Originally broadcast in 1984, The Living Planet was an ambitious 12-part documentary that spanned the globe with portraits of each of the major geographical regions that offer a home to life.Attenborough demonstrates how even in the most hostile of environments, from the volcanic Furnaces of the Earth to The Frozen World of mountains and tundra, the Arctic and Antarctic, live maintains a foothold.
He takes us to The Northern Forests, the Jungle, Seas of Grass, and The Baking Deserts and, ever the genial host, details how, in all its endless diversity, life is ingeniously suited to its surroundings.
Through breathtaking imagery we meet our fellow inhabitants, from penguins to polar bears, lions to scorpions, oaks to eagles, and journey on to The Open Ocean and the New Worlds, which mankind itself is rapidly fashioning through ever more radical technological change. The series ends with an impassioned environmental plea that rings even more urgent now than in 1984.
Watch the full documentary now (playlist – 10 hours, 45 minutes)