This second episode is a captivating exploration of the ocean's wonders and mysteries. It reveals how a significant part of our planet remains unexplored, primarily due to its vast water coverage. The film emphasizes the extraordinary discoveries awaiting every journey below the water's surface, with over a thousand new species identified annually. Home to 80% of all animal life on Earth, the ocean's diverse habitats host a range of surprising behaviors and life-and-death struggles, often hidden beneath a serene exterior.
The shallow tropical seas, appearing as paradises, are actually arenas of intense survival battles. Predatory lionfish, with their patient hunting tactics, and clown frogfish, using a unique fishing rod-like dorsal fin as a lure, demonstrate the ocean's complex food web. The documentary also explores the kelp forests off the North American coast, revealing their role as nurseries for young horn sharks. Amidst these underwater forests lurk giant sea bass, wolf-eels, and various sharks like houndsharks and broadnose sevengills, posing significant threats to the smaller inhabitants. The episode takes viewers to the twilight and midnight zones of the ocean, unveiling alien-like creatures such as the siphonophore, glass squid, and gulper eel, adapted to the extreme conditions of deep waters. The journey concludes with the moving story of the pearl octopus, whose devotion to her eggs in the challenging deep-sea environment is both heartwarming and heartbreaking.
This episode is not only a showcase of the ocean's diverse inhabitants but also a reminder of the urgent need to understand and protect this vast, mysterious, and vital part of our planet.

Journey to secret worlds where lives are wrapped in unexpected of ways. The fifth episode of the series takes viewers into the fascinating world of forests, revealing their hidden complexities and the intricate relationships within. Initially perceived as tranquil, forests are in fact bustling with life and intricate ecological interactions. The episode showcases various species, each with its unique lifestyle and survival strategies. Highlights include the Oriental pied hornbills in Borneo, whose extraordinary nesting rituals and partner dynamics are captivating.
The Amazon rainforest is explored, introducing the peculiar treehoppers and their unique communication methods, vital for survival amidst numerous predators like ants and assassin bugs. The episode also delves into the intelligent and cooperative hunting techniques of dholes in the forests of India. The narrative takes a turn to China, focusing on the visually stunning courtship displays of Temminck's tragopans and golden pheasants. In the temperate rainforests of Western Canada, the rare spirit bear and its unique relationship with its habitat are examined.
The episode concludes with an insightful look at the impact of human activity on forests and their inhabitants, particularly focusing on chimpanzees in Uganda, whose survival is increasingly intertwined with human expansion.

Explore the breathtaking extremes of our planet in this captivating episode. Journey through the vast Hang Son Doong cave in Vietnam, the largest on Earth. Witness the resilience of life in harsh conditions, marvel at the adaptation strategies of species like the blind cave fish and the enduring Arctic wolf pack. In the Arctic, observe the strategic hunt of wolves preying on musk oxen, a dance as old as the Ice Age. In the French Alps, the struggle for mating among common frogs unfolds, showcasing the urgency and challenges faced by cold-blooded animals. Witness the social dynamics of Barbary macaques in the cedar forests of the Atlas Mountains, where survival hinges on social bonds. The forests of Mexico, home to millions of monarch butterflies that huddle for warmth, illustrates the fragility and beauty of nature.
Discover how fire shapes ecosystems in South Africa's fynbos and Northern Australia, crucial for the survival of species like the golden-shouldered parrot. The documentary poignantly addresses the impact of changing climates and human intervention on wildlife, from the endangered elephants of Amboseli, Kenya, to the secretive snow leopards of the Gobi Desert. This episode offers a profound glimpse into the extraordinary adaptations and challenges faced by wildlife across the globe, reminding us of the delicate balance and beauty of life on Earth.

Sir David Attenborough explores the incredible diversity of Britain’s woodlands, taking us on a seasonal journey through our forests, and revealing a host of spectacular animals and the hidden dramas that rule their lives.
In an ancient pine tree in the Cairngorms, two eagle chicks are on the verge of fledging their gargantuan nest. In winter in the Forest of Dean, the reintroduction of wild boar has given the robin a lifeline. As they root through the thick snow, the boar unearth the worms with their snouts, which the robins otherwise couldn't find.
Back in Scotland, a male capercaillie displays to gathering females. These birds are on the edge. With only around 500 left, they are some of the rarest and most threatened in the British Isles. In a beech woodland outside London, the deciduous trees burst to life in spring, and huge colonies of wood ants awaken and go looking for food. Also looking for sustenance is a female roe deer. With no large predators left in our woods, the deer are free to browse on new growth to the extent that they can damage the woodland itself.
In Sussex is an ancient-looking landscape, but one that has only been recreated in the past 20 years. This is the wood pasture of Knepp, created by using old grazing methods that generate a mix of scrub, open areas and ancient trees. In the Scottish Highlands, red squirrels battle it out for access to ripe pine cones at the top of a tree. It’s an acrobatic and energetic encounter, with more than a little cunning required to win the day. As the summer finally fades, we encounter a honey buzzard nest, where two chicks feast on wasp grubs, squabble between themselves and grow up before our eyes.
Autumn brings the fallow deer rut. The woods resonate with their calls, and bucks fight for supremacy. The season also brings colour, both in the leaves but also in the fungi that fruit at this time of year. The mushrooms are just a tiny part of their story, however, and we travel underground to see how the wood-wide web connects the whole forest together.

David Attenborough explores Britain and Ireland’s grasslands, revealing the creatures that create them and the extraordinary stories they hide. From the coastal flower meadows in the Scottish Outer Hebrides to the rich open landscapes in the mountains of southern Ireland, we enter surprising and dramatic worlds.
In southern England, we meet an extraordinary bee that lives in chalk grassland, one of our rarest habitats, laying her eggs in empty snail shells. Meanwhile, in the colourful machair of the Hebrides, ringed plovers and lapwings strive to rear their families of tiny fluffy chicks and to save them for marauding gulls.
We travel back in time to explore the vast wild grasslands once found throughout our isles, before meeting herds of semi-wild horses, where males battle fiercely for the females. Today, they are helping to turn some of this land back to wilderness. And in our precious remaining pockets of flower-rich meadow, a remarkable conservation success story plays out. Once extinct in our isles, England now has the largest known populations of large blue butterflies. Their survival relies on a game of deception with red ants, which are tricked into adopting the butterfly’s unassuming but predatory caterpillars.
Our story then journeys to the mountains. Each morning in early spring, feisty male black grouse battle for prime position on their frozen breeding grounds. Their sole mission is to impress a female. Meanwhile, on south-facing scree slopes, dozens of adders emerge from hibernation to perform a surprisingly delicate courtship routine.
The episode concludes with a mighty battle in the wild mountains of County Kerry. This is the scene of an epic and spectacular rut between the largest land mammals in Britain and Ireland, red deer.
The grasslands of Britain and Ireland are under threat. We have lost 97 per cent of our species-rich meadows in the last century, as modern agriculture replaces these precious habitats. This episode shows just how important different types of grassland are to the species which call these islands home.

This episode takes you on an enchanting journey through the vital waterways of Britain and Ireland. From the serene reed-beds of Somerset to the bustling ecosystems of Scotland's lochs, the film unveils the intricate dance of life sustained by freshwater. Marvel at the agility of dragonflies and the aerial prowess of hobbies, witness the arduous journey of Atlantic salmon as they return to their birthplaces to spawn, and observe the fascinating life cycle of the mayfly. Discover the impact of reintroduced beavers in Scotland, creating new wetlands that buzz with life. The episode doesn't shy away from showcasing the challenges these ecosystems face, from climate change to pollution, emphasizing the delicate balance that sustains these vibrant freshwater habitats.
‘Freshwater’ is a mesmerizing ode to the streams, rivers, and lakes that are the lifeblood of the Britain and Ireland isles, supporting a diverse array of life in one of the planet's most beautiful settings.