Natural World (1983)
← Back to main
David Attenborough as Narrator (voice)
Episodes 28
Twilight Of The Dreamtime
Documentary about the Kakadu, the last remnant of aboriginal culture in Northern Australia.
Read MoreKiller Whales: Wolves of the Sea
An extraordinary glimpse into the world of these incredibly efficient predators, Killer Whales: Wolves of the Sea is an intriguing celebration of the species’ ingenious hunting methods, sophisticated communication skills and strong family ties.
Read MoreMysteries of the Ocean Wanderers
Focusing on a pair of albatrosses during the year they produce and raise a chick, Mysteries of the Ocean Wanderers is an engaging and atmospheric insight into the wildlife of the sub-Antarctic Crozet Islands.
Delving into a previously unknown area, the film follows the intriguing work of French scientist Henri Weimerskirch as he uses satellite tracking and time-depth recorders to follow the ever changing population of these remote isles.
Read MoreEcho of the Elephants: The Next Generation
A deeply moving account of elephant family life, The Next Generation is the sequel to the BBC Natural History Unit's award-winning Echo of the Elephants. The award-winning cameraman Martyn Colbeck returns to direct and photograph this piece, his stunning cinematography bringing to life the touching intimacy, brutal fights and amazing perseverance of these magnificent animals.
Filmed over four years, elephant expert, leading conservationist and world-renowned research zoologist Cynthia Moss continues her research into the ageing matriarch Echo and her rapidly expanding clan.
Read MoreIncredible Suckers
In the depths of the world’s oceans, biologist and award-winning wildlife photographer Mike deGruy explores the multi-sensory world of the cephalopods.
Stunning underwater photography provides an incredible glimpse into these enigmatic invertebrates, recording species never before captured on film. Impressive footage from a remote-controlled submersible provides the first ever glimpse of two rare creatures in their natural habitat, the living fossil nautilus and the intimidating vampire squid.
Read MoreAttenborough in Paradise
David Attenborough fulfilsan ambition to travel to the rainforests of New Guinea to film the birds of paradise.
Read MoreSperm Whales: Back From the Abyss
Wildlife film about sperm whales, revealing the secret lives led by these often misunderstood ocean giants.
Scientists all over the world are now learning about the secret lives of sperm whales, the world's largest hunters that spawned the legendy of Moby Dick. Although Mellville painted them as fearsome beasts of the sea, they are actually shy creatures, and cameraman Rick Rosenthal needed patience and persistence to film them at close quarters. They turn out to be efficient hunters with a close family network involving sophisticated and vocal social lives.
Read MoreSouth Georgia: an Island All Alone
Focusing on the wildlife of the remote island of South Georgia in the South Atlantic.
Read MoreIslands of the Vampire Birds
Wildlife documentary looking at the finches of the Galapagos Islands which have evolved to not only to eat seeds and pick ticks off tortoises but also to drink the blood of the latter.
Read MoreBower Birds: The Art of Seduction
David Attenborough travels to the remote highlands of New Guinea and the rainforests of Australia to explore the little-known world of the bower bird, a fascinating creature which flaunts its charms, steals for its own purposes and indulges in spiteful acts - all in the pursuit of the opposite sex
Read MoreHighgrove: A Prince's Legacy
David Attenborough narrates this documentary charting a year in the running of Highgrove, home to the Prince of Wales, who takes an active part in the management of the organic garden and estate. Prince Charles is seen monitoring the garden's upkeep, working on the land, planting a new woodland area for the spring and hedge-laying in winter
Read MoreThe Amber Time Machine
Amber is one of David Attenborough's great passions - he is captivated by its beauty and the animals frozen within it in perfect detail. In a personal journey he traces the history of a piece he has had since he was a boy, travelling back millions of years to the age of dinosaurs to unravel its secrets.
Read MoreFive Big Cats and a Camera
The story of the hurdles overcome by Owen Newman & Amanda Barrett, as they set out 14yrs ago to film cheetahs, leopards, servals, caracals and lions.
Read MoreEcho of the Elephants - The Final Chapter?
Documentary following the latest chapter in the story of Echo the female elephant and her family in the Kenyan National Park of Amboseli. Scientist Cynthia Moss believes she is charting the 59-year-old matriarch's decline - until she makes a surprising discovery. Narrated by David Attenborough. Part of 100 Years of Wildlife Week
Read MoreShark Coast
David Attenborough travels along the coast of Southern Africa which has an incredible variety of sharks, over 140 species, from massive great whites and tiger sharks to dozens of tiny sharks with intriguing names like the pyjama shark and leopard cat shark. The answer to why these seas are so rich in predators lies in the unique pattern of warm and cold currents allowing sharks that normally live oceans apart to coexist.
Read MoreBattle to Save the Tiger
The Indian tiger is in deep trouble. Thirty years ago India set aside over 30 tiger reserves controlled by Project Tiger. Initially it was hailed as a great success, but in the last few years hundreds of tigers have been poached from under officials' noses according to WPSI (Wildlife Protection Society of India) run by Belinda Wright.
This film, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, looks at the controversy surrounding the plight of the tiger. Can they come back from the brink of extinction again?
Read MoreBadgers - Secrets Of The Sett
While badgers are easily recognized, remarkably few people have ever seen one alive. It's a creature blamed for destruction and disease, but surprisingly little is known about the sett society. We spy on them for over a year in a Devon valley, Big Brother style, with hidden underground cameras.
Read MoreSuperfish
The billfish are the biggest, fastest, and most dangerous gamefish in the sea. All have captured man's imagination like few other creatures, whether it's the graceful sailfish, the menacing swordfish or queen of them all, the marlin, immortalized by Hemingway in 'The Old Man and the Sea'. Marine biologist and film-maker Rick Rosenthal has travelled three oceans in his attempt to capture them all on film, and in doing so has become a passionate champion for these endangered yet little-known ocean giants.
Read MoreClever Monkeys
David Attenborough's entertaining romp through the world of monkeys has a serious side: for when we look at monkeys we can see ourselves. From memory to morality, from 'crying wolf' to politics, monkeys are our basic blueprint.
Pygmy marmosets 'farm' tree sap; bearded capuchins in Brazil develop a production line for extracting palm nuts; white-faced capuchins in Costa Rica tenderly nurse the victims of battle; and in the Ethiopian highlands a deposed gelada baboon has got the blues.
Read MoreCuckoo
The sound of the cuckoo is to many the very essence of spring, yet behind the magical call is a bird that is a cheat, a thief and a killer. Just how does the cuckoo trick other birds into accepting its eggs and raising its young? Why don't the duped foster parents react as they watch the baby cuckoo destroy their own eggs and chicks? And why do they work so relentlessly to feed a demanding chick that looks nothing like them and will soon dwarf them?
Read MoreCassowaries
This film follows the dramatic attempts to save these endangered giant birds, and reveals their fascinating natural history for the first time. Narrated by David Attenborough.
Read MoreBringing Up Baby
Natural World investigates the vital bond between animal mothers and their babies. The more we study animals, the more we realise just how emotional they are; all mothers are faced with tough choices as they struggle to bring up babies in a difficult and dangerous world, constantly balancing their own needs with those of their infants. Yet there are many ways to raise your brood, from the fish who looks after her young in her mouth to the extended childhoods of gorillas or orang-utans.
Read MoreBirds of Paradise
Living in the depths of the New Guinea rainforest are the spectacular birds of paradise - creatures so beautiful that the first Europeans believed they must have fallen from heaven. Filming their bizarre courtship displays is the Holy Grail of wildlife film makers: some perform like iridescent acrobats, others make hypnotic pulsing sounds as they quiver and vibrate.
David Attenborough narrates the film. He has been entranced by these birds since he was a boy and he introduces a team of New Guinean naturalists as they embark on a gruelling expedition to try to film ten birds of paradise deep in the heart of the rainforest.
Read MoreThe Himalayas
The Himalayas look beautiful and lifeless, unable to give anything, not even enough air. Yet this powerful film reveals the Himalayas provide many gifts - water and food for animals, and for people too, rice and religion, or pets and perfumes.
Read MorePanda Makers
Giant Pandas were on the brink of extinction but now they are coming back, thanks to an extraordinary conservation project. The Chengdu Research Base in central China is at the heart of a project to breed 300 pandas, and then start introducing them back into the wild. It is the most ambitious and controversial conservation effort ever mounted.
Shot over two years, this film follows the pandas and keepers as, through visionary science and round-the-clock care, they edge closer to the magic number of 300.
Read MoreAnimal House
Sir David Attenborough tells the stories of the world's best animal architects. There are house-proud bower birds, who only find a mate if they decorate their homes perfectly. There are hornets, who build electric central-heating systems, and the star-nosed mole whose house is so well designed that his favourite meal of worms literally drop in for dinner. From larders to nurseries and from high-rises to subway systems, Attenborough shows that the animal architects have designed it way before we humans.
Read MoreThe Real Jungle Book Bear
The Jungle Book's Baloo the bear character is based on the secretive sloth bear who lives in India's wildest places. The real Baloo does chase fancy ants, but his life is a lot tougher than that of his fictional friend.
Narrated by David Attenborough, this is the first film ever made on these shy creatures and it follows a young male called Baloo as he grows up in the harsh Karnataka landscape, fending off foes and finding food. Baloo's mother is also nearby with two new cubs on her back, trying to keep them safe from prowling leopards.
Read MoreLiving with Baboons
The wild Hamadryas Baboons of Ethiopia have a friend in biologist Mat Pines, they even pick the nits from his hair. He's been studying and living with them for five years in the remote and arid Awash National Park. Now in his final year, we follow the fortunes of his favourite baboon 'Critical' as he tries to find a family and fend off his aggressive male rivals. But the local gun-toting Afar tribe have a traditional hatred of the baboons. Before Mat leaves, he hopes to broker a peace between the baboons and the tribe.
Read More