Dead real: how we built the T. rex Autopsy dinosaur

T. rex Autopsy hit screens last Sunday, so I can finally lift the lid on the special effects behind the dinosaur dissection

Those watching the National Geographic channel on Sunday would have seen the oddball T. rex Autopsy, where a recreated Tyrannosaurus was dissected on screen. Obviously this blended a bit of fact and scientific best-guesses but it was also an incredible technical achievement. After all, while Jurassic World's dinosaurs do have to move on screen, they don't have to show the internal organs!

I was one of the scientific consultants for this show and spent plenty of hours on the phone, writing e-mails and poring over photos and videos of the work. I also got to visit the studio where the animal was manufactured and see the amazing work that went into building such a creature. As a big fan of recreating dinosaurs on screen, this was a fantastic experience, but one I had to keep a secret until the show was out.