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Life on Earth
Life on Earth Episodes
Series 1: 13. The Compulsive Communicators
David Attenborough looks for crucial clues that help to explain how and why we have come to dominate life on earth. \n\nHe traces back the African origins of humans to nearly th ...
19-09-2026
BBC 4
12. Life In The Trees
David Attenborough's now-legendary encounter with young gorillas is featured in this episode as he looks at the history of primates, whose ancestors sought their fortune in the ...
05-09-2026
BBC 4
11. The Hunters And The Hunted
David Attenborough explores the eternal duel between the hunters and the hunted - one of the driving forces of evolution. \n\nAs the hunters develop speed and cunning, the prey ...
29-08-2026
BBC 4
10. Themes And Variations
A little furry animal from the jungles of South East Asia, called a tree shrew, has attracted great interest from scientists because it shows how a great group of animals may ha ...
22-08-2026
BBC 4
9. The Rise Of The Mammals
Mammals have proved to be one of the most adaptable products of evolution. David Attenborough looks at their evolution from reptiles 200 million years ago. This remarkable trans ...
15-08-2026
BBC 4
8. Lords Of The Air
The story of life, from the first primitive cells to the plants and animals that now live around us. David Attenborough examines the uses and advantages of birds' unique possess ...
08-08-2026
BBC 4
7. Victors Of The Dry Land
David Attenborough looks at the history of reptiles, the first back-boned creatures to solve the problems of living high and dry on the land. Their waterproofed skin and sealed ...
01-08-2026
BBC 4
6. Invasion Of The Land
Some 350 million years ago, evolution reached one of its most crucial stages when fish crawled from the water onto the land and became amphibians. Today, newts, salamanders, toa ...
25-07-2026
BBC 4
5. Conquest Of The Waters
Fish occur in populations of billions and there are over 30,000 species, more than in any other group of backboned animals. The development of the backbone was a crucial advance ...
18-07-2026
BBC 4
4. The Swarming Hordes
David Attenborough looks at the role of a few of the millions of insect species, some of which have developed extremely close relationships with plants. Insects pollinate flower ...
11-07-2026
BBC 4
3. The First Forests
For most of Earth's history there was no life on land. But over 400 million years ago some tiny plants began an invasion from the water, closely followed by the first animals - ...
04-07-2026
BBC 4
2. Building Bodies
Bright blue starfish, crimson feather stars, shell-less snails in designs as extravagant as any Paris fashion show, shrimps of every colour, others that are transparent - just a ...
27-06-2026
BBC 4
1. The Infinite Variety
The first ever episode of the landmark natural history series Life on Earth. David Attenborough explores the wildlife and landscape that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evol ...
20-06-2026
BBC 4