Death of the Megabeasts (2009)

A random documentary that Radio Times highlighted on More4 some time ago, Death of the Megabeasts felt like Walking With Dinosaurs cross-bred with CSI. Featuring CGI recreations of the megafauna that roamed Australia many thousands of years ago intercut with a technology/archaeology driven mystery to find out why these creatures died out, the documentary made for interesting yet flashy viewing. 

Making a change from dinosaurs, the megafauna included an array of exotic giant lions and kangaroo type critters, and the Australian focus was interesting in the different perspectives it provided. After suggesting various theories and then disproving them, it was ultimately decided that man was to blame for much of the extinction process, in his manipulation of the climate, hunting of the animals for meat, and burning of the grasses that the herbivores fed on. Ending with an environmental message about how our treatment of the planet could impact on the animals living now, the programme generated intriguing questions and shed light on a part of world history I'd hitherto not even considered.