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Natural World

  • TV-PG
  • 1983–2020
  • 39 seasons
  • Documentary
  • 7.4

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.

Episodes

15 episodes
  1. 1Mysteries of the Ocean Wanderers

    Nov 27, 1994

    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.

  2. 2Badlands

    Dec 4, 1994

    Documentary on the prairie dog of the South Dakota Badlands.

  3. 3Hunters of the Sea Wind

    Dec 11, 1994

    Documentary showing life under the Pacific Ocean and the predatory life of the marlin, sailfish, sea snakes, dolphins and tuna, birds and turtles.

  4. 4Parrots: Look Who's Talking!

    Jan 15, 1995

    Examines the parrot in the wild and sees how its natural behaviour is modified in a domesticated environment.

  5. 5Avenue of the Volcanoes

    Jan 22, 1995

    Records the rare and unusual wildlife that lives in a remote volcanic area of Ecuador

  6. 6Ytene: England's Ancient Forest

    Jan 29, 1995

    Documentary, filmed over a two year period, exploring the wildlife found in the New Forest in southern England, which the Saxons called Ytene. The woodland, bogs and heaths of the area are home to wild ponies, fallow deer, badgers, foxes, wildfowl, and insects. Seasonal changes are shown, and some elusive species, such as firecrests, hawfinches, woodlarks and tadpole shrimps are pictured. The programme is interwoven with a history of land use in the area from mediaeval times.

  7. 7Gentle Jaws of the Serengeti

    Feb 12, 1995

    Focuses on a clan of spotted hyenas.

  8. 8Monkey in the Mirror

    Feb 19, 1995

    Observes some of the behaviour of the Bonobos, pygmy chimpanzees that inhabit a remote area of rainforest in Zaire. The species is considered to be man's closest living relative.

  9. 9Ocean Drifters

    Feb 26, 1995

    Examines the weird planktonic animals that drift in the current of the Gulf Stream as it passes Florida and enters the Atlantic. Follows a baby loggerhead turtle which hatches on a Florida beach and heads out to the Atlantic.

  10. 10The Call of Kakadu

    Mar 5, 1995

    Follows a pair of kookaburras over the course of a year in the Kakadu National Park in Australia.

  11. 11The Riddle of the Sands

    Mar 19, 1995

    Documentary on the wildlife found through the four seasons in the estuary of the River Ythan in north-east Scotland, a five-mile stretch of marshes, mud flats and sand banks situated some ten miles north of Aberdeen. The waters of the estuary are home to waders, wildfowl, shellfish, small crustaceans, fish and otters. The estuary is a nature reserve and, since the 1950s, the University of Aberdeen has been running a research project to examine its complex ecosystem.

  12. 12Jewels of the Caribbean Sea

    Apr 2, 1995

    Delving deep into the tropical waters of the Caribbean Sea, this Emmy award-winning production celebrates the region’s bountiful life and impressive diversity. World-famous marine photographers Howard and Michele Hall explore this vast underwater world, their stunning cinematography bringing to light both the area’s radiant beauty, and that of its abundant wildlife population.

  13. 13Survival of the Fittest: a Natural History of Sport

    Apr 16, 1995

    Looks at the aspects of nature with which sportsman come into contact.

  14. 14Sulawesi: an Island Bewitched

    Apr 23, 1995

    Looks at some of the unusual fauna found on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, including pig-like creatures which have curled tusks growing through their cheeks, punk-crested primates, the world's largest snake and birds that incubate their eggs in volcanic soil.

  15. 15The Little Creatures of Africa's Hidden World

    Apr 30, 1995

    Filming in South Africa's Kruger National Park, looking at the lives of small creatures e.g dung beetle, ticks, termites etc.

Where to watch Natural World

Stream

Included with a subscription

Availability from JustWatch, via TMDB. Full listing for United States

Series cast

David AttenboroughNarrator61 episodes
Barry PaineNarrator21 episodes
Juliet StevensonNarrator (voice)14 episodes
Andrew SachsSelf - Narrator (voice)13 episodes
John HannahNarrator (voice)12 episodes
John ShrapnelNarrator10 episodes
Ian HolmNarrator7 episodes
Tim Pigott-SmithNarrator6 episodes
Colin Stafford-JohnsonNarrator6 episodes
Jeremy NorthamNarrator (voice)5 episodes
Paul McGannNarrator5 episodes
Simon KingPresenter4 episodes
Sean Pertwee4 episodes
Ian McShaneNarrator3 episodes
Stephen FryNarrator3 episodes
Martyn ColbeckParticipant3 episodes
Anthony ValentineNarrator3 episodes
Cynthia MossNarrator3 episodes

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