Home / Series / Wildlife on One / Aired Order /

All Seasons

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

  • S03E01 Who's A Clever Birdie?

    • April 6, 1978
    • BBC One

  • S03E02 At Home With Badgers

    • April 13, 1978
    • BBC One

    The private life of badgers recorded over a period of a year filmed underground in a specially constructed sett.

  • S03E03 Big Bill, The Story Of A Heron

    • April 20, 1978
    • BBC One

    The life of Big Bill, a European grey heron, raised in a heronry. His parents are seen nestbuilding, courting, mating and incubating; life for the young heron in the nest and learning to fish.

  • S03E04 Last Chance For The Grevy?

    • April 27, 1978
    • BBC One

    About atempts to preserve the dwindling herds of Kenya's grevy zebra, in particular the plans of Don Hunt, game trapper turned conservationist, to transfer wild zebras from the far north of Kenya to the relative safety of the southern parks.

  • S03E05 Bob Cat

    • May 4, 1978
    • BBC One

    TV documentary on the Bobcat of North America.

  • S03E06 Goldfish

    • May 11, 1978
    • BBC One

    TV documentary on the goldfish.

Season 4

  • S04E01 Squirrel On My Shoulder

    • May 31, 1979
    • BBC One

    The light-hearted story of an abandoned baby grey squirrel who is fostered by a domestic cat and causes chaos in the home.

  • S04E02 The Real Mr Ratty

    • June 7, 1979
    • BBC One

    The life of a water vole, filmed among the wildlife of a Devon river bank. Extracts from Kenneth Graham's "Wind in the Willows" are read by Felicity Kendal.

  • S04E03 Return Of The Fur Seal

    • June 14, 1979
    • BBC One

    Documentary about fur seals in the Antarctic.

  • S04E04 Scorpion

    • June 21, 1979
    • BBC One

    A programme about the scorpion - its place in myth, legend and astrology and the reality of its existence: its mating rituals and the way it catches its prey.

  • S04E05 Birds Of The Volcanoes

    • June 28, 1979
    • BBC One

    Documentary about the tropical wildlife found in the West Pacific islands of New Guinea and New Britain.

  • S04E06 Fox Watch

    • July 12, 1979
    • BBC One

    Nine months in the life of a family of foxes - a vixen, a dog fox and four cubs - living in an underground `earth' beneath a house in Bristol. They were filmed using remotely controlled cameras, and picutres were transmitted live over a number of evenings. In this programme, the project team, led by Stephen Harris, traces the story over several weeks from...

Season 5

  • S05E01 The Impossible Bird

    • January 17, 1980
    • BBC One

    Study of the behaviour of ostriches. Made in Kenya with the cooperation of zoolo gist Lew Hurxthal who spent eight years conduction his research.

  • S05E02 Zen, The Pigtail Monkey

    • January 24, 1980
    • BBC One

    Documentary film about the adaptability of Macaque monkeys and their ability to mimick human behavior.

  • S05E03 Rhino Rescue

    • January 31, 1980
    • BBC One

    About the life of African rhinoceros herds in Umfolozi Reserve in Natal.

  • S05E04 Vampire

    • February 7, 1980
    • BBC One

    Programme about vampire bats, which includes film of an experimental trip to record vampire bats feeding in Trinidad and on the research into the physiology of the bats being undertaken by Dr. Uwe Schmidt of the University of Bonn, West Germany.

  • S05E05 Amorous Amphibians

    • February 14, 1980
    • BBC One

    A focus on amphibian life finds out where female newts lay their eggs - and why male toads croak when touched.

  • S05E06 A Wonderful Bird Is The Pelican

    • February 21, 1980
    • BBC One

    A study of the brown pelican following a year in the life of a colony living high in the Florida mangroves.

Season 6

Season 7

Season 8

Season 9

Season 10

  • S10E01 The Bat That Cracked The Frog Code

    • September 9, 1982
    • BBC One

    In the depths of the Panamanian jungle, bat expert, leading conservationist and award-winning wildlife photographer Dr Merlin Tuttle explores the alien world of the fringe-lipped bat. Equipped with complex sensory devices, this sophisticated airborne hunter is able to decode the calls of its amphibian prey, avoiding the many poisonous species to home in on the choicest of edible individuals. For the first time, high-speed photography reveals the astonishing hunting skills of the fringe-lipped bat as it identifies, locks onto and finally seizes a croaking frog with deadly accuracy. This 1982 production is an outstanding example of the use of high-speed photography to reveal animal behaviour that would otherwise be virtually impossible to observe. Through the world-famous cinematography of the BBC Natural History Unit, Dr Merlin Tuttle, who has studied bats and championed their preservation for nearly 40 years, brings to life an extraordinary world of strange intelligence, echolocation and sonar decoding devices that transcend normal human perception.

  • S10E02 Yellowstone Below Zero

    • September 16, 1982
    • BBC One

  • S10E03 The Serpant's Secrets

    • September 23, 1982
    • BBC One

  • S10E04 The Dolphin Touch

    • September 30, 1982
    • BBC One

  • S10E05 Grizzly

    • October 14, 1982
    • BBC One

Season 11

Season 12

Season 13

Season 14

Season 15

  • S15E01 Meerkats United

    • January 26, 1987
    • BBC One

    A highly entertaining production, Meerkats United journeys deep into the Kalahari desert to explore the social life of the meerkat. Voted the best wildlife documentary of all time by BBC viewers, this often repeated wildlife documentary reveals youngsters play fighting, long-time couples squabbling and frequent, sometimes violent, encounters between rival gangs. Taking advantage of a long-standing Oxford University study into these highly social desert mammals, captivating cinematography from the BBC’s world-famous Natural History Unit places these charismatic, resourceful creatures right at the centre of the piece. Clubbing together, they harass snakes, scorpions and jackals, seemingly oblivious to their diminutive stature, whilst lookouts scan the perimeter for predators and guards cautiously exchange places in a well-rehearsed routine. Diverting and absorbing, Meerkats United proved to be a hugely popular piece of wildlife filmmaking, providing an enjoyable insight into the soap opera life of these endearing creatures.

  • S15E02 The Bodysnatchers

    • February 2, 1987
    • BBC One

  • S15E03 Serpents, Swiftlets And The Chasm Of Gloom

    • February 9, 1987
    • BBC One

  • S15E04 Case Of The Vanishing Squirrel

    • February 23, 1987
    • BBC One

  • S15E05 Birds Of The Sun God

    • March 2, 1987
    • BBC One

    Documentary on the partnership between humming birds and plants.

  • S15E06 Ladybird, Ladybird

    • March 9, 1987
    • BBC One
  • S15E07 Nautilus, 500 Million Years Under The Sea

    • March 16, 1987
    • BBC One

  • S15E08 In-Flight Movie

    • March 23, 1987
    • BBC One

  • S15E09 Mysteries Of The Chinese Crane

    • April 13, 1987
    • BBC One

Season 16

Season 17

Season 18

Season 19

Season 20

  • S20E01 March Of The Flamebirds

    • January 7, 1993
    • BBC One

    Shows how flamingoes arrive on the Makgadikgadi Pans at the edge of the Kalahari Desert when it is transformed into a shallow lake by heavy rain every year. When the lake bed begins to dry, the baby flamingoes walk 50 miles to the nearest other water supply, a journey which takes many weeks.

  • S20E02 Itaye And The Fig Tree Troop

    • January 14, 1993
    • BBC One

    Shows the trials and tribulations of Itaye, a baby baboon, as he learns how to survive in the swamps of Botswana's Okavango delta as a member of a troop of Chacma baboons.

  • S20E03 The Swarm

    • January 21, 1993
    • BBC One

    Considers whether the phenomenon of jellyfish swarming is a natural occurrence or is prompted by human activity.

  • S20E04 Noses Of Nancite

    • January 28, 1993
    • BBC One

    Films the life of coatis, which are a member of the racoon family, living in Nancite, Costa Rica.

  • S20E05 Clowns Of The Air

    • February 4, 1993
    • BBC One

    Nature programme about puffins.

  • S20E06 Wanted Alive

    • February 18, 1993
    • BBC One

    Black-footed ferrets were thought to be extinct until a colony of them was found in the early 1980s. Since then, at great expense, they have been bred in captivity until they number 300 in all. Some are now being released into the wild. The film shows their behaviour as they find their place amongst the wildlife of Wyoming.

  • S20E07 They Came From The Sea

    • March 11, 1993
    • BBC One

    Looks at why crabs have moved from sea to land and the problems they will have to solve if they are to become true terrestrial creatures.

  • S20E08 Haunt Of The Fishing Owl

    • March 18, 1993
    • BBC One

    Captures the hunting skills of the fishing owl which lives on the wetland paradise of the Okavango in Botswana.

  • S20E09 Springbok of the Kalahari

    • April 1, 1993
    • BBC One

    A film which follows the life of a single male springbok living in the wilderness of southern Africa.

  • S20E10 Shadow Of The Hare

    • April 12, 1993
    • BBC One

    Delves into the the truth behind the legends of the Easter Bunny and chocolate egg and discovers that they are linked to the behaviour of the hare.

Season 21

Season 22

Season 23

  • S23E01 Hippos Out Of Water

    • March 28, 1996
    • BBC One

    Infrared cameras and underwater photography reveal the true character of the much-loved hippo.

  • S23E02 Meerkats Divided

    • April 4, 1996
    • BBC One

    A 1996 BBC documentary that follows the Ado Meerkat gang lead by Enkozi (The Dominant Male) and Brown-Eyes (The Dominant Female). It gives a brief look at their everyday struggles to survive in an unforgiving world.

  • S23E03 The Dolphin Diaries

    • April 11, 1996
    • BBC One

  • S23E04 Stoats In The Priory

    • April 18, 1996
    • BBC One

    Wildlife film following a cunning, fast and elusive family of stoats that haunt the ruins of a priory in North Yorkshire.

  • S23E05 Thunderbirds

    • April 25, 1996
    • BBC One

  • S23E06 Bat-Eared Fox

    • May 2, 1996
    • BBC One

  • S23E07 Lost Lakes Of The Pacific

    • May 9, 1996
    • BBC One

  • S23E08 Possums, Tales Of The Unexpected

    • May 16, 1996
    • BBC One

  • S23E09 Gannets, The Storm Birds

    • May 23, 1996
    • BBC One

  • S23E10 The Rat Race

    • May 28, 1996
    • BBC One

  • S23E11 Last Of The Rhinos

    • June 4, 1996
    • BBC One

  • S23E12 Deadly Liaisons

    • June 18, 1996
    • BBC One

  • S23E13 The Immortal Salamander

    • July 18, 1996
    • BBC One

    David Attenborough narrates a look at the salamander, a survivor from the age of the dinosaur. From the Appalachian mountains to the rainforests of Costa Rica, poisons and love potions are the secrets of success. The amphibians' courtship is a slow seduction which culminates in a mass orgy, as ten thousand salamanders do what nature intended in one night of passion.

Season 24

  • S24E01 Pygmy Chimpanzee, The Last Great Ape

    • February 13, 1997
    • BBC One

    Wildlife documentary following the trials of orphaned young pygmy chimp Shijimi, growing up in bonobo society in the remote forests of Zaire.

  • S24E02 Reef Encounter

    • February 20, 1997
    • BBC One

    An insight into the lives of the turtles and other creatures that inhabit the coral reef of Sipadan, Borneo, where fish throw stones, crabs fish with nets and jack chase after sharks.

  • S24E03 The Lion's King

    • February 27, 1997
    • BBC One

    Documentary exploring how the volcanoes of East Africa are essential to life there. They create fertile soils that support the greatest herds of animals on earth and huge numbers of big cats, plus dramatic soda lakes that are home to vast flocks of flamingos.

  • S24E04 The Eagle Empire

    • March 6, 1997
    • BBC One

  • S24E05 Butterfly, Beauty Or The Beast?

    • March 13, 1997
    • BBC One

Season 25

  • S25E01 Otters, The Truth

    • July 22, 1997
    • BBC One

    A closer look at the otter - supposedly thriving but in reality still facing many difficulties, including the low birth rate of the species and habitat destruction.

  • S25E02 Zebra, The Trailblazers

    • July 29, 1997
    • BBC One

  • S25E03 Wild Boar, King Of The Wildwood

    • August 5, 1997
    • BBC One

    Formidable and aggressive, wild boar are also some of the most intelligent and social of all animals. This film follows their struggle to survive the winter in the forests of Poland, and also discovers why the wild boar population became extinct in Britain 300 years ago.

  • S25E04 Piranhas

    • August 12, 1997
    • BBC One

  • S25E05 The Beetles, Record Breakers

    • August 19, 1997
    • BBC One

Season 26

Season 27

Season 28

Season 29

Season 30

  • S30E01 Water Vole, A Life On The Edge

    • April 16, 2001
    • BBC One

  • S30E02 Sensitive Sharks

    • April 29, 2001
    • BBC One

  • S30E03 Chimpanzees, Toolmakers Of Bossou

    • May 6, 2001
    • BBC One

  • S30E04 Pelicans, Taking The Plunge

    • May 13, 2001
    • BBC One

  • S30E05 Foxy Business

    • May 20, 2001
    • BBC One

    A TWO-TIMING dog fox living on a landfill site near the mouth of the Thames becomes the unlikely protagonist of Foxy Business. This documentary follows the soap opera style of one particular canine family - the Dunlops. The film, which took three years to make, was only possible because the production team found a group of foxes that had no fear of man and behaved naturally, day and night. They were protected from disturbance because they lived in one of the safest environments for foxes in Britain - a landfill site. "Even scientists have been astounded by what we filmed," says producer, Mark Jacobs. The Dunlop foxes got their name because in previous years they had regularly made their home inside a pile of tyres. For the crew to film the Dunlops and their cubs, they had to join them inside the tyres. They managed to do this by building a special fox den, with a filming porthole under the tyres.

  • S30E06 Operation Thunderball

    • May 27, 2001
    • BBC One

  • S30E07 Dingoes, Outlaws Of The Outback

    • June 3, 2001
    • BBC One

  • S30E08 Giant Otters, Wolves Of The River

    • June 10, 2001
    • BBC One

  • S30E09 The Octopus Challenge

    • June 17, 2001
    • BBC One

  • S30E10 Monkeys Of The Rock

    • June 24, 2001
    • BBC One

  • S30E11 Enter The Mantis

    • July 1, 2001
    • BBC One

Season 31

  • S31E01 Gangland Lemurs

    • February 24, 2002
    • BBC One

  • S31E02 African Penguin, A Cool Bird In A Hot Spot

    • March 3, 2002
    • BBC One

    David Attenborough narrates a programme which follows several thousand pioneering young penguins as they invade Boulders Beach, a busy resort in Cape Town, in an attempt to establish a new colony amid the striped umbrellas and sun loungers.

  • S31E03 Polar Bears On Thin Ice

    • April 23, 2002
    • BBC One

  • S31E04 Iguanas, Living Like Dinosaurs

    • April 30, 2002
    • BBC One

    Dinosaurs may be dead and gone, but can a living reptile now help uncover secrets of the dinosaurs' lost world? Green iguanas, adorned with impressive spikes and claws, were once cast as dinosaurs in B movies. Although they are not directly descended from the dinosaurs, new research reveals that the social lives of these modern lizards may show us how the dinosaurs behaved. David Attenborough takes us deep into the jungles of Central America and reveals a chilling cast of prehistoric-looking reptiles locked into battles every bit as dramatic as those played out by the dinosaurs.

  • S31E05 Navy Seals

    • May 7, 2002
    • BBC One

  • S31E06 Citizen Cane Toad

    • May 14, 2002
    • BBC One

  • S31E07 Ostriches In The Race For Survival

    • May 21, 2002
    • BBC One

  • S31E08 Space Age Reptile

    • May 28, 2002
    • BBC One

    David Attenborough looks at how research has finally revealed the secret behind the remarkable sticking power of the gecko's foot. This discovery could offer truly futuristic ways of sticking objects together, and may even help NASA to explore distant planets. Including a look at the urban-dwelling tokay gecko that happily resides alongside the citizens of Bangkok as one of the few reptiles tolerated in homes.

  • S31E09 Beasts On The Streets

    • July 2, 2002
    • BBC One

  • S31E10 Be An Animal

    • July 23, 2002
    • BBC One

Season 32

  • S32E01 Super Mums

    • March 30, 2003
    • BBC One

  • S32E02 Dolphins, Deep Thinkers?

    • June 11, 2003
    • BBC One

    Documentary in which David Attenborough investigates the latest discoveries about dolphin intellect. For the first time ever he 'talks' to dolphins, putting them to the test and finding out about their remarkable wild behaviour.

  • S32E03 Winning Dads

    • June 15, 2003
    • BBC One

    Paternal care among animals is observed in Africa.

  • S32E04 Dragons

    • June 18, 2003
    • BBC One

    David Attenborough investigates some real dragons, lizards with characteristics as extraordinary as their mythical ancestors. Drawn to fire and sporting amazing colours, the lizards can even fly.

  • S32E05 Techno Wolf

    • June 25, 2003
    • BBC One

    How new technology has brought an animal back from the dead

  • S32E06 African Assassin

    • July 2, 2003
    • BBC One

    David Attenborough turns detective to investigate the 'murder' of a gazelle fawn which died on the Africa veldt. Lining up the usual suspects : lions, cheetahs, leopards and jackals : he reveals the behaviour of each, uncovering surprising animal interactions, and finds out which of the predators is the killer.

  • S32E07 Amazon Assassin, A Wildlife Whodunit

    • July 16, 2003
    • BBC One

  • S32E08 Peregrine, Nature's Top Gun

    • July 23, 2003
    • BBC One

    David Attenborough profiles the peregrine falcon, the fastest predator on Earth. With the help of an RAF fighter jet, coupled with footage of the falcon in action, he demonstrates its deadly accuracy, and reveals how the bird gains the skills needed to survive and live up to its fearsome reputation

  • S32E09 Beavers, The Master Builders

    • July 30, 2003
    • BBC One

    One of nature's most industrious animals, beavers, divert rivers, fell trees and build log cabins. But unlike humans, any one beaver can embody all the skills of a lumberjack, a carpenter, an architect, a surveyor and a hydro-engineer.

  • S32E10 Sensitive Scorpion

    • August 6, 2003
    • BBC One

    David Attenborough looks at scorpions, nature's tough-guys that rank amongst the most ancient of land animals.

Season 33

  • S33E01 Bears On The Black Run

    • November 1, 2004
    • BBC One

    Nature documentary following the adventures of two families of black bears who have made their homes on and around the world-famous Whistler Mountain ski resort in Canada, living close to skiers and tourists.

  • S33E02 Squirrels, Are They Tough Enough?

    • November 8, 2004
    • BBC One

  • S33E03 Monitor Lizard, Africa's Greatest Thief

    • November 15, 2004
    • BBC One

    David Attenborough narrates a documentary about Africa's most notorious raider - the monitor lizard. To feed its monster appetite, it will steal from under the noses of humans, lions and crocodiles, but with its criminal lifestyle comes extreme danger

  • S33E04 Gadgets Galore

    • November 25, 2004
    • BBC One

  • S33E05 Capuchins, The Monkey Puzzle

    • December 9, 2004
    • BBC One

    Presented by David Attenborough. Capuchins are the brainiest monkeys in the world, and those in captivity appear to be smarter than those in the wild. This programme sets out to discover why. It focuses on an incredible discovery in the jungles of Brazil - wild capuchins filmed using hammers and anvils, living in a society based entirely on the ability to use tools.

  • S33E06 Dragonfly, Beauty Or Beast?

    • December 16, 2004
    • BBC One

    David Attenborough narrates a documentary about the Emperor dragonfly. One of nature's beauties, yet also an aggressive tyrant who's always on the warpath, controlling his subjects with a reign of terror.

  • S33E07 King Croc

    • December 20, 2004
    • BBC One

  • S33E08 Kea, The Smartest Parrot

    • December 27, 2004
    • BBC One

  • S33E09 Wildebeest, The Super Herd

    • February 3, 2005
    • BBC One

    Wildebeest look like they are made from an odd assortment of animal parts, and they appear to amble across the plains with no real plan. But behind their foolish facade is an unbelievably successful animal which uses a number of strategies to ensure their numbers are constantly replenished to maintain the Super Herd.

  • S33E10 Crabs, Claw Wars

    • February 17, 2005
    • BBC One

    After millions of years evolving at sea, crabs have found new ways to breathe, move, avoid enemies and prevent themselves from baking alive. For every challenge land poses the crabs have found a solution, from digging wells to developing lungs. But the biggest shock is how far they have reached - the middle of the desert!