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.
In Episode 4, you can witness a gripping journey through the hidden threads that connect Asia's most complex societies. From the snow leopards of the Himalayas to the elephants of Sri Lanka, and from the forests of Borneo to the bustling streets of Bangkok, this episode explores how nature, tradition, and modernity collide. It uncovers the silent role of animals in shaping cultural identity and the fragile balance between preservation and progress. With breathtaking imagery and powerful storytelling, it reveals how the destinies of creatures, cities, and civilizations are more intertwined than we ever imagined.
An extraordinary journey into the powerful natural forces that shape our planet, this visually stunning documentary series reveals how extreme weather, oceans, landscapes, and atmospheric phenomena combine to create some of Earth’s most spectacular events. Using breathtaking aerial footage and immersive close-up filming, the series brings viewers closer than ever to the beauty, danger, and raw power of nature. In the first two episodes, the documentary explores the spectacular lightning storms of Arizona, the giant waves of Nazaré, the power of storm clouds, hail, downbursts and tornado-like winds, the ocean forces that build monstrous waves, the cloud ‘tablecloth’ over Table Mountain in Cape Town, and the rare circular rainbows at Victoria Falls. It is a journey through extreme weather, dramatic locations and the hidden natural forces that create some of the most spectacular scenes on Earth.
Set in a brutal, mysterious and dangerous world of warriors, gods and ambition, this first season follows Ragnar Lothbrok, a Viking farmer and fighter who refuses to accept the limits imposed by tradition. While others look east for poor and familiar lands, Ragnar dreams of sailing west across the ocean, convinced that richer kingdoms lie beyond the horizon. His hunger for discovery, glory and freedom puts him on a collision course with the old powers of his society, turning one man’s vision into the beginning of a legend that could change the Viking world forever. In the first two episodes, Ragnar begins his son Bjorn’s passage into manhood while secretly preparing for a far greater initiation of his own: a forbidden voyage into the unknown. With the help of Floki’s new ship and a small crew willing to risk death, disgrace and the wrath of Earl Haraldson, he chooses to break the law rather than bury his dream. As family loyalty, political fear and ancient belief collide in Kattegat, the stage is set for the first journey west, where the promise of treasure is matched only by the danger of challenging everything his people think they know.
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.