Picture the weirdest creature you can imagine. Now times by ten. We've got disappearing elephants, magical healing birds and an assortment of canine-flavoured man-beasts.

We're taking a short break while our epoch-hopping correspondents conduct field research for series two. We'll be back soon with more quirky stories gathered from the corners of history.

When in Rome, do you do as the Romans do? Can you blend in abroad? How about in that foreign country that is the past? Our epoch-hopping correspondents share some tips on how to adapt when travelling through time.

Intergalactic PR, desperate lovers, and a time-travelling labradoodle - Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough looks at some unusual communications sent by creative means.

Colour film may only have been around since the late 19th century, but human experience has been captured in colour ever since our ancestors first applied paint to cave wall. Eleanor presents five colourful moments in history, told through the power of pigment.

Enough of big, flashy history: it's time to take a closer look at the detail. From socks to snowflakes, and from little old ladies to a composer's pencil, little things can have a big impact.

Meet the revolutionary oddballs strutting their devil-may-care way through history. Be inspired, but emulate at your peril...

Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough heads to the beach to gather tales of unusual happenings on the border between land and sea - from trailblazing mermaids to historic surf encounters.

Put on your headphones and turn up the volume: this is the sound of innovation. Or is it? Our Time Travellers take a look at some fantastic, lost and bizarre audio inventions.

No wee beasties were harmed in the making of this podcast. This edition, our geeky collective turn their attention to animals and their contributions to science.