Watch BBC Natural World Collection

Name: BBC Natural World Collection
Genre: History
Released: 1996-02-25

1996
1 Season

BBC Natural World Collection is a fascinating documentary series featuring the amazing creatures, places and habitats of our planet. The show takes us on a journey to explore the natural world, revealing the wonders and diversity of the wildlife that exists all around us.

With stunning cinematography and expert narration, each episode of this captivating series focuses on a specific animal or ecosystem, capturing the beauty and drama of the natural world in exquisite detail. From the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas to the lush rainforests of South America, viewers will be taken on an unforgettable adventure, encountering some of the world's most fascinating and charismatic creatures.

The series covers a vast range of subjects, from the towering giants of the African savannah to the tiny invertebrates that inhabit our oceans. Viewers will learn about the social behavior of chimpanzees, the incredible intelligence of dolphins, and the intricate web of life that exists in coral reefs. The show provides a wealth of information about these creatures and their environments, shedding light on their behavior and the challenges they face to survive.

What makes the BBC Natural World Collection so special is its ability to transport viewers to distant and often remote locations, allowing them to witness incredible events that are rarely seen by humans. Examples include the breeding rituals of birds of paradise, the migrations of wildebeest across the Serengeti, and the fierce battles between predators and prey. The show also explores the delicate balance that exists between species and the impact that humans are having on the natural world.

Not only is the show visually stunning, it is also insightful and educational, providing a wealth of information about the animals that inhabit our planet. Each episode is meticulously researched and presented in a thought-provoking and engaging manner, offering viewers a greater understanding of the natural world and the role that we play in protecting it.

The production values of the show are second to none, with expert camerawork capturing the natural beauty of each location in stunning detail. The use of aerial shots and slow-motion footage adds a sense of grandeur to the proceedings, while the expert narration and musical score create a sense of drama and tension throughout.

The BBC Natural World Collection is a must-watch for anyone with an interest in the natural world. Whether you are a seasoned wildlife enthusiast or a casual viewer, there is something here to captivate and entertain. With its stunning visuals, expert narration, and informative content, this series is a true gem of natural history programming. So sit back, relax, and let the wonders of the natural world unfold before your eyes.

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Seasons

30. Butterflies

December 17, 2010

Brimming with butterfly imagery, the miraculous life-cycle and behavior of these beautiful flying jewels is shown in a way never seen before. Viewers are taken on a far-reaching journey through the UK and beyond, through habitats that are peculiarly British and others that are simply peculiar, including the country's biggest tattoo convention, disused railway sidings filled with rusting locomotives and an obsessed millionaire's mansion filled with gnomes' homes and giant dragons. Along the way, meet graffiti artists, burlesque dancers, eccentric scientists, passionate farmers, awestruck children and ambitious property tycoons, for whom butterflies are a constant and continuing source of inspiration.

29. Mountains Of The Monsoon

January 16, 2009

In the high ranges of the mysterious Western Ghats Mountains of India, a mysterious and magical environment is home to an array of rare creatures. Photographer and naturalist Sandesh Kadur visits the mysterious Western Ghats Mountains in India on a personal quest to document the incredible variety of wildlife found there, before it disappears forever.

28. Wye - Voices From The Valley

June 13, 2007

This is a stunning portrait of a year in the life of the River Wye in Wales. It has been described in countless poems as timeless, yet it is time which makes the Wye special. It is shaped by seasons, cycles, rounds and remarkable river rituals which mark each day. Shot by the cinematographic award-winning team behind My Halcyon River, this program uses time-lapse and other photographic techniques to explore the impact of passing time on the river. There are peregrines at Symonds Yat, a thriving population of red kites soaring over the valleys and dormice nest safely in protected woodland with views across the river. The Restless River features not only the rich and diverse flora of the Wye Valley but also key natural history events such as trout spawning and bird hatching.

27. The Battle To Save The Tiger

April 11, 2007

The tiger, one of the most charismatic creatures on Earth, faces extinction. Sir David Attenborough narrates a heart-breaking documentary that examines the latest round in the battle to save the tiger. The story starts in the 1960s, when it was legal to shoot a tiger and drape its skin over the sofa, following through to the present day, when skins of freshly killed tigers are being illegally traded in huge numbers from India to Tibet and China. It is the story of three champions of conservation - an undercover investigator Belinda Wright, a tireless political campaigner Valmik Thapar, and a whistle-blowing scientist Raghu Chundawat. Astonishingly, their dogged pursuit of the truth and of the interests of the tiger have brought them into stark conflict with Project Tiger, the very government body set up to ensure the big cats' continued existence in 1973.

26. On The Trail Of Tarka

October 25, 2006

In 1927, Henry Williamson wrote Tarka the Otter, about the life and death of an otter in Devon. This film goes in search of Tarka's descendents. Do they still fish the same pools as their forebears? Williamson's otters were treated as vermin and were trapped and hunted for sport. Today the otter is an endangered species and our attitude towards it has changed. Do the lives of modern otters reflect this shift? Combining well-loved fiction with modern-day fact, this film contrasts the dramatic events of the novel with actual events from a modern otter's life.

25. Mississippi - Tales Of The Last River Rat

November 25, 2004

The Mississippi is the great river of North America. Sculpted by bitter winters and blistering summers, it is home to a multitude of wildlife and a rare breed of people - the 'River Rats'. The lives of these people are intricately bound to the ebb and flow of the river. Seen through the eyes of the celebrated last river rat, Kenny Salwey, this film explores the challenge to survive that every animal faces as the Mississippi meanders its way through four extremely defined seasons.

24. Norfolk Broads - The Fall & Rise Of A Great Swamp

October 21, 2004

Twelve hundred years ago, the Norfolk Broads was a salt marsh and the bedrock of the Saxon Economy. But, as the mouth of the estuary closed, the land became flooded with freshwater, evolving, with the invention of man, into a stable, resilient eco-system. But as the needs of farming and tourism have always won over fish and wildlife, the few fragments that remain today hang by a thread. Despite the fact the decline seems to have been halted, will the Broads ever be returned to their former glories?

23. A Moose Named Madeline

February 8, 2004

Madeline is a newborn moose calf - she has a 50/50 chance of surviving her first year. She lives in the beautiful but harsh terrain of the Canadian wilderness, a world full of hidden dangers; wolves, bears, harsh snow filled winters and hot, fly infested summers. It can be an unfriendly place to be a young moose like Madeline, who's clumsy, awkward and vulnerable, with legs that are too long, a tail that's too short and ears that are too big. Many moose calves fail to see a new year. Will Madeline learn to survive and grow up to be a forest giant like her mother?

22. My Halcyon River

November 24, 2002

The classic British river - otters, kingfishers, lazy trout and dancing mayfly - seen through the eyes of a man who has loved it since he was a boy. Only now does he realize that, for the first time since he has known it, the otter is returning to his beloved river. His attempts to gain the trust of a mother and cubs and film them are recorded alongside the dramatic lives of the other riverside residents. Rivers have a special place in all our hearts. This film offers a beautiful and extraordinary look at what appears at first glance to be a perfectly ordinary river.

21. Danger In Tiger Paradise

October 20, 2002

Valmik Thapar returns to Ranthambhore National Park, Rajasthan, to witness the progress of Machli, a tigress he has followed for four years. Two years ago, Machli battled with her mother and took over the prime tiger territory around Ranthambhore's lakes. Now Machli has two cubs of her own, but the father of her litter has gone and is presumed dead. Machli's cubs are in grave danger from two new males who are trying to establish themselves in the area. Can Machli hold them off long enough to raise her cubs in tiger paradise?

20. The Cat Connection

March 3, 2002

The cat, the most popular pet in Britain and the USA, is an ancient animal that has been designed and refined over millions of years to be a top predator. So how and why did it come to be sharing our homes with us? Today domestic and feral cats live on virtually every continent. Filmed in Russia, Egypt, the UK and USA, this program looks at the Jekyll and Hyde character of the cat, an animal that plays the pet game, willingly obeying a trusted owner, while still holding onto its wildness.

19. Coyote - The Ultimate Survivor?

March 18, 2001

The coyote, charismatic cousin to the wolf, is one of America's most controversial animals. Illusive, intelligent, with a chilling call, it is an icon of the Wild West. Native Indians were inspired by it, the white ranchers hated it. Filmed right across its dramatic stronghold of Yellowstone right into the heart of modern cities, this is a remarkable story of survival against all odds.

18. The Timeless Thames

February 25, 2001

The Thames is one of the most famous rivers in the world, and with so many ancient tales, it has been dubbed "liquid history". From its source to its mouth, this film is about the natural history of the River Thames, exploring the changing nature of the river, its landscape and its wildlife. The Thames rises somewhere in the Cotswold Hills of Gloucestershire, but even today there is debate about its exact source. This film travels down the river past Windsor Castle and Runnymede, where King John signed the Magna Carta, to tell the story of how it came to be and what it represents.

17. Seals - Invaders Of The Sea

January 28, 2001

As a clumsy seal makes its way onto a wild and rocky shore to eat, play, mate, or rest in the sun, its life couldn't appear simpler. However, this film reveals a different picture of these curiously appealing animals. From the poles to the tropics, pups and giants are leaving their ecological footprint everywhere in every ocean. They are the thugs of the sea, and they are fighting their way to dominate the world's oceans. They rip open crabs, tear apart fish and create havoc with fisheries. Elephant seals, famous for their land battles, bully sperm whales into diving deeper and further away for squid.

16. The Millennium Oak

December 30, 1999

An ancient oak tree is an island in time living for hundreds of years, watching an ever-changing world. As a seedling at the time of Henry VIII, it may have witnessed the last British wolves; as a young tree dormice and owls will have used it for shelter; and as a mature specimen, bats and woodpeckers will have moved in, along with countless species of insect. Even as a hollow but living carcass, it still supports a greater variety of life than any other British tree. From its germination among the decaying remains of its parent tree through to old age, this film follows the life of a single oak.

15. Swimming With Killer Whales

August 31, 2011

Follow Dr. Ingrid Visser as she swims with killer whales, a feared predator weighing in at six tons. She investigates why there have been an unusually high number of deaths recently and reveals disturbing new information about the health of our oceans.

15. In The Company Of Bears

October 24, 1999

Canada's Whistler Mountain is not only a beautiful ski resort. It is also home to the black bear, a breed which has come to live, normally peacefully, among skiers, snowboarders and walkers. The bears find protection in the forests and the pistes melt in summer to become their meadows. The film features the bear biologist Michael Allen, a colorful character who knows the bears so well he occasionally sleeps out on the mountain with them. When the bears get into scrapes with the humans on the mountain, Michael is prepared to fight on their side!

14. Lemur Blues

March 15, 2012

The harsh mountains of Madagascar are home to one of the rarest creatures in the world - the Silky Sifaka lemur, of which there may only be a hundred left. This film tells the story of a quest to save them, and explores these reclusive animals.

14. Elephants Of The Sand River

October 17, 1999

In the south west of Africa lies a landscape so harsh that it hasn't changed in 10,000 years. Yet Namibia's rocky mountains spines and bleak, white deserts support a surprising array of life. Rhino, giraffes, antelopes and elephants have all carved out lives for themselves here. They've developed special cooling systems and will fight to the death over a precious water hole. Then, every few years, replenishing rain falls in torrents, rainbows arc over the desert and the Hoanib River breathes life into the region once more.

13. Jungle Gremlins of Java

January 25, 2012

The little-known slow loris is the original gremlin. It looks incredibly cute but is the only primate with venom that can kill. Dr Anna Nekaris travels to the jungles of Java to investigate the reason for its deadly poison.

13. The Farm That Time Forgot

March 21, 1999

For more than 3,000 years, people have cleared the land and turned the soil. For centuries, the speed of change was dictated by the pace of the horse. In its wake was created the characteristic patchwork, green and pleasant landscape that has inspired poets.

12. Empire of the Desert Ants

August 10, 2011

This episode takes an in-your-face look at the violent world of desert honey ants by charting the fate of a single colony over several years as they battle all-comers for survival and dominance over the small patch of desert that is their world.

12. Tough Ducks

February 21, 1999

Ducks are the most successful birds on earth. Supremely adaptable, they have exploited every known wetland. Their physiology is amazing; they are the fastest animals in straight flight. This film shows these wonderful creatures in a totally new light, not as village-pond jesters, but as the real commandos of the bird world.

11. Mountain Of The Sea

November 1, 1998

Rising dramatically out of the sea at Africa's southern tip, Table Mountain has a fascinating and diverse natural history, very different from the flora and fauna typical of the rest of the continent. Surrounded by the city of Cape Town, it is also a remarkable example of unique wildlife co-existing with modern Africa.

10. Saving the Panda

December 7, 2010

Granted exclusive access to the world's number one panda research center at Chengdu, this episode follows the life of a mother and cubs from conception through birth and hand-rearing, to play and young adulthood.

10. The Lost Lands Of Scilly

February 22, 1998

Where the far south west of England meets the full force of the Atlantic Ocean lies another world - a scattering of small islands where the wildlife is a remarkable blend of the common and exotic. A place where sub-tropical plants flourish and clear blue seas lap coral-white shores. They claim to be England's only sub-tropical islands - a fact that is hard to dispute. Washed by waters from the Gulf stream, summer brings sparkling blue seas and skies filled with the calls of seabirds, while others of their kind sip nectar beneath the shade of towering palms.

9. Inside the Perfect Predator

March 25, 2010

The cheetah, the great white shark, crocodiles and falcons - each of these animals is a spectacular assassin. But how do they accomplish their extraordinary killing feats? We travel inside these animals' bodies to learn how they achieve the impossible.

9. Three Monkeys

January 25, 1998

The dry and sometimes leafless forests of Northern Costa Rica seem an unlikely home for monkeys, but surprisingly there are three species coping well with this fickle environment. They are white-faced capuchins, red spiders and mantled howlers. They look and behave very differently but are closely related and all possess a very special attribute: the prehensile tail. This acts as a fifth hand and enables them to move easily and safely through the forest. The Natural World records the experiences of one group of each species through the seasons.

8. Forest Elephants

March 4, 2010

The name African elephant conjures up images of a vast savannah. However, roughly one third of the continent's elephants live in dark, dense rainforest. Natural World looks deep inside the hidden world of the forest elephant.

8. Beyond The Naked Eye

December 7, 1997

The Natural World explores the microscopic world of single-celled bugs that exists alongside the human world - inside us, on skin, in food, in soil, pond or ocean. They are everywhere. Every drop of water is like a weedy jungle within which the single-celled equivalent of birds feed and fly. Many single-celled bugs do not kill what they eat, but keep their prey alive inside themselves as guests. Host and guest become partners, not in crime but in cooperation, helping each other through life.

7. Prairie Dogs: Talking Their Language

February 3, 2010

The prairie dogs of the Arizona plains attract attention for their playful antics, but one biologist is attempting to crack a code. Could their high-pitched barks actually be separated out into a complex language?

7. The Temple Troop

October 26, 1997

Meet the Temple Troop - the unruliest gang of monkeys around. Their home, the ruined city of Polannaruwa, rises from the Sri Lankan jungle in the most picturesque of film sets. The toque macaque monkeys that live here are not the peaceful, serene or elegant stars that inhabit most wildlife films. They are colorful, scheming rogues that never miss an opportunity to exploit another monkey or get one over on a rival tribe. Their extreme cunning and resourcefulness can be turned to almost anything, from outwitting tricky forest prey to mounting commando-style raids on nearby villages.

6. Chimp TV

January 27, 2010

What happens when the animals are both in front of and behind the lens? Natural World finds out, handing the cameras over to the chimps. This documentary attempts to do what no other has done before, and hand over the cameras to the animals.

6. Grand Canyon - From Dinosaurs To Dams

February 16, 1997

A complete and surprising natural history of the Grand Canyon from the time of the dinosaurs to the present day, including footage of the release into the Canyon of the Californian condor in April 1996.

5. Andrea: Queen of the Manta Rays

November 11, 2009

Andrea Marshall has left her friends and family in America to live in Mozambique and study manta rays. Manta rays are the largest and most highly evolved of all sharks and rays. However, very little is known about these graceful giants of the sea.

5. In The Eye Of The Wind

January 1, 1997

Across the Northern world, from the windswept tundra of arctic Russia to the lava-spewing volcanoes of Hawaii, a great migration is underway. Hundreds of thousands of ducks, geese and swans are on the wing.

4. Snow Monkeys of Japan

February 13, 2009

Japanese Macaques, otherwise known as snow monkeys, live in a valley of extremes where changing seasons require resourcefulness.

4. Mara Nights

October 13, 1996

Dramatic footage of a night on the African plains: Masaai herdsmen, hyenas, a lion approaching its kill, hippos, antelopes, rarely seen pangolins, bushbabies, aardvarks and topi.

3. Attenborough In Paradise

April 8, 1996

The most beautiful, dazzling and glamorous birds in the world live in New Guinea. Only a few species of birds of paradise and bowerbirds have ever been filmed, partly because they are so shy, partly because they live in remote regions. This film is the first portrait of the family as a whole. Sir David Attenborough takes the viewer into hides, up trees and through swamps to observe their splendid plumage, their wonderful courtship displays, their fascinating behavior and their amazing variety.

2. Hightops Of Scotland

March 24, 1996

A film about the wildlife of the Scottish highlands.

1. Monsoon

February 25, 1996

The Indian Monsoon is the most powerful weather system on earth. It has shaped the lives of over 800 million people and an ever greater number of plants and animals. From the hills in the south, through the searing deserts of Rajasthan, to the northern grasslands, this program follows the tense wait for rain.

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