Natural World (1983)
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.
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Episode 1 - Africa's Giant Killers
Release Date: 2014-04-11Africa's largest herd of elephants and a fearless pride of young lions come face to face in an epic fight for survival. Rarely do their worlds collide, until now. This is no chance conflict; nature has played its part. Drought has weakened the elephants and the lions are desperately hungry. The dawn of the giant killers has arrived.
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Episode 2 - Honey Badgers: Masters of Mayhem
Release Date: 2014-04-18Record books describe the honey badger as the most fearless animal on the planet; although barely a foot tall, they have a reputation for attacking just about anything - from venomous snakes to full-grown lions. In South Africa, an eager scientist, a tenacious beekeeper and a patient conservationist all have a soft spot for these so called 'bad boys' of the animal kingdom, and each of them wants to discover if the honey badger's bite really is as big as its hype.
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Episode 3 - France: The Wild Side
Release Date: 2014-04-25France is our closest neighbour and a popular holiday destination for many of us, but how familiar are we with its wildlife? With breathtaking photography, this film reveals that wolves, wild boar and even bears are living amongst France's many mountains, valleys and forests. Journeying from the Pyrenees to the Alps, all around the mainland to Corsica, this is the story of the 'wild side' of France. Narrated by Paul McGann.
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Episode 4 - Nature's Misfits
Release Date: 2014-05-02Bill Bailey introduces a delightfully eccentric cast of creatures that have chosen to do things differently. Odd, unconventional and unusual - these are animals that don't normally grab the limelight. From the parrot that has forgotten how to fly, to the bear that has turned vegetarian, a chameleon that is barely bigger than an ant, and a penguin that lives in a forest. Nature's Misfits reveals the extraordinary and rarely seen lives of these evolutionary oddballs, their strange habitats, unusual forms, and the incredible hurdles they overcome.
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Episode 5 - The Pygmy Hippo: A Very Secret Life
Release Date: 2014-05-09The pygmy hippo is one of nature's last great mysteries. Solitary, secretive and extremely hard to find, scientists know almost nothing about this endangered animal in the wild and what it needs to survive. Now, a young Australian ecologist, Wei-Yeen Yap, is taking on what could be 'mission impossible'. In a remote West African rainforest, Wei investigates the secret life of the pygmy hippo, attempting to unravel its mysteries in the hope that with greater knowledge we will be able to save it.
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Episode 6 - The Bat Man of Mexico
Release Date: 2014-06-13David Attenborough narrates the story of Rodrigo Medellin, Mexico's very own 'Bat Man'. Since he first kept vampire bats in his bathroom as a child, Rodrigo has dedicated his life to saving them. Now Mexico's most famous export, tequila, is at stake. Rodrigo's beloved lesser long-nosed bat is crucial to the liquor - pollenating the plants the drink is made from. To save both, Rodrigo must track the bats' epic migration across Mexico - braving hurricanes, snakes, Mayan tombs and seas of cockroaches. The threats are very real for not only Rodrigo and the bats, but also for anyone with a taste for tequila
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Episode 7 - Penguin Post Office
Release Date: 2014-07-24Welcome to the Penguin Post Office, a little bit of Britain in the heart of Antarctica. Inside, the post office has everything you'd expect; a postbox, stamps, postcards and some dedicated staff. Outside, things are a little bit different. Neighbouring the post office are 3,000 gentoo penguins. They are there to raise a family but their lives are far from picture postcard as adultery and robbery are rife. The post office and its penguins attract thousands of visitors. Whilst they come and go, the penguins must keep up with daily chores to ensure their chicks make it to sea before the Antarctic winter starts to bite.
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Episode 8 - Beavers Behaving Badly
Release Date: 2014-07-31Who are you going to call when beavers are behaving badly? Well, if you live in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Drew Reed is the go-to 'beaver buster'. Drew works as a wetland conservationist, helping to keep the peace between beavers and people. These busy rodents are incredibly industrious - felling trees and building dams are two of their favourite occupations. This can be good news in the wild, helping create rich habitats for a variety of wildlife, but in backyards it can spell disaster. A beaver is more than capable of bringing down a tree large enough to damage property and their dam building can result in flooded homes. Drew must do what he can to steer beavers away from trouble and stop their so-called bad behaviour.
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Episode 9 - A Bear With A Bounty
Release Date: 2014-08-07Meet Lily, an eight-year-old wild black bear, described by some as 'the most popular bear in the world'. Why? Thanks to bear biologist Dr Lynn Rogers, from day one her life has been documented online. Dr Rogers has a unique relationship with Lily and all of his study bears, feeding them by hand and walking with them in the Northwoods of Minnesota. But his methods have divided opinion, resulting in a bounty being put on Lily's head. With hunting season fast approaching, this is the latest and possibly most challenging chapter in her remarkable life.
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Episode 10 - Attenborough's Fabulous Frogs
Release Date: 2014-08-28As a boy, frogs were the first animals Sir David Attenborough kept and today he is still just as passionate about them. Through his eyes, the weird and wonderful world of frogs is explored, shedding new light on these charismatic, colourful and frequently bizarre creatures. David reveals all aspects of the frogs' life, their anatomy, their extraordinary behaviour and their ability to live in some of the most extreme places on the planet, as he goes on an eye-opening journey into the fabulous lives of frogs.