MAMMALS
Mammals are the most successful animal group on earth. Found on every continent and in every ocean, they’ve evolved to master almost every habitat on our planet. But how?
Twenty years after Life of Mammals, Attenborough revisits this extraordinary group of animals in a major new series for BBC One and iPlayer: Mammals. Full of new, never- before-seen behaviours, this series offers fascinating insights into the most successful animal group in the world. From the tiny Etruscan shrew to the giant blue whale, Mammals will reveal the secrets of their success, and how their winning design, incredible adaptability, unrivalled intelligence and unique sociability have all contributed to their remarkable rise.
By weight less than 6% of today’s mammals are wild animals and many species face extinction. As well as giving viewers an exciting new perspective on a remarkable group of animals, the series will also highlight many of the problems faced by mammals in today’s rapidly changing world.
Each episode explores a different environment; Dark, Cold, Heat, Water, Forest and The New Wild – an episode which explores the ingenious ways mammals are adapting to a world dominated by humans, arguably the most successful mammal of all. And each episode covers a range of remarkable mammals – from the miniature tenrecs of Madagascar to the humpback whales of the Indian ocean.
EARTHSOUNDS
Apple TV+ revealed today the premiere date and official trailer for new 12-part documentary series “Earthsounds,” narrated by Golden Globe winner and Emmy Award nominee Tom Hiddleston. Filmed over 1,000 days across three and half years, “Earthsounds” reveals our planet like never before — a world buzzing with unexpected, unfamiliar and untold sonic stories that we have never been able to capture — until now. The series documents over 3,000 hours of audio, using cutting-edge technology to record our planet in brand-new ways. Filmed across 20 countries on all seven continents, “Earthsounds” will premiere all episodes globally on February 23 on Apple TV+.
“To see, and hear, the natural world in such extraordinary, intimate detail is utterly thrilling. It inspires wonder and awe.”
Tom Hiddleston, narrator
whale with steve backshall
Following on from the success of Sky Nature’s Shark with Steve Backshall, Steve sets out to reveal that whales are ‘mightier than myth’. In this brand-new series, Steve takes us deeper and closer to the most iconic, mysterious and threatened whales and their dolphin cousins. As a naturalist, conservationist and Sky Ocean Hero Ambassador, Steve will free dive alongside whales in the world’s greatest oceans.
We’ll meet mighty sperm whales, caring humpback whales, intelligent killer whales and ingenious bottlenosed dolphins, exploring their complex social relationships, revealing their surprising hunting techniques, and discovering that just like us, many whales have close family units. Teaming up with world-leading scientists and conservationists, Steve will uncover the secret lives of whales and dolphins, and confront the uncomfortable and urgent truths of overfishing and pollution. Joining whale advocates across the globe, he will discover why whales are essential for the health of our oceans, what we can do to ensure their survival, and reveal the most remarkable conservation story of all.
America’s National Parks
The series celebrates the following five national parks:
Grand Canyon.
Yosemite.
Big Bend.
Badlands.
Hawaii volcanoes.
*Currently, this series is only available to stream on Disney+ in the United States
Badlands National Park is a land of rugged beauty, 75 million years in the making. Where an inland ocean became a sea of grass, making up one of the most endangered ecosystems on the earth. This park is also home to iconic rocky spires carved from the ground by wind and rain. Amongst the grass and stone are some of Americas most iconic species, who have evolved together to benefit each other.
OUR GREAT NATIONAL PARKS
Narrated by former President Barack Obama, this stunning docu-series shines the spotlight on some of the planet's most spectacular national parks.
America The Beautiful
Explore the stunning spaces that define America’s beauty. America the Beautiful, an Original Series from National Geographic, is streaming in 2022 on Disney+. #AmericaTheBeautifulSeries #DisneyPlusDay
GROWing up animal
The Intimate and extraordinary adventure of baby animals, from the safety of the womb to the uncertainty of birth and their tentative first steps. Each episode sees the incredible transformation of a different iconic animal, full of wonder and emotion. “Growing Up Animal” is the magical story of a mother’s instinct to nurture and her infant’s drive to survive.
Eden : Untamed Planet
Travel to the far corners of the planet and discover the secrets of Earth’s few remaining untouched lands, all brimming with life. Isolated from the rest of the world, these places have been protected from the most damaging effects of human interference. In these lands, life exists as nature intended. Delicately balanced, species-rich, unique ecosystems. This series embarks on a breath-taking journey to Earth’s last Edens.
europe’s new wild
Europe's New Wild is the inspiring story of the wild rebirth of a continent. Across six episodes, the series reveals the spectacular resurgence of nature across Europe's most varied and breathtaking landscapes. From the Arctic Circle to rich river wetlands, from deep forest to rugged mountain peaks, witness Europe's most iconic wildlife thrive and flourish in the most unexpected places.
Below is a snippet of a sequence I shot on the Sami reindeer herders in Swedish Lapland and their journey from Ekträsk to high up in the Scandinavian Mountains.
TINY CREATURES
Little animals embark on big adventures across the U.S. in a dramatic nature series that explores their hidden worlds and epic survival stories. Want to know how we made it? Click the button below for a behind the scenes look at how we made Tiny Creatures.
Disney Nature - Elephant
Between 2016 and 2019 I was fortunate enough to be a part of an incredible team, following the lives of Gaia, Shani and baby Jomo as they navigate a 1000 miles journey across the Kalahari Desert.
NIGHT ON EARTH
This nature series’ new technology lifts night’s veil to reveal the hidden lives of the world’s creatures, from lions on the hunt to bats on the wing.
For this unique series, I was asked to incorporate unique camera systems into gyro-stabilised gimbals in order to film both Cheetahs and Lions hunting at night. Nothing is ever straight forward, but despite the many technical issues, long nights and exhausted talent, we managed to capture something truly unique.
Seven Worlds: One Planet
Revealing the extraordinary wildlife stories and unseen wilderness of our seven unique continents.
For this series, I was fortunate enough to visit the Danube Delta in Romania to film one of the largest breeding colonies of Great White Pelicans and their unique relationship with Cormorants. What starts off as a seemingly cooperative relationship, soon turns ugly.
earth’s great rivers
A look at the astonishing wildlife, landscapes and people of the Nile. From elephants and leopards to ancient wonders, its great length is a lifeline for wildlife and cultures. For this episode, I visited Uganda to film the Shoebill Stork, a prehistoric looking bird that has developed a clever way overcome the challenges of its constantly shifting environment
wild great britain
Narrated by acclaimed actor Hugh Bonneville, this series reveals the hidden lives of both the familiar and more unusual animals of the British Isles.
animals with cameras
"Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan joins forces with scientists to put cameras on animals. Together, they make extraordinary discoveries about the lives of some of the planet's most fascinating species."
For this series I was asked to document the behaviour of shepherding dogs in the south of France. There, we would witness first hand the conflict between livestock and one of Europes oldest and most fearer predators, the wolf. In order to catch this footage, we stayed up throughout the nights armed with a military grade thermal imaging camera in hope of catching the conflict between predator and prey.
mexico: earth’s festival of life
In 2016, only days after leaving the BBC to become a freelance cameraman, I was asked to travel with the BBC Mexico team to film in an incredible Biosphere reserve called El Triunfo and an amazing area of natural beauty called Sierra Gorda. Under the expert direction of Victoria Bromley (BBC NHU) it was my job to deliver immersive and intimate sequences of the landscape and the biodiversity within these areas using the latest is camera stabilisation technology. All in all, 6 weeks of backbreaking work was well worth it to witness and capture the beauty of Mexico’s wilderness.
PLANET EARTH II
I spent three fantastic years working as part of the BBC Planet Earth II team. My role was to ensure that each programme has the sufficient tools in order to films sequences in new and innovative ways. This meant a lot of research and development and utilising the very latest in terms of technical camera equipment. This allowed the Planet Earth II team to be at the forefront of technological developments and gave the series and the audience a new perspective into the natural world. As well as being part of the production team, I also assisted and filmed various sections of the Planet Earth II series.
“It’s surely our responsibility to do everything within our power to create a planet that provides a home, not just for us, but for all life on Earth”
Wonders of the monsoon - waiting for the rains
Chasing storms. What could possibly go wrong?
In late 2013 I was asked to follow a BBC Natural History Unit crew to film lightening storms forming over Northern Australia. This was my first foreign shoot and one that I wouldn't forget in a hurry. Standing on the side of a hilltop while lightening struck all around us was one hell of an experience. We drove well over 2000km in order to film the perfect storm and in doing so, I got to experience the true wilderness of Australia's Northern Territory.
