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.
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 20 episodes
Choose an episode, then use the watch options above for the show.
David Attenborough narrates this documentary following young research student Anne Orlando as she sets out on an unforgettable adventure, hoping to solve the mysteries surrounding a herd of elephants that inhabit the desert south of the fabled city of Timbuktu. How do they survive the arid conditions? Why do they disappear for two months each year? And why do they make an annual journey across the desert?
Episode credits
Directed by David AllenGuest stars Anne Orlando, David Attenborough
Park ranger Paul Schullery presents a personal account of life in America's Yellowstone Park. After wolves were reintroduced to the park, he watched the natural order establish itself, as wolves hunted down elk parents and grizzly bears stalked their fawns.
Simon King attempts to win the trust of shy and elusive night-time animals including badgers, foxes and owls, in an attempt to reveal the natural world on our doorstep.
This documentary introduces us to the variety of bats found in the rainforests of Central America. Fringe-lipped, Fishing, fruit and the notorious vampire bat are amongst the line up.
Wildlife documentary featuring the Asiatic leopards of Yala in the south of Sri Lanka. This unique and revealing film shows the secretive spotted cats fighting crocodiles and bears, and three cubs surviving the perils of growing up in the jungle.
Exploring shipwrecks in the Solomon Islands and Truk Lagoon that have been transformed into spectacular living reefs following the destruction of World War Two. Featuring the testimony of those involved in the conflict
Documentary focusing on the wildlife of the European Alps, a spectacular wilderness area in the heart of the world's most densely settled continent. Carved by ice-age glaciers and invaded by animals adapted to life in harsh conditions, such as bears, wolves, golden eagles and ibex, the region is much more than a vast arena of ski slopes. Narrated by Andrew Sachs.
Documentary following Newky, an African wild dog, over five years. Told through the personal recollections of wild-dog researcher Dr 'Tico' McNutt and set against the spectacular wilderness of Botswana's Okavango delta, Newky's story is a poignant tale of survival against the odds for one of the world's most endangered and fascinating creatures.
Andrew Sachs narrates a programme focusing on the killer whales of Monterey Bay, fierce and nomadic hunters capable of taking down prey as big as a grey whale. As well as capturing the killers in their natural habitat, underwater film makers Paul and Gracie Atkins also uncover a secret that may threaten the whales' existence.
The programme follows a puppy through the first year of its life and its willful destruction of the owner's property : which nearly led to the rebellious hound's expulsion from the family home. Producer Mark Flowers reveals the manipulative nature of the mutt and how the four-legged beast may have manipulated people for thousands of years, casting doubt on the notion of the dog as man's best friend. Have humans unwittingly become victims of a canine conspiracy?
The secret life of the cat, examining the Jekyll and Hyde nature of the feline, which is a ruthless predator in the wild. Filmed in several countries, the programme explains what place the creature has in history, asking why it's the most popular domesticated pet in Britain and the USA.
Rebecca Hosking presents an insight into the world of vampire bats, observing them in their natural habitat. She reveals that despite their dark reputation, they possess amazing abilities, including seeing in the dark and echo-location - technology which could benefit humans with impaired vision
Episode credits
Directed by Phil ChapmanGuest stars Rebecca Hosking, Sanjeev Bhaskar
A look at the biggest river system on the planet, the Amazon, which rises as a small stream high in the Andes and ends over 6,000 miles away in the Atlantic Ocean. Holding a fifth of the Earth's river water, the Amazon floods an area larger than England and supports an unbeatable array of wildlife. The Amazon Basin is home to thousands of types of fish, including air-breathing species and the deadly piranha.
Robert Lindsay narrates a documentary which focuses on the plight of the rhino, a notoriously feisty and well-armoured animal that is both revered and feared by humans. Hunted for its horn to the verge of extinction in the last century, this programme looks at whether the rhino is capable of staging a comeback
