18/04/2026

Sixty years ago, The Naked Ape revolutionised our understanding of humans as just another animal species. Published at the height of the 1960s, Desmond Morris’ provocative controversial bestseller recast us as hairless apes driven by our biology and evolutionary impulses.

Using the same zoological methods he’d applied to fish and chimpanzees, it stripped away our perceived separation from nature, placing us firmly within the animal kingdom. Combining serious science with a subversive, accessible style, the book became an unprecedented cultural phenomenon - challenging taboos and capturing the radical, free-thinking, sexually liberated spirit of the Summer of Love.

Science communicator and biological anthropologist Ella Al-Shamahi revisits The Naked Ape to explore its origins, impact and enduring legacy over six decades. Drawing on a new interview with Desmond Morris at the age of 97, and 70 years of archive, she traces its roots in post-war ethology, his work at London Zoo, and the early days of wildlife television, where a young David Attenborough became Morris’ rival and friend.

Ella discovers the book’s influence on scientific research and popular science communication, critiques from feminism and academia, and its cultural impact and controversy.

With contributions from evolutionary biologist Professor Tiffany Taylor, sexual behaviour evolution expert Dr Matilda Brindle, ape method actor Peter Elliott, and science writer Angela Saini, this is the remarkable story of The Naked Ape!

Presenter: Ella Al-Shamahi
Producer: George Perry
Executive Producer: Leonie Thomas
Mix: Mike Woolley

An Overcoat Media production for BBC Radio 4