Natural World poster

TV series

Natural World

1983TV-G39 seasons7.4 / 10

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.

Availability

Not streaming in United States

Checked Sep 2, 2026

Natural World premiered October 30, 1983. We don't have a confirmed streaming, rental or purchase option yet.

Synopsis

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.

Season 13 episodes

Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.

← Season 12

Episode 1

Mysteries 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.

Episode credits

Guest stars David Attenborough

Where to watch Natural World

Episode 3

Hunters of the Sea Wind

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

Episode credits

Directed by Rick Rosenthal

Where to watch Natural World

Episode 4

Parrots: Look Who's Talking!

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

Episode credits

Guest stars Tony Robinson

Where to watch Natural World

Episode 5

Avenue of the Volcanoes

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

Where to watch Natural World

Episode 6

Ytene: England's Ancient Forest

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.

Episode credits

Guest stars John Nettles

Where to watch Natural World

Episode 8

Monkey in the Mirror

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.

Episode credits

Guest stars Geraldine James

Where to watch Natural World

Episode 9

Ocean Drifters

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.

Where to watch Natural World

Episode 10

The Call of Kakadu

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

Where to watch Natural World

Episode 11

The Riddle of the Sands

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.

Where to watch Natural World

Episode 12

Jewels of the Caribbean Sea

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.

Episode credits

Written by Nicolas NoxonGuest stars Joss Ackland

Where to watch Natural World

Episode 13

Survival of the Fittest: a Natural History of Sport

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

Where to watch Natural World

Episode 14

Sulawesi: an Island Bewitched

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.

Episode credits

Guest stars Ian Holm

Where to watch Natural World

Episode 15

The Little Creatures of Africa's Hidden World

finale

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

Episode credits

Guest stars Andrew Sachs

Where to watch Natural World

Episode information updated Sep 2, 2026

More about Natural World

Cast

John HannahNarrator
Juliet StevensonNarrator
Ian HolmNarrator
John HurtNarrator
Geraldine JamesSelf
Robert Lindsay
Anthony Hopkins
Tim Pigott-SmithNarrator

Production details

Status
Ended
Series type
Documentary
Episodes
543
Original language
English

Networks & production

  • BBC TwoUnited Kingdom
  • BBC StudiosUnited Kingdom
  • BBC Studios Natural History UnitUnited Kingdom
  • BBCUnited Kingdom

Themes

animalsenvironmentnaturenature documentarywildlife