Series 24 |
| 361 :24x01 - The Orangutan King (Oct/19/2005) | A straightforward, Attenborough- style introduction to the orangutans of Borneo would be fine: this is both more and less. It's a hushed-tones biopic of an orang-utan celebrity (he's even met Julia Roberts) called Kusasi. To chart his life we flash back using archive footage, reconstructions and a good deal of speculation as to Kusasi's early
years. There are some wonderful scenes and at times the film is very moving. If it sometimes goes over the top, maybe that's fair enough: at the rate their jungle is being destroyed, the orang-utans need all the help they can get. | |
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| 362 :24x02 - Eagle Island (Oct/26/2005) | | Wildlife documentary about the Hebridean island of Mull, home to the most spectacular wildlife of any stretch of our coastline - sea eagles, golden eagles, otters, seals, dolphins, whales and sharks. Cameraman Gordon Buchanan grew up on the island, but left to film wildlife all over the world. He now returns home, spending a year getting close to the island's wild inhabitants in this evocative film. | |
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| 363 :24x03 - The Queen of Trees (Nov/02/2005) | | A year in the life of an African sycamore fig tree may not seem like the most gripping subject for a film, but the tree has an extraordinary existence that mainly depends on the fig wasp, an insect so small it could fly through the eye of a needle. This is an astounding piece of work by Mark Deeble and Vicky Stone, whose photography manages to make even the most revolting-sounding scene look gorgeous. The film's packed with astonishing facts, too, such as the fact that the penis of the male fig wasp is three times longer than the wasp itself, and he lives as an adult for just one - admittedly exciting - day. Try dropping that into the next dinner-table conversation and watch the reaction. | |
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| 24x04 - King Cobra...and I (Nov/09/2006) | | Documentary following the work of Rom Whitaker as he organises the fight to save the threatened king cobra, the world's largest venomous snake, from extinction. Whitaker is attemping to set up the world's first king cobra sanctuary and breed baby cobras for release back into the jungle. | |
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| 364 :24x05 - Return Of The Eagle Owl (Nov/16/2005) | | Raptor expert Roy Dennis investigates the remarkable comeback of the eagle owl. The fearsome predator is spreading rapidly across the continent and now looks set to invade Britain | |
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| 365 :24x06 - Cuba: Wild Island Of The Caribbean (Nov/23/2005) | | Cuba is home to spectacular wildlife, from the bee hummingbird - the world's smallest bird - to crocodiles, swarms of purple land crabs, sea turtles and giant iguanas. Natural World reveals the beautiful natural paradise that is Cuba. | |
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| 366 :24x07 - Flying with Condors (Nov/30/2005) | With a ten-foot wingspan, the Andean Condor is nature's most accomplished glider, soaring unchallenged in the cold mountain air. This is the story of a British hang-gliding expedition that attempts to fly with condors in the Patagonia Andes.
It's a perilous place to hang-glide, even for world champion glider Judy Leden. | |
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| 367 :24x08 - Ella: A Meerkat's Tale (Dec/07/2005) | | Documentary about Ella, a two-year-old meerkat. She's just given birth to three pups, but their arrival brings her into conflict with her mother, the group's tyrannical leader. If evicted from the family she will be separated from her pups, and alone in the desert she'll almost certainly die. | |
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| 368 :24x09 - Wild Harvest (Dec/14/2005) | | The dramatic rise of organic farming and a new system of subsidies have seen species such as lapwing, skylark, dormice and barn owls making a comeback. In light of this resurgence, hopes have been raised that one day the countryside may return to its former wild glory. | |
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| 369 :24x10 - Australia: Taking The Heat (Dec/28/2005) | | An insight into the remarkable wildlife in Australia, the hottest and driest continent on Earth - once a wet territory covered in lush rainforest. The animals' survival is attributed to their strangely adapted bodies, bizarre behaviour and sheer cunning. Red kangaroos are forced to keep on the move, while frogs lie dormant for seven years and koalas sleep 20 hours a day. | |
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| 370 :24x11 - Penguins of the Antarctic (Jan/11/2006) | | Documentary charting the struggle for survival facing Antarctica's penguins. While some rely on thick down coats and fat reserves, others migrate north for the winter or stay on volcano-heated islands. However, the endearing animals' ability to defy the odds is about to be put to the ultimate test as the climate begins to change. | |
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| 371 :24x12 - Stalking the Jaguar (Feb/01/2006) | | Big cat specialists Owen Newman and Amanda Barrett head for Brazil's Pantanal, the world's biggest wetland, to film jaguars in their natural habitat. Equipped with amphibious buggies, they venture deep into the wilderness, where the predators feast on caiman, peccaries, capybara and cattle. As the cameras begin to reveal their behaviour, the film-makers wonder who is stalking whom. | |
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| 372 :24x13 - Big Sky Bears (Feb/08/2006) | | A black bear is seen raising her two cubs in Montana's Rocky Mountains. The forest appears to be an idyllic playground, but the mother has to teach the pair to fend for themselves if they are to survive the summer. They slowly learn how to find food, but must also be able to climb trees to avoid predators. | |
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| 373 :24x14 - The Iceberg That Sank the Titanic (Mar/01/2006) | | An insight into the origins of the iceberg that sank the Titanic. Created 15,000 years before the ill-fated ship, its development in the heart of the Greenland ice sheet is charted, from its dramatic birth through a 4,000-mile journey toward its date with destiny. | |
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| 374 :24x15 - Bonobo, Missing In Action (Mar/08/2006) | | Dr Frances White takes a journey back to the Democratic Republic of Congo to find out if the bonobo apes have survived the war that has overtaken their jungle home. The peace-loving animals offer an insight into the gentler side of human nature, but scientists fear they are heading for extinction | |
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| 375 :24x16 - Satomayo, Japan's Secret Water Garden (Jul/27/2006) | | In the heart of rural Japan lies Satoyama, a landscape of lakes and rivers home to an incredible variety of fish, water birds, snakes and dragonflies. This poetic documentary follows 83-year-old fisherman Sangoro Tanaka, who lives according to an ancient way of life that has much to teach the world about sustainable living. Narrated by David Attenborough. | |
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