Natural World
Encyclopedia
Natural World is the longest-running nature documentary
series on British television. 2008 marked the series' 25th anniversary under its present title, though its origins can be traced back to its predecessor The World About Us which began over 40 years ago. Natural World is broadcast on BBC Two
in the autumn and spring seasons; currently, 14 episodes are commissioned by the BBC
each year. Production duties are shared between its in-house Natural History Unit
, independent UK production companies and leading wildlife filmmakers from around the world. All episodes are now shot in high definition
, and more than 400 have been screened in its first 25 years. The current series editor is Tim Martin.
The latest series of Natural World began transmission in July 2010 with a study of harpy eagles in the Orinoco
rainforest. Other episodes in the series feature British butterflies
, a family of sea otter
s in Monterey harbour and a tribute to elephant
matriarch Echo.
, at that time the Controller of BBC Two, was seeking to expand the range of colour programmes on the fledgling channel. Formerly head of the BBC’s Travel and Exploration Unit in London
, he realised that many of its telecine
films had been shot in colour. Attenborough commissioned The World About Us, a documentary series with a broad remit of geography
, anthropology
and natural history
subjects. It was described by Barry Paine, a producer and narrator of many of the early programmes, as "a series designed to sell colour television sets". It was no accident that early episodes featured some of the most vibrant colours in the natural world. The first programme was a film by the French vulcanologist Haroun Tazieff
, called simply "Volcano". It was broadcast on Sunday 3 December 1967, which also marked the first full evening of colour television in Britain. Another early episode featured the brilliantly-coloured scarlet ibis
.
Due to the difficulty in sourcing colour films, production duties were initially shared between the Travel and Exploration Unit in London and the Natural History Unit in Bristol
. Over time, the London contribution dried up and the focus became exclusively on natural history. To reflect this, the series title was altered to The Natural World in 1983 and then shortened to its current form in 2003. The first episode under the new title was “Save the Panda”, broadcast on 30 October 1983. In September 2008 the BBC announced that the series had been re-commissioned for a further three years.
Although the series is characterised by large budgets and high production values, Natural World programmes rarely fall into the category of blue-chip wildlife films (as defined by Derek Bouse). The commissioning editors draw on a diverse range of films with sometimes idiosyncratic presentation styles or subject matters. Films with conservation
messages, human-animal interaction and poetic or spiritual musings on the natural world feature alongside more traditional profiles of individual species and wildlife-rich locations. Some of the more unusual subjects have included plankton
, wasp
s and cephalopod
s.
's Amboseli National Park. In 1996, "Attenborough in Paradise" saw him fulfil a lifelong ambition to observe and film the courtship displays of New Guinea
's birds of paradise; he returned to the subject for the 2010 programme "Birds of Paradise".
During the 1980s and 1990s, the Natural World strand included occasional mini-series on particular themes. Notable examples include the three-part series The Flight of the Condor (1982), Kingdom of the Ice Bear (1985) (both released on VHS
), and Wild Indonesia (1999).
The most requests ever for an episode to be repeated were for My Halcyon River by Philippa Forrester
and Charlie Hamilton James
.
for Ecology for a special edition on soil erosion in the Vanishing Earth mini-series. In 1998, the Royal Television Society
awarded the series the Best Documentary Strand Award.
In addition, the following individual films have recently won awards at the Missoula International Wildlife Film Festival, Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, Wildscreen Festival
, Grierson British Documentary Awards and RTS Awards:
Some episodes of Natural World were released on VHS (see Notable Episodes section for examples) but all are now out of print.
A Region 2 DVD
, The BBC Natural World Collection, was released in 2007 and contains the following six episodes from the 2006 and 2007 seasons):
The following episodes were released on individual Region 2 DVDs in 2008:
The UK releases of Planet Earth
on HD DVD
and Blu-ray includes the following 2 episodes of Natural World, both narrated by David Attenborough, in 1080i
on a bonus disc:
Nature documentary
A natural history film or wildlife film is a documentary film about animals, plants, or other non-human living creatures, usually concentrating on film taken in their natural habitat...
series on British television. 2008 marked the series' 25th anniversary under its present title, though its origins can be traced back to its predecessor The World About Us which began over 40 years ago. Natural World is broadcast on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in the autumn and spring seasons; currently, 14 episodes are commissioned by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
each year. Production duties are shared between its in-house Natural History Unit
BBC Natural History Unit
The BBC Natural History Unit is a department of the BBC dedicated to making television and radio programmes with a natural history or wildlife theme, especially nature documentaries...
, independent UK production companies and leading wildlife filmmakers from around the world. All episodes are now shot in high definition
High-definition video
High-definition video or HD video refers to any video system of higher resolution than standard-definition video, and most commonly involves display resolutions of 1,280×720 pixels or 1,920×1,080 pixels...
, and more than 400 have been screened in its first 25 years. The current series editor is Tim Martin.
The latest series of Natural World began transmission in July 2010 with a study of harpy eagles in the Orinoco
Orinoco
The Orinoco is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes called the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3% of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia...
rainforest. Other episodes in the series feature British butterflies
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
, a family of sea otter
Sea Otter
The sea otter is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between 14 and 45 kg , making them the heaviest members of the weasel family, but among the smallest marine mammals...
s in Monterey harbour and a tribute to elephant
African Bush Elephant
The African Bush Elephant or African Savanna Elephant is the larger of the two species of African elephant. Both it and the African Forest Elephant have usually been classified as a single species, known simply as the African Elephant...
matriarch Echo.
History
In 1967, colour television was gradually being introduced to British audiences on the BBC’s recently launched second channel. David AttenboroughDavid Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough OM, CH, CVO, CBE, FRS, FZS, FSA is a British broadcaster and naturalist. His career as the face and voice of natural history programmes has endured for more than 50 years...
, at that time the Controller of BBC Two, was seeking to expand the range of colour programmes on the fledgling channel. Formerly head of the BBC’s Travel and Exploration Unit in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he realised that many of its telecine
Telecine
Telecine is transferring motion picture film into video and is performed in a color suite. The term is also used to refer to the equipment used in the post-production process....
films had been shot in colour. Attenborough commissioned The World About Us, a documentary series with a broad remit of geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
, anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
subjects. It was described by Barry Paine, a producer and narrator of many of the early programmes, as "a series designed to sell colour television sets". It was no accident that early episodes featured some of the most vibrant colours in the natural world. The first programme was a film by the French vulcanologist Haroun Tazieff
Haroun Tazieff
Haroun Tazieff was a French volcanologist and geologist. He was a famous cinematographer of volcanic eruptions and lava flows, and the author of several books about volcanoes....
, called simply "Volcano". It was broadcast on Sunday 3 December 1967, which also marked the first full evening of colour television in Britain. Another early episode featured the brilliantly-coloured scarlet ibis
Scarlet Ibis
The Scarlet Ibis is a species of ibis that inhabits tropical South America and also Trinidad and Tobago. It is the national bird of Trinidad and is featured on the Trinidad and Tobago coat of arms along with Tobago's national bird, the Rufous-vented Chachalaca.-Taxonomy:This species is very...
.
Due to the difficulty in sourcing colour films, production duties were initially shared between the Travel and Exploration Unit in London and the Natural History Unit in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. Over time, the London contribution dried up and the focus became exclusively on natural history. To reflect this, the series title was altered to The Natural World in 1983 and then shortened to its current form in 2003. The first episode under the new title was “Save the Panda”, broadcast on 30 October 1983. In September 2008 the BBC announced that the series had been re-commissioned for a further three years.
Format and content
In commissioning The World About Us, Attenborough also created the first documentary series whose programmes ran to 50 minutes rather than the half-hour films typical of the time. This allowed wildlife filmmakers to present more detailed studies of their subjects. The format has remained largely unchanged to the present day, though some recent episodes have been extended to 60 minutes.Although the series is characterised by large budgets and high production values, Natural World programmes rarely fall into the category of blue-chip wildlife films (as defined by Derek Bouse). The commissioning editors draw on a diverse range of films with sometimes idiosyncratic presentation styles or subject matters. Films with conservation
Habitat conservation
Habitat conservation is a land management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range...
messages, human-animal interaction and poetic or spiritual musings on the natural world feature alongside more traditional profiles of individual species and wildlife-rich locations. Some of the more unusual subjects have included plankton
Plankton
Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...
, wasp
Wasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
s and cephalopod
Cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda . These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot...
s.
Notable episodes
David Attenborough has maintained a close association with the series over its long history, narrating or presenting around 50 programmes. He narrated the Echo of the Elephants films, which followed scientist Cynthia Moss's and cameraman Martyn Colbeck's lengthy study of an African elephant herd in KenyaKenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
's Amboseli National Park. In 1996, "Attenborough in Paradise" saw him fulfil a lifelong ambition to observe and film the courtship displays of New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
's birds of paradise; he returned to the subject for the 2010 programme "Birds of Paradise".
During the 1980s and 1990s, the Natural World strand included occasional mini-series on particular themes. Notable examples include the three-part series The Flight of the Condor (1982), Kingdom of the Ice Bear (1985) (both released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
), and Wild Indonesia (1999).
The most requests ever for an episode to be repeated were for My Halcyon River by Philippa Forrester
Philippa Forrester
Philippa Forrester is an English television and radio presenter, producer and author. Having presented shows such as Tomorrow's World, The Heaven and Earth Show and Robot Wars, she now makes wildlife programmes with her husband, Charlie Hamilton James.-Education:Forrester was educated at Westgate...
and Charlie Hamilton James
Charlie Hamilton James
Charlie Hamilton James is an English photographer, television cameraman and presenter, specialising in wildlife subjects. He started his career at 16, working on David Attenborough’s The Trials of Life...
.
Series editors
The following is a chronological list of series editors, the most senior member of the production team on Natural World. Peter Jones, the first series editor, also acted in the same capacity on The World About Us from 1979-1983.- Peter Jones (1983–1987)
- Andrew Neal (1987–1989)
- Mike SalisburyMike SalisburyJohn Michael Salisbury, OBE is a British documentary filmmaker specialising in natural history programmes for television. In a career spanning four decades, he spent over 30 years working for the BBC Natural History Unit where he produced a string of award-winning series, many in collaboration...
(1989–1993) - John Sparks (1993–1997)
- Neil NightingaleNeil NightingaleNeil Nightingale is a senior producer at the BBC's Natural History Unit, the largest wildlife film-making production unit in the world, and was its Head from February 2003 until January 2009...
(1997–2001) - Mike GuntonMike GuntonMichael Gunton is a British television producer and a senior executive at the BBC Natural History Unit, the world's largest production unit dedicated to wildlife film-making...
(2001–2004) - Tim Martin (2004–2011)
- Steve Greenwood (2011-present)
Awards
Natural World filmmakers are regularly recognised by the television industry for the quality of their work. One of the earliest awards was the 1986 Prix ItaliaPrix Italia
The Prix Italia is an international Italian television, radio-broadcasting and Website award. It was established in 1948 by RAI - Radiotelevisione Italiana in Capri...
for Ecology for a special edition on soil erosion in the Vanishing Earth mini-series. In 1998, the Royal Television Society
Royal Television Society
The Royal Television Society is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present and future. It is the oldest television society in the world...
awarded the series the Best Documentary Strand Award.
In addition, the following individual films have recently won awards at the Missoula International Wildlife Film Festival, Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, Wildscreen Festival
Wildscreen Festival
The Wildscreen Festival, an initiative of The Wildscreen Trust is an international festival of film, television and digital media inspired by nature and natural places...
, Grierson British Documentary Awards and RTS Awards:
- “Earth Pilgrim” (2008)
- “Lobo: The Wolf that Changed America” (2008)
- "Snow Leopard: Beyond the Myth" (2008)
- "Reindeer Girls" (2008)
- "White Falcon, White Wolf" (2008)
- "Battle to Save the Tiger" (2007)
- "Buddha, Bees and the Giant Hornet Queen" (2007)
- "Bonobo: Missing in Action" (2006)
- "The Orang-Utan King" (2005)
- "The Queen of Trees" (2005)
- "Mississippi: Tales of the Last River Rat" (2004)
- "The Elephant, the Emperor and the Butterfly Tree" (2003)
- "Missing - Presumed Eaten" (2003)
- "Cats under Serengeti Stars" (2003)
- "My Halcyon River" (2002)
- "Danger in Tiger Paradise" (2002)
- "Warriors of the Monkey God" (2000)
- "Elephants of the Sand River" (1999)
- "Dolphins - The Wild Side" (1999)
- "The Dragons of Galapagos" (1998)
- "People of the Sea" (1997)
- "Lions - Pride in Peril" (1996)
- "The Call of Kakadu" (1995)
DVD and video
A Region 2 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, The BBC Natural World Collection, was released in 2007 and contains the following six episodes from the 2006 and 2007 seasons):
- "On the Trail of Tarka" 2006-10-25
- "The Bear Man of Kamchatka" 2006-11-08
- "Invasion of the Crocodiles" 2007-05-09
- "Eye for an Elephant" 2006-11-01
- "Buddha, Bees and the Giant Hornet Queen" 2007-04-25
- "Wye - Voices from the Valley" 2007-06-13
The following episodes were released on individual Region 2 DVDs in 2008:
- "Badgers - Secrets of the Sett" (BBCDVD2776)
- "Snow Leopard: Beyond the Myth" (BBCDVD2779)
- "Lobo - The Wolf That Changed America" (BBCDVD2780)
- "On The Trail Of Tarka" (BBCDVD2781)
- "The Bear Man of Kamchatka" (BBCDVD2782)
- "Earth Pilgrim: A Year on Dartmoor" (BBCDVD2790)
The UK releases of Planet Earth
Planet Earth (TV series)
Planet Earth is a 2006 television series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Five years in the making, it was the most expensive nature documentary series ever commissioned by the BBC, and also the first to be filmed in high definition...
on HD DVD
HD DVD
HD DVD is a discontinued high-density optical disc format for storing data and high-definition video.Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to the standard DVD format...
and Blu-ray includes the following 2 episodes of Natural World, both narrated by David Attenborough, in 1080i
1080i
1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
on a bonus disc:
- "Desert Lions" 2007-05-30
- "Snow Leopard: Beyond the Myth" 2008-01-04