4. Mission: Impossible

A World Health Organization team heads to Wuhan. Will they find the truth?

As the first year of the Covid outbreak draws to a close, a team of international scientists chosen by the World Health Organization is preparing to visit the city where it all started to investigate the virus’s origin. But with the Chinese government closely involved in the mission, how free will they be to find the truth? And is a researcher with links to the Wuhan Institute of Virology the right person to be asking questions about a possible lab leak?

Archive: CGTN.

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