Evolution

The story of life, from the first primitive cells to the plants and animals that now live around us.

David Attenborough looks at the extraordinary ends to which animals and plants go in order to survive. Featuring epic spectacles, amazing TV firsts and examples of new wildlife behaviour.

Natural World is a nature documentary television series broadcast annually on BBC Two and regarded by the BBC as its flagship natural history brand. It is currently the longest-running series in its genre on British television, with more than 400 episodes broadcast since its inception in 1983. Natural World is produced by the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, but individual programmes can be in-house productions, collaborative productions with other broadcasters or films made and distributed by independent production companies and purchased by the BBC. Natural World programmes are often broadcast as PBS Nature episodes in the USA. Since 2008, most Natural World programmes have been shot and broadcast in high definition.

Consistently stunning documentaries transport viewers to far-flung locations ranging from the torrid African plains to the chilly splendours of icy Antarctica. The show's primary focus is on animals and ecosystems around the world. A comic book based on the show, meant to be used an as educational tool for kids, was briefly distributed to museums and schools at no cost in the mid-2000s.

Journeying to the far reaches of our planet, this eight part series follows some of the world's most amazing species, telling extraordinary stories that are dramatic, thrilling, funny and sometimes heart-breaking, but always full of hope.

Sir David shines the spotlight on some of nature’s evolutionary anomalies and reveals how these curious animals continue to baffle and fascinate.

This docuseries showcases nature's lesser-known tiny heroes. Spotlighting small creatures and the extraordinary things they do to survive, each episode is filled with surprising stories and spectacular cinematography.

Shot from land and air, in trees and cliff-blinds, on ice floes and underwater, this documentary tells the powerful stories of many of the planet's species and their movements, while revealing new scientific insights with breathtaking high-definition clarity and emotional impact. The beauty of these stories is underscored by a new focus into these species; fragile existence and their life-and-death quest for survival in an ever-changing world.

This six part documentary draws attention to the most extraordinary — almost supernatural — accounts of animals that have adapted to the cruelest evolutionary curveballs.

A unique fusion of blue chip natural history and earth science that explains how our living planet operates. This five-part series shows how the forces of nature drive, shape and support Earth’s great diversity of wildlife.

Filmed across six continents, this docuseries uses cutting-edge camera technology to capture animals' nocturnal lives, revealing new behaviours filmed in full color like never before.

Experience our planet's natural beauty and examine how climate change impacts all living creatures in this ambitious documentary of spectacular scope.

Life's extraordinary journey to conquer, adapt and survive on Earth across billions of years comes alive in this groundbreaking nature docuseries.

Utilizing the latest scientific innovations and leading-edge filmmaking technology, this documentary reveals the secret powers and super-senses of the world’s most extraordinary animals, and invites viewers to see and hear beyond normal human perception to experience the natural world as a specific species does — from seeing flowers in bee-vision to eavesdropping on a conversation between elephant seals to soaring the length of a football field with glow-in-the-dark squirrels.

Discover the clever and creative ways animals navigate life’s most extraordinary challenges, from leaving home to finding a partner.

The series offers fascinating insights into the most successful animal group in the world. From the tiny Etruscan shrew to the giant blue whale, Mammals will reveal the secrets of their success, and how their winning design, incredible adaptability, unrivaled intelligence, and unique sociability have all contributed to their remarkable rise.

This immersive series follows the world's most magnificent creatures, capturing never-before-seen moments from the heartwarming to the outrageous.

Millions of years ago, incredible forces ripped apart the Earth’s crust creating seven extraordinary continents. This documentary series reveals how each distinct continent has shaped the unique animal life found there.

Follow the true stories of five of the world's most celebrated, yet endangered animals; penguins, chimpanzees, lions, painted wolves and tigers. Each in a heroic struggle against rivals and against the forces of nature, these families fight for their own survival and for the future of their dynasties.

Anthony Morgan explores the extraordinary ways that animals hear and produce sound, and the crucial role sound plays in the lives of animals around the globe - from birth to surviving adulthood and finding a mate.

Baboons with Bill Bailey is a wildlife documentary series presented by Bill Bailey. The series follows Bill as he attempts to find out more about the lives of baboons who are living in several colonies in Cape Town, South Africa.

David Attenborough embarks on a remarkable 500 million-year journey revealing the extraordinary group of animals that dominate our world, and how their evolution defines our human bodies.

Few countries in South America can boast to have such contrast and variety as Argentina. Diverse habitats such as Patagonia's bleak steppe, soaring Andean snowcaps, vast salt pans, lush rainforest around Iguazu Falls, steamy marshlands of Ibera, and grasslands of the Pampas support an astonishing range of wildlife - from penguins, whales and seals to condors, armadillos and guanacos.

Story of an elephant family

Michael Palin undertakes an epic journey of 23,000 miles, traveling from the North to the South Pole across 17 countries with a minimum of air travel, all on a tight deadline.

Carl Sagan covers a wide range of scientific subjects, including the origin of life and a perspective of our place in the universe.

The seven episodes explore North America: where civilization collides with untamed wilderness. Just feet beyond our own backyards rages a spectacle we never see. Join us as we step into this hidden world teaming with life - across impossible mountains and endless deserts. Dive into unexplored forests and crash into rugged coasts. This vast continent offers boundless rewards for those brave enough to take on this land - and call her home.

The tropical islands that lie between Asia and Australia are among the biologically richest on earth, and home to a vast number of plants and animals. From tree kangaroos to tarsiers, manta rays to mudskippers, the region abounds with life. But why? The answer lies deep in time, due to the many millions of years these islands have existed - and the power of the earth, the sun and the moon.

Chris Packham uses groundbreaking science and brand-new behaviour to delve deep beneath the skin and discover the unique features that have made certain animal groups successful.

A four-part documentary series on ocean life around the world.

The four-part series takes an awe-inspiring look at the world around us, shot with ultra-high-definition cameras that capture sweeping panoramas and extraordinary close-ups of Canada’s majestic terrain and diverse species.

The first months of an animal's life are crucial - if they lose their mothers, they'll need help. Meet the wild orphans getting a second chance, and those devoted to saving them.

One force determines a country's fate more than any other: Water. Austria's love-affair with water has given her unique and amazing landscapes and biospheres, carved out by Alpine glaciers, ancient seas and mighty rivers, home to iconic animals like eagles, ibex, otters and deer. But this country has wildlife surprises, too. The days are gone when raging oceans brought giant sharks to her primeval shores, but there's an odd little survivor from those times: a three-eyed hermaphrodite, maybe the oldest animal on the planet. The tadpole shrimp lives in pools and puddles, until they dry out. Its eggs can stay dormant for decades or centuries, till water brings them to life. At a pinch, an adult can even fertilize itself - a single survivor guaranteeing future generations. Goldeneye ducks breed in abandoned woodpecker holes high in trees. Once the last sibling has hatched, the ducklings follow their mother in a leap of faith of up to ten meters to the river below. Two months later, they will finally learn to fly! The Bullhead, a fish that will never master the art of swimming, lives in brooks and creeks at up to 2,000 meters. It claws its way upstream, digging its fins into the gravelly riverbed. From ice caves, crystalline mountain springs and spectacular waterfalls, down to Lake Neusiedl, world-famous bird sanctuary on the edge of the endless Eurasian steppe: This epic two-part documentary celebrates Austria's most precious landscapes and her wildlife's unrivaled beauty.

Documentary series examining the most dangerous and most feared animals on the planet.

Chris Packham travels the world to uncover the secrets of the animal mind.

This four-part nature series reveals the extraordinary stories of Scotland’s secret wild places and the unexpected animals that live there. Scotland hosts a spectacular array of wildlife, from highland red deer, white-tailed eagles, red squirrels and pine martens to coastal dwelling puffins, grey seals, otters, and even killer whales. Stretching from the Shetlands to the south of the country, each episode focuses on how animals strive to survive through four very different seasons in one epic year, dominated by a maritime climate that’s both punishing and unpredictable, with their lives always at the mercy of the elements.

Bill Pullman introduces and narrates this four-part documentary on the world's first national park, Yellowstone.

Experience the wonders of our world like never before in this epic series from Jon Favreau and the producers of Planet Earth. Travel back 66 million years to when majestic dinosaurs and extraordinary creatures roamed the lands, seas, and skies.