Making Of • 2005 • episode "Extra" • Life in the Undergrowth

58:40

Life and Death explores the impact of Darwin’s ideas on our understanding of the meaning of extinction and the interconnections between all life on earth and the environment. Darwin learned many lessons from the giant fossils of extinct animals he found in Argentina and Chile. He eventually revealed to us the unpalatable truth that the logical conclusion to evolution is not perfection but extinction. The extinction of one species creates an environmental niche for new species to fill. Darwin’s theory also gives us vital knowledge we can use to help prolong the existence of our species by respecting the interconnections between all elements of the natural world and the environment. It’s a story in which Darwin’s ideas are taken up with great enthusiasm by his followers throughout the 20th century. But humanity misses one opportunity after another to acknowledge and reduce its destructive impact on the planet. As a result we have set in motion the sixth mass extinction of life on earth. And we are running out of time to do something about it by preserving ecological "hotspots" like certain rainforests which are some of the most productive cradles of evolution. This programme is a warning, but also a celebration, of the knowledge Charles Darwin gave us in his theory of evolution. It confirms that Darwin’s theory continues to inform our understanding of ourselves, our planet and the intricate interconnections between all life on earth.

S1E3 • Darwin's Dangerous Idea • 2009 • Nature

29:03

Today, Iolo discovers the difficulties birds face in order to stay alive, and the programme includes a dramatic scene in which a sparrow hawk seizes the moment to attack a woodpigeon nest.

S1E3 • Secret Life of Birds • 2012 • Nature

0:00

Kate dives to some of the most intact shipwrecks left by World War II, while it is one drama after another for the deep dive team in their quest to find new species.

S1E1 • Pacific Abyss • 2008 • Nature

54:16

In Southeast Alaska, there's an ice-bound Eden that harbours possibly the richest temperate rainforests of all.

S1E6 • Eden Untamed Planet • 2021 • Nature

58:32

In this episode, Chris Packham tells the almost implausible story of how our world went from a barren rock with a sky of endless black, to the planet we know today, cloaked in the thin blue line of our life-sustaining atmosphere. When Earth first formed from clouds of dust and gas 4.6 billion years ago, it was - like so many other lifeless worlds in the universe - devoid of an atmosphere, an inhospitable rock floating in the black void of space. But as the young planet was pummelled by asteroids a period of extraordinary upheaval began. Over a two-billion-year period, the planet faced violent eruptions and a toxic orange haze, vast oceans of water in the sky and seas turning rusty red. Eventually, with the emergence of life and photosynthesis recalibrating the gases in our atmosphere, the stage was set for Earth to become the vibrant azure-skied planet we call home today.

S1E4 • Earth: One Planet, Many Lives • 2023 • Nature

101:30

(Contains 2 episodes) Shot over a year in the Mediterranean forests of Spain and Portugal, this series reveals the challenges faced by the astounding and rare creatures that make this unique environment their home. Competition here is fierce and survival means overcoming constant challenges. Home for some of the world's rarest species including Iberian lynx, genet, chameleon, Iberian wolf, Spanish imperial eagle and Egyptian mongoose, this series captures the cycle of life for the creatures that roam this ancient woodland.

2020 • Nature