have played in physically, economically and politically shaping our world. In later episodes we'll explore how the evolution of religion; the rapacious colonial appetite for commodities, and technological interventions in weather patterns have shaped societies and cultures all over the world. As the planet heads towards a future defined by global warming, this book offers up salutary reflections.

Peter Frankopan is Professor of Global History at Oxford University and Senior Research Fellow at Worcester College. The Earth Transformed went straight into the best-seller lists following publication. His 2015 book, The Silk Roads: A New History of the World was named one of the 'Books of the Decade' 2010-2020 by the Sunday Times. Published in 2018 The New Silk Roads: The Present and Future of the World won the Human Sciences prize of the Carical Foundation.

Omnibus of five episodes abridged by Katrin Williams.

Producer: Elizabeth Allard

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2023.