Animal Magic

The predacious great diving beetle of Fife - a beastie the world is not yet ready for (or at least Susan Morrison isn’t ready for it) - we’ll be exploring its role in pointing to the Kingdom’s history of general sogginess and water bodies with entomologist Dr Jack Maclachlan of the University of Maine who’s in pursuit of Fife’s lost lochs. Then to Sierra Leone to find out what a Scottish qualified doctor made of the idea of ‘human leopards’ with Dr Christine Whyte of Glasgow University. Finally to one of the most vibrant courts in Scottish history where Dr Amy Blakeway of St Andrews University introduces us to James V and his menagerie of pets - including the plus-size parrot and the naughty dogs.