Seasons & episodes

S22 · E8The Eagle Has Landed 2004-01-02＋

The struggle to bring ospreys, red kites and sea eagles back from the brink of extinction is Britain's greatest wildlife success story. Thanks to a few dedicated people these magnificent birds of prey are recovering fast, and after over 100 years absence they may even be about to reclaim the skies of southern England.

S22 · E9Swamp Cats 2004-01-09＋

Film about a family of lions living in the swamps of the Okavango delta, seen through the eyes of a cub born just before the annual flood.

Across the top of North America, millions of caribou are led on their never-ending journey by the mothers of the herd. Driven by the demands of motherhood, they travel 3000 miles on a trek from their winter range at the edge of the northern forests to calving grounds and back again. The caribou keep themselves to open ground for visibility of their predators. The wolves are not far behind.

No episode summary available yet.

S22 · E12A Moose Named Madeline 2004-02-08＋

Richard E Grant narrates this documentary following a female moose and its calf Madeline in the dangerous Canadian wilderness. The youngster must overcome wolves, swarms of biting flies and the freezing weather if it is to survive into adulthood

S22 · E13The Amber Time Machine 2004-02-15＋

Amber is one of David Attenborough's great passions - he is captivated by its beauty and the animals frozen within it in perfect detail. In a personal journey he traces the history of a piece he has had since he was a boy, travelling back millions of years to the age of dinosaurs to unravel its secrets.

S22 · E14Five Big Cats and a Camera 2004-02-22＋

The story of the hurdles overcome by Owen Newman & Amanda Barrett, as they set out 14yrs ago to film cheetahs, leopards, servals, caracals and lions.

S22 · E15Ice Age Death Trap 2004-02-29＋

For thousands of years downtown LA hid an indiscriminate killer - in one of the most surprising wildlife crime stories in the world, Natural World turns forensic detective to solve the mystery and unmask victims and killer. Features sabre-tooth cats, dire wolves and huge short-faced bears.

S22 · E16Ireland: Sculpted Isle 2004-03-14＋

Ireland - Sculpted Isle is a captivating journey through Ireland's most beautiful and enigmatic landscapes. This island in the Atlantic Ocean might seem like a land trapped in time, but appearances are deceptive. From the great limestone features of the Burren to the wide, bleak boglands of County Mayo the programme reveals how the Irish landscape has undergone some of the fastest and most profound changes of any in Europe.

S22 · E17Lion: Out of Africa? 2004-04-11＋

The biggest of the big cats is declining fast, killed because it's developed a taste for beef - cows are much easier to catch than wildebeest in many parts of Africa. This film investigates solutions with help from big cat expert Jonathan Scott, a Masai entrepreneur, and a South African vet who's setting up a lion sperm bank.

S23 · E1Cheetahs: Fast Track to Freedom 2004-10-14＋

For two years Simon King takes on the role of mother to two cheetah cubs, Toki and Sambu, orphaned when their mother was killed by a lion.

The Norfolk Broads is one of the last fragments of a vast swamp where ancient Britons hunted wildfowl and fished for perch and giant pike. Over the centuries most of the marsh and its wildlife were destroyed. The swamp is now recovering, and spectacular birds like avocets, marsh harriers, and cranes are back. Can the Broads be restored or will they be destroyed by rising sea levels?

No episode summary available yet.

S23 · E4Mississippi: Tales of the Last River Rat 2004-11-25＋

A stunningly photographed portrait of the wildlife and landscape of the Mississippi River seen through the eyes of 'River Rat' Kenny Salwey, a legendary hunter, trapper and author who lives off the land and shares his watery haunts with beavers, snapping turtles, sturgeons, pelicans and eagles.

S23 · E5Hammerhead 2004-12-02＋

Profile of the hammerhead shark, which has until now been shrouded in mystery as no-one could understand why its head is such a strange shape, or how it might help the creature's survival. Marine biologists in Hawaii explain how the fish utilises the unusual shape to give it a unique, deadly weapon in the oceans. Narrated by Ian Holm

S23 · E6The Wild Wood 2004-12-09＋

An ancient oak wood in the heart of England is as full of beauty and drama as anywhere on Earth. Philippa Forrester spends a year witnessing its secret life - the sparrow-hawk terrorising blue tits, fox cubs learning to stalk rabbits and a buzzard looking for love.

S23 · E7Andes: The Dragon's Back 2004-12-16 · 49 min＋

The Andes is one of the world's most spectacular mountain ranges with one of the richest environments on Earth and a diverse and unique mix of plants and animals existing nowhere else in the world. Andes: The Dragon's Back so named because of the spines along its ridge travels through this range of mountains stretching from Cape Horn to the Equator, uncovering the largest ice field outside the poles, the Torres del Paine mountain region and the Atacama desert. The Andes is a perfect example of animals adapting to their environment, penguins manage to thrive in the desert, flamingos cluster around hot geysers and the spectacled bear which originated in North America subsists on South American flowers which now grow in the Andes. Take a tour of the world's longest and most geologically active mountain range in Andes: The Dragon's Back

S23 · E8Land of the Falling Lakes 2005-01-05＋

Documentary about Plitvice National Park in Croatia, Europe's oldest and one of its most beautiful national parks - a network of crystal clear lakes connected by thousands of waterfalls. Its ancient beech forests are a stronghold for wolves, lynx and bears, animals that almost became extinct during the Balkan civil war and are now recovering. Hidden beneath the trees are spectacular limestone caves, home to salamanders and cave voles.

S23 · E9Echo of the Elephants - The Final Chapter? 2005-01-19＋

Documentary following the latest chapter in the story of Echo the female elephant and her family in the Kenyan National Park of Amboseli. Scientist Cynthia Moss believes she is charting the 59-year-old matriarch's decline - until she makes a surprising discovery. Narrated by David Attenborough. Part of 100 Years of Wildlife Week

S23 · E10Shark Coast 2005-01-26＋

David Attenborough travels along the coast of Southern Africa which has an incredible variety of sharks, over 140 species, from massive great whites and tiger sharks to dozens of tiny sharks with intriguing names like the pyjama shark and leopard cat shark. The answer to why these seas are so rich in predators lies in the unique pattern of warm and cold currents allowing sharks that normally live oceans apart to coexist.

S23 · E11Serengeti 24 2005-02-03＋

Documentary chronicled the maternal behavior of a cheetah and a leopard as they cared for their cubs in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park.

S23 · E12Secrets of the Maya Underworld 2005-02-09＋

Beneath the jungle-clad temples of Mexico's Yucatan, a startling discovery has been made: the largest network of flooded caves and underground rivers in the world. The intrepid cave divers exploring this surreal landscape have made remarkable discoveries: bizarre new animals, as well as the skeletons of the ancient Maya and the offerings they made to the spirits. This was their underworld, and its secrets are finally being revealed.

S23 · E13A Boy Among Polar Bears 2005-02-15＋

Documentary following Inuit boy Apak Taktu as he takes his first trip out onto the frozen Arctic with his father to be taught esssential and traditional survival and hunting skills.

Sean Pertwee narrates this documentary exploring the passions and intrigues - from families torn asunder to jealous plots and sibling rivalries - that drive members of the world's largest wolf pack, living in Yellowstone National Park.