Catastrophe: Asteroid Strike

Sixty-five million years ago, when dinosaurs ruled the world and relegated mammals to the shadows, their planet was rocked by yet another massive event when, seemingly out of nowhere, the mighty dinosaurs were suddenly wiped off the face of the Earth. But without this devastating catastrophe shaping the way the world was to develop, humans would not be here today. Scientists, palaeontologists and geologists investigate what could be responsible and chart the story behind the widely held theory that Earth was hit once again by a deadly asteroid. The programme charts the discovery of a giant crater in Mexico, the "smoking gun" which they believe proves that an asteroid the size of Mount Everest slammed into the Earth 65 million years ago. The shockwave from the impact roasted many dinosaurs alive, with wildfires and unrelenting pollution plunging the world into darkness for years afterwards.