6. Back to the Market

What really went on in that Wuhan market - and the curious case of the raccoon dog.

It’s the early hours of 31 December 2019 and a cleaning squad is moving through the narrow lanes of a large, covered market in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The Huanan Seafood Market has been linked to a number of cases of a mysterious new illness circulating in the city, suggesting that animals there might be the source. But the World Health Organization would later say there were no verified reports of live mammals for sale. So what’s the truth about the market? And why have raccoon dogs sparked yet another bitter scientific dispute?

Presenter: John Sudworth

Series producer: Simon Maybin

Editor: Richard Vadon

Sound design and mix: James Beard

Commissioning editor: Dan Clarke

Science advice: Julian Siddle and Victoria Gill

Extra production: Eva Artesona and Kathy Long

Research support: Zisheng Xu and BBC Monitoring

Production coordinators: Siobhan Reed, Helena Warwick-Cross, Sophie Hill, and Debbie Richford

Theme and original music: Pete Cunningham, with trumpet by Joss Murray

Radio 4 Editor of Editorial Standards: Roger Mahony

Head of BBC News - Long Form Audio: Emma Rippon