BBC Studios Natural History Unit filmography
This is a chronological list of selected television programmes and feature films produced or co-produced by the BBC Natural History Unit since its inception in 1957. It is not intended to be exhaustive given the large amount of material the Unit has produced in its history, but it does capture all the major TV series and films for which it has gained recognition. A brief synopsis of pre-1957 radio and television programmes on a natural history theme made by the BBC is given in the History section of the main BBC Natural History Unit article.
Television productions
| Series Title | Year(s) Broadcast | Subject | Contributors | DVD Release[a] | Video Download[b] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faraway Look | 1957 | Wildlife of Australasia | Peter and Philippa Scott (presenter) | No | No |
| Eastwards with Attenborough | 1973 | Expedition to South East Asia | David Attenborough (presenter) | No | No |
| Life on Earth | 1979 | The evolution of life | David Attenborough (presenter) | Yes | No |
| The Living Planet | 1984 | How organisms adapt to their environment | David Attenborough (presenter) | Yes | No |
| The Living Isles | 1985 | British wildlife | Julian Pettifer (presenter) and Peter Crawford (presenter) | No | No |
| Supersense | 1988 | Sensory perception in animals | Andrew Sachs (narrator) | Yes | No |
| The Trials of Life | 1990 | Animal behaviour | David Attenborough (presenter) | Yes | Yes |
| Land of the Eagle | 1991 | The colonisation of North America | Alan Ereira (narrator) and Peter Crawford (producer) | No | No |
| Realms of the Russian Bear | 1992 | Natural history of the former USSR states | Nikolai Drozdov (presenter) | No | No |
| Sea Trek | 1992 | Exploration of dive sites | Martha Holmes (presenter) and Mike deGruy (presenter) | No | No |
| Life in the Freezer | 1993 | Natural history of Antarctica | David Attenborough (presenter) and Alastair Fothergill (producer) | Yes | Yes |
| The Private Life of Plants | 1995 | A study of the plants | David Attenborough (presenter) | Yes | Yes |
| Alien Empire | 1996 | A series looking at the world of the insects | John Shrapnel (narrator) | No | No |
| Land of the Tiger | 1997 | Natural history of the Indian subcontinent | Valmik Thapar (presenter) | No | Yes |
| Incredible Journeys | 1998 | Animal migration | Geoffrey Palmer (narrator) and Nigel Marven (producer) | No | No |
| The Life of Birds | 1998 | A natural history of birds | David Attenborough (presenter) | Yes | Yes |
| Living Britain | 1999 | British natural history | Peter Crawford (producer) | Yes | No |
| Walking with Dinosaurs | 1999 | A natural history of dinosaurs | Kenneth Branagh (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Andes to Amazon | 2000 | A portrait of South American landscapes and wildlife | Fergal Keane (narrator) | Yes | No |
| Cousins | 2000 | Primates | Charlotte Uhlenbroek (presenter) | No | No |
| State of the Planet | 2000 | The impact of humans on the natural world | David Attenborough (presenter) | Yes | No |
| The Blue Planet | 2001 | A natural history of the oceans | David Attenborough (narrator) and Alastair Fothergill (producer) | Yes | Yes |
| Ultimate Killers | 2001 | Hunting techniques of predators | Steve Leonard (presenter) | No | No |
| Wild Africa | 2001 | A portrait of Africa's landscapes and wildlife | Fergal Keane (narrator) | Yes | No |
| Congo | 2001 | A portrait of the great central African river's forests and wildlife | John Lynch (narrator) and Brian Leith (producer) | No | No |
| Talking with Animals | 2001 | Animal communication | Charlotte Uhlenbroek (narrator) | No | No |
| The Ballad of Big Al | 2001 | The life story of an Allosaurus nicknamed "Big Al" | Kenneth Branagh (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Walking with Beasts | 2001 | A portrait of life after the dinosaurs | Kenneth Branagh (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Wild New World | 2002 | Prehistory and wildlife of America from the arrival of humans to the end of the Ice Age | Jack Fortune (narrator) | No | Yes |
| The Life of Mammals | 2002 | A natural history of mammals | David Attenborough (presenter) | Yes | No |
| Wild In Your Garden | 2003 | Garden wildlife | Bill Oddie (presenter), Kate Humble (presenter) and Simon King (presenter) | No | No |
| Wild Down Under | 2003 | A portrait of Australasia's landscapes and wildlife | Matt Day (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Jungle | 2003 | Wildlife of the world's rainforests | Charlotte Uhlenbroek (presenter) | No | No |
| Britain Goes Wild | 2004 | The coming of spring in Britain | Bill Oddie (presenter), Kate Humble (presenter) and Simon King (presenter) | No | No |
| British Isles - A Natural History | 2004 | The natural history of the British Isles | Alan Titchmarsh (presenter) | Yes | No |
| Nile | 2004 | The history and natural history of the Nile | Simon MacCorkindale (presenter) | No | No |
| Life in the Undergrowth | 2005 | A study of terrestrial invertebrates | David Attenborough (presenter) | Yes | Yes |
| Europe: A Natural History | 2005 | How European landscapes and wildlife have changed through time | Sean Pertwee (narrator) | No | No |
| Walking with Monsters | 2005 | A portrait of life before the dinosaurs | Kenneth Branagh (narrator) | Yes | No |
| Planet Earth | 2006 | A portrait of Earth's wildernesses and wildlife spectacles | David Attenborough (narrator) and Alastair Fothergill (producer) | Yes | Yes |
| Galápagos | 2006 | A natural history of the Pacific islands | Tilda Swinton (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Wild Caribbean | 2007 | A natural history of the Caribbean islands and Sea | Steve Toussaint (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Saving Planet Earth | 2007 | A season of programmes dedicated to wildlife conservation | David Attenborough (presenter), Alan Titchmarsh (presenter) and others | No | No |
| Ganges | 2007 | A journey along the sacred river from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal | Sudha Bhuchar (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| The Nature of Britain | 2007 | A survey of British wildlife and habitats | Alan Titchmarsh (presenter) | Yes | No |
| Life in Cold Blood | 2008 | A series dedicated to reptiles and amphibians | David Attenborough (presenter) | Yes | Yes |
| Wild China | 2008 | The BBC's first natural history series dedicated to China | Bernard Hill (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Nature's Great Events | 2009 | The world's principal seasonal changes and their impact on wildlife | David Attenborough (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Yellowstone | 2009 | A year in the life of the animals of Yellowstone National Park | Peter Firth (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| South Pacific | 2009 | Natural history of the islands of the South Pacific | Benedict Cumberbatch (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Life | 2009 | Blue-chip series looking at extraordinary animal behaviour from all parts of the natural world | David Attenborough (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| The Great Rift: Africa's Wild Heart | 2010 | A series looking at flora, fauna, and people of the Great Rift Valley | Hugh Quarshie (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Mountain Gorilla | 2010 | Intimate footage of Africa's few remaining mountain gorillas | Patrick Stewart (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Human Planet | 2011 | Mankind's incredible relationship with nature in the world today | John Hurt (narrator) | Yes | Ues |
| Ocean Giants | 2011 | A natural history of whales and dolphins | Stephen Fry (narrator) | No | Yes |
| Madagascar | 2011 | A natural history of Madagascar | David Attenborough (presenter) | Yes | Yes |
| Frozen Planet | 2011 | A seven-part survey of the polar regions. | David Attenborough (narrator/presenter) and Alastair Fothergill (producer) | Yes | Yes |
| Great Barrier Reef | 2012 | Exploring Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the largest living structure on our planet | Monty Halls (presenter) | Yes | Yes |
| Planet Earth Live | 2012 | Series featuring live wildlife footage from across the globe | Julia Bradbury and Richard Hammond (presenter) | No | Yes |
| Secrets of our Living Planet | 2012 | Biodiversity, ecosystems and the complex relationships between plants and animals | Chris Packham (presenter) | Yes | Yes |
| The Dark: Nature's Nighttime World | 2012 | An expedition team films nocturnal creatures in Central and South America | Andy Serkis (narrator), Gordon Buchanan (presenter), George McGavin (presenter) and Justine Evans (presenter) | Yes | Yes |
| Africa | 2013 | A six-part series that explores wildlife in Africa | David Attenborough (narrator/presenter) | Yes | Yes |
| Wild Arabia | 2013 | A three-part series that explores the Arabian wildlife, landscape and people | Alexander Siddig (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Wild Burma: Nature's Lost Kingdom | 2013 | Scientists and film-makers travel to Burma to survey endangered wildlife, the first such expedition in 50 years | Paterson Joseph (narrator), Gordon Buchanan (presenter), Ross Piper (presenter) and Justine Evans (presenter) | No | No |
| Wild Brazil | 2014 | Series documenting the lives of Brazil's most charismatic animals: jaguars, giant otters, coatis and tufted capuchins | Stephen Mangan (narrator) | No | Yes |
| 24 Hours on Earth | 2014 | A day in the life of our planet | Matthew Macfadyen (narrator) | No | Yes |
| Hidden Kingdoms | 2014 | Dramatized documentary series showing how diminutive animals experience the world from their perspective | Stephen Fry (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Monkey Planet | 2014 | A global survey of the primate order | George McGavin (presenter) | Yes | Yes |
| Super Senses: The Secret Power of Animals | 2014 | A three-part series exploring the extraordinary world of animal senses. | Helen Czerski and Patrick Aryee (presenters) | No | No |
| Wonders of the Monsoon | 2014 | A five-part landmark series exploring the effect of the monsoon on the wildlife of the Indian Subcontinent and South East Asia. | Colin Salmon (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Life Story | 2014 | A six-part series following specific animals from birth to parenthood | David Attenborough (narrator/presenter) | Yes | Yes |
| Atlantic: The Wildest Ocean on Earth | 2015 | A three-part series exploring the Atlantic Ocean that stretches nearly 10,000 miles, from Arctic to Antarctic and from sun-drenched tropical reefs to crushing abyssal depths | Cillian Murphy (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Alaska: Earth's Frozen Kingdom | 2015 | A three-part series that looks at a year in Alaska, revealing the stories of pioneering Alaskans, both animal and human, as they battle the elements and reap the benefits of nature's seasonal gold rush. | Dougray Scott (narrator) | No | Yes |
| Shark | 2015 | A three-part series on over thirty species of shark. The documentary series shows how they hunt, their intricate social lives, courtship, growing up and the threats they face. | Paul McGann (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Japan: Earth's Enchanted Islands | 2015 | A three-part series about the natural world and wildlife of Japan's islands: Honshu, Hokkaido and the southernmost Islands. | Michelle Dockery (narrator) | No | Yes |
| Patagonia: Earth's Secret Paradise | 2015 | A three-part series exploring the landscapes and wildlife of Patagonia. | Santiago Cabrera (narrator) | No | No |
| The Hunt | 2015 | A six-part major landmark series that looks in detail at the fascinating relationship between predators and their prey. Rather than concentrating on 'the blood and guts' of predation, the series looks in unprecedented detail at the strategies predators use to catch their food and prey use to escape death. | David Attenborough (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Earth's Greatest Spectacles | 2016 | Beautiful series showcasing the stunning transformations that occur each year, revealing the unique processes behind them and showing how wildlife adapts to cope. | Domhnall Gleeson (narrator) | No | Yes |
| Life in the Air | 2016 | Documentary series exploring the remarkable animals from around the world that take to the air. | Suranne Jones (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Nature's Epic Journeys | 2016 | Series follows three iconic animals on three of the world’s most breathtaking wildlife adventures. Each must overcome immense obstacles, from challenging terrain to hungry predators and sheer physical exhaustion. | Liz Bonnin (presenter) | Yes | Yes |
Long-running television productions
| Series Title | Year(s) Broadcast | Subject | Contributors | DVD Release[a] | Video Download[b] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Look | 1955–1969 | Weekly magazine show | Peter Scott (introduced by), Desmond Hawkins (producer), Tony Soper (producer) and Jeffery Boswall (producer) | No | No |
| On Safari | 1957–1965 | Filming animals in East Africa | Armand and Michaela Denis (presenter) | No | No |
| Undersea World of Adventure | 1958–1960 | Sea life | Hans and Lotte Hass (presenter) and Tony Soper (producer) | No | No |
| Animal Magic | 1962–1983 | Weekly magazine show for children | Johnny Morris (presenter) | No | No |
| Private Lives | 1967–1970 | Series on individual species including kingfisher, cuckoo and fox | Jeffery Boswall (producer) | No | No |
| The World About Us | 1967–1983 | Weekly blue-chip documentary strand featuring NHU content | Various | No | No |
| Wildlife on One | 1977–2005 | Weekly series profiling different animals | David Attenborough (narrator) | No | No |
| Natural World | 1983–present | Weekly blue-chip documentary strand | Various | Yes | Yes |
| The Really Wild Show | 1986–2006 | Weekly magazine show for children | Terry Nutkins (presenter), Chris Packham (presenter), Michaela Strachan (presenter) and others | No | No |
| The Wildlife Specials | 1995–2007 | One-off profiles of individual species | David Attenborough (narrator) | Yes | Yes |
| Big Cat Diary Big Cat Week Big Cat Live |
1996–2008 | Family lives of the Masai Mara's lions, leopards and cheetahs | Jonathan Scott (presenter), Simon King (presenter) and Saba Douglas-Hamilton (presenter) and others | Yes | Yes |
| Birding with Bill Oddie | 1997–2000 | Birdwatching in the UK and abroad | Bill Oddie (presenter) | No | No |
| Bill Oddie Goes Wild | 2001–2003 | Watching British wildlife | Bill Oddie (presenter) | No | No |
| Wild Battlefields | 2002–2003 | How lions, polar bears, tiger sharks and wolves hunt their prey | Sanjeev Bhaskar (narrator) | No | Yes |
| Abyss Amazon Abyss Pacific Abyss |
2002–2008 | Expeditions exploring the deep oceans, the Amazon and the seas of Micronesia | Kate Humble (presenter) and Mike deGruy (presenter) | No | No |
| Bill Oddie's How to Watch Wildlife | 2005–2006 | Watching British wildlife | Bill Oddie (presenter) | Yes | No |
| Coast | 2005–2013 | Journeying around Britain's coastline (additional material by the NHU) | Nicholas Crane (presenter) and Neil Oliver (presenter) | Yes | Yes |
| Springwatch Autumnwatch Winterwatch |
2005–present | Observing British wildlife in spring, autumn and winter | Bill Oddie (presenter), Kate Humble (presenter), Simon King (presenter), Chris Packham (presenter), Martin Hughes-Games (presenter), Michaela Strachan (presenter) and others | No | Yes[c] |
| Lost Land of the Jaguar Lost Land of the Volcano Lost Land of the Tiger |
2008–2010 | An expedition team explores various things | Steve Backshall (presenter), Gordon Buchanan (presenter), Justine Evans (presenter) and George McGavin (presenter) | Yes | No |
| Deadly 60 | 2009–present | Children's series tracking the world's deadliest animals | Steve Backshall (presenter) | Yes | Yes |
| Nature's Weirdest Events | 2012–2015 | Investigations into strange happenings in the natural world | Chris Packham (presenter) | Yes[d] | Yes |
Feature film productions
| Title | Release Year | Subject | Contributors | DVD Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deep Blue | 2003 | Feature-length version of The Blue Planet TV series | Michael Gambon (narrator), Alastair Fothergill (director) | Yes |
| Earth | 2007 | Feature-length version of the Planet Earth TV series | Patrick Stewart (narrator), Alastair Fothergill (director), Mark Linfield (director) | Yes |
| The Meerkats | 2008 | Follows the daily struggles for survival of a meerkat clan in the Kalahari Desert | Paul Newman (narrator), James Honeyborne (director) | Yes |
| One Life | 2011 | Feature-length version of the Life TV series | Daniel Craig (narrator), Michael Gunton (director), Martha Holmes (director) | Yes |
Notes
See also
- Nature documentary
- BBC Atlas of the Natural World, a 2006-07 DVD compilation series for North America
References
The material for this article has largely been drawn from the following sources:
- Parsons, C. (1982) True to Nature: 25 Years of Wildlife Filming with the BBC Natural History Unit. Patrick Stephens Limited. ISBN 0-85059-530-4
- BBC/2entertain Great Wildlife Moments DVD (2003). Bonus Feature: NHU Filmography
- BBC TV programmes website, searchable by title or category
- BBC Science & Nature: TV & Radio Follow-up (not updated since 2008)