Explore a searchable database of David Attenborough's works to learn where to watch any of the almost 5,000 episodes he has presented across 90 series.

A list of some of the best episodes from David Attenborough's works and where to watch them

From the first steps of the long-eared jerboa—an animal not captured on film before "Life Story"—and bears catching salmon on their upstream pilgrimages to the bioluminescent sea creatures in the trenches of the ocean and Weddell seals giving birth, learn where to see some of the most remarkable moments in Attenborough's catalog.

Watch every episode of David Attenborough's 'Life on Earth' series

A three-year global expedition by Attenborough and his team produced the television series, which debuted in the UK in 1979 and documented over 600 species in 40 countries. The series is estimated to have been seen by over 500 million people in more than 100 territories, including within the US, where is debuted on PBS in 1982.

Watch a digital archive of David Attenborough's 'Planet Earth' miniseries

Created over five years, the production was the first documentary series to be filmed in high definition and, when released in 2006, the BBC's most expensive nature documentary series. The Emmy Award-winning series featured 11 episodes, each focused on a different Earth biome.

David Attenborough's career, from managing television programming to natural historian

Throughout his career, Attenborough's storytelling style framed nature as the stage where plants and animals were characters that audiences could connect with and become emotionally attached to. Before the breakout success of "Life on Earth" and working full-time on making programs about the natural world, Attenborough spent a decade in executive roles responsible for overseeing content on BBC channels.

A conversation with David Attenborough about his work, from his narrative style to technology

Although he began working in television before owning a television set, gaining experience as a producer in the editing room helped Attenborough develop an insight into creating engaging content with less dialogue. Among the technologies pioneered during his career were stabilized cameras for aerial shots, infrared and microphotography, and waterproof electronics for underwater cameras.

Listen to the music David Attenborough recorded during his expeditions around the world

During this audio documentary feature, Attenborough plays musical performances by communities he encountered while producing natural history series, including Gamelan orchestras in Bali, palace music in Tonga, and Aboriginal didgeridoo players. With each recording, he provides anecdotes about when it was made, decades ago.

Watch David Attenborough catching a python on 'Zoo Quest'

The first series, hosted by the famed natural historian, was meant to be presented by Jack Lester, a curator at the London Zoo, who would be documented while they captured wildlife to bring to the institution. Because Lester became ill, Attenborough became the presenter and often participated in the capture of animals, such as snakes.

Discussing his early life, David Attenborough describes how his TV career began by chance

Growing up on the University College, Leicester campus, where his father was principal, Attenborough uncovered specimens such as coiled shells in the rocks and limestone of the surrounding Midlands, which sparked his interest in nature. A week after not landing an interview for a radio job he had applied for, Attenborough was offered a position on "a new thing called television."

David Attenborough reflects on some of his most moving natural encounters

The legendary natural historian has had more direct encounters with wildlife than most people in history. As he turned 99, the Englishman recounts his favorite encounters with marine life, from whales to capuchin monkeys in mangroves. Despite the obstacles the environment faces, Attenborough believes in nature's resilience.

The BAFTAs won by David Attenborough, the only person to win across five visual display formats

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts awarded the naturalist for programming in black and white, color, high definition, 3D, and 4K resolution, starting with his first BAFTA in 1961. The VR film "David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef" also won a BAFTA for London-based Alchemy VR in the Digital Creativity category.

Memos detailing the shows David Attenborough commissioned, including Monty Python

From 1965 to 1972, Attenborough was on a trajectory to become the BBC's next director-general while serving as Controller and Director of Programs, overseeing what would air on television. "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and "Pot Black," which popularized the cue sport of snooker in the UK, were among the eclectic mix of shows he commissioned.

Why David Attenborough was skeptical about global warming before bringing attention to it

Believing he was "experiencing the untouched natural world" in his early documentary series, Attenborough has admitted that many of his assumptions about human action were incorrect. It was not until attending a 2004 lecture on greenhouse gases and global temperatures that he became convinced of the science.

View some of the species named after David Attenborough

Acisoma attenboroughi is a dragonfly from Madagascar named in honor of Attenborough's 90th birthday. Stating they liked watching Attenborough's documentaries with their family, the discoverer of a flightless weevil from Indonesia named it Trigonopterus attenboroughi in 2014. A Peruvian frog was named Prisimantis attenboroughi in 2014 to honor Attenborough for raising awareness of wildlife conservation.

Read 10 of the best quotes about nature from David Attenborough

From reflecting on the interconnectedness of life and humanity's shared responsibility to protect biodiversity to the power of young people in driving change and understanding nature's beauty and importance, this list highlights some of the most noteworthy things said by the famed natural historian.

David Attenborough received the 2021 Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement Award

The UN's highest environmental honor celebrated Attenborough as "one of the leading voices of the global environmental movement." For at least four decades, he collaborated with the UN Environment Programme by advocating for "efforts to counter the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and pollution" and addressing "world leaders at the UN Climate Change Conference" in 2021.

Take a virtual tour of the Royal Research Ship named after David Attenborough

Operated by the British Antarctic Survey, the RRS Sir David Attenborough and its onboard tools and laboratories have investigated the biogeochemical cycles of the Southern Ocean, the stability of Greenland's ice shelves, and the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems. One of the ship's autonomous underwater vehicles was named Boaty McBoatface based on the results of a naming poll from the Natural Environment Research Council.

Watch David Attenborough's documentary on bioluminescent creatures, which have been observed using light for hunting, mating, communication, and self-defense, and number in the thousands of species.

The history of David Attenborough's adopted Jewish sisters, taken in before World War II

Among the thousands of children who were brought to Great Britain from Nazi-controlled Europe during the Kindertransport rescue operation were Irene and Helga Bejach, who spent seven years living with the Attenboroughs. Irene contributed to David's interest in the natural world by giving him a piece of amber containing prehistoric creatures.

David Attenborough discusses creationism and his position as an agnostic

Attenborough argues that accounts of humanity's origins from different cultures cannot all be correct because they often differ, whereas geological records are consistent worldwide, meaning science provides the best understanding of the natural world. However, he acknowledges that, just as insects lack awareness of human goings-on, humans may be unaware of the existence of a deity.

For 'Secret Lives of Orangutans,' David Attenborough became the oldest Emmy Award winner

In 2025, won the Outstanding Daytime Personality, Non-Daily category at 99 for his work documenting a group of apes in the jungles of Sumatra, Indonesia. The previous record had been held by Dick Van Dyke, who won at 98 for his guest appearance on "Days of Our Lives" in 2024. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Watch David Attenborough's unexpected interaction with a family of gorillas on 'Life on Earth'

On the border between Rwanda and the modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo, Attenborough used specific vocalizations and behaviors to approach a female gorilla peacefully, only to have two of her children lie down on him. Through a comical exchange, the incident helps show the creatures to be the opposite of the aggressive, violent stereotypes about them.

How David Attenborough's work in color television gave tennis balls their color

As controller of BBC Two, Attenborough wanted the BBC to achieve the first full-color broadcast in Europe and saw Wimbledon as the perfect event to make it happen. Noticing that the white tennis balls used then would stain green and become less visible on color broadcasts as matches progressed, he suggested fluorescent balls, which were eventually adopted.

British royal history from a literal bird's-eye view

Learn the history of British monarchs going back centuries with this unusual, 50-minute documentary filmed entirely from the air, revealing key landmarks in beautiful footage alongside engaging commentary.

Explore the history, structure, and species of Australia's Great Barrier Reef with this interactive journey narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

See ceremonial photographs from David Attenborough's second knighthood

After being granted the title of Knight Bachelor by Queen Elizabeth II in 1985, he was appointed the upgraded rank of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George in 2022 by then-Prince Charles on behalf of the Queen.

Explore a comprehensive encyclopedia of all known bird species and families.

View a directory of more than 300 dinosaurs

This resource details each dinosaur's taxonomy, type, diet, and habitat, from Aardonyx to Zuniceratops. More well-researched dinosaurs include information on when they were discovered alongside their size, behaviors, and other noteworthy findings.

Explore a series of interdisciplinary explainers on climate science

From animations on the quantum mechanics of greenhouse gases to a photo essay on how scientists acquire climate data, this collection provides detailed explorations of how different branches of science have contributed to our understanding of climatology.

Explore over 46,000 pages of Charles Darwin's manuscripts

The American Museum of Natural History hosts almost 35,000 digitized folios related to evolution within the fields of botany and zoology from Darwin's Beagle voyage. High-resolution color images, geological findings, and annotated books from Darwin's personal library are also viewable.

Explore an interactive timeline of Earth's 4.5-billion-year history to visualize shifting landmasses and oceans, view the locations of significant asteroid impacts, and learn about major geological and biological events.

Take a series of virtual tours of Biosphere 2

The videos provide a 360-degree view of the indoor rainforest, ocean ecosystem, Landscape Evolution Observatory, and underground technosphere. A Google Maps Street View option is available to explore additional biomes, with each associated with a different floor level on the bottom right.

National Geographic presents how to protect the oceans

What can we do to protect and preserve the world's oceans? Be inspired by spectacular wildlife footage from National Geographic while learning key strategies.

Take a virtual journey through the world's deserts with Google Earth and BBC

Explore some of the world’s deserts in this “Natural Treasures” collaboration between Google Earth and BBC Earth. Visit the Namib Desert in Namibia where the simplest strategy to escape the heat is to emerge only in the cool of the night....

How the Discovery Channel was originally built for lifetime learners

Founder John Hendricks envisioned Discovery as a launchpad for educational content that was both informative and engaging. Since, the channel has spawned dozens of other channels, merged with major studios, and launched its own streaming platforms.

Watch every episode of 'Bill Nye the Science Guy'

Each features one scientific topic alongside demonstrations, fake commercials, a song parody with science-themed lyrics, and bloopers. Other segments include conversations with experts, exhibiting experiments that can be done at home, and trips to locations beyond "Nye Laboratories" to highlight real-world applications.

A British Airways pilot mapped every flight of his career into a data art series

James Harding logged every flight he had flown in a software program and rendered the results into 3D globe animations, charts, graphs, and more. You can view the visualizations here, along with career stat breakdowns and a description of his project.

Explore the Museum of the World

This collaboration between the British Museum and Google presents an interactive timeline showing artifacts from five world regions. Go back in time and learn about each item from the museum.

Explore the British Museum's collection across time and continents in this interactive Google Arts and Culture experience.

Explore the Arctic from your living room

Explore the unique ecosystem and wildlife of the Arctic tundra thanks to Google Earth and Explore.org. Captured from a series of stationary and moving live cams, watch polar bears gather as they wait for the Hudson Bay to freeze so they can search...

Explore an interactive timeline and map of dinosaurs across the globe

This tool maps dinosaur habitats based on fossil sites around the world. It includes short articles and additional information—including size, diet, and weight—about each dinosaur. A timeline and data table also allow users to compare dinosaur emergence and extinction dates.

A collection of the world's best live animal cams

What are the animals up to? If you're too busy to get to the zoo today, you can take a quick glance at this site, which aggregates dozens of live feeds of animals from around the world. See elephants, bald eagles, and puppies all in one place—but...

Visit global national parks from your living room

Get your fill of incredible scenery with this collection of 17 different virtual tours of national parks. Catch the Northern Lights over Abisko National Park in Sweden, or explore the famous red sand dunes of Namib-Naukluft National Park in Namibia.

A fun, illustrated history of the Jurassic Coast

The 95-mile stretch of coastline along England's southern shores known as the Jurassic Coast is unique in the world due to its clear demonstration of 185 million years of geological history. Now, you can see the story of that formation told in a whimsical, absorbing video created by artist Tim Britton and his pen.

Experience 14 billion years of important moments in world history with this scrollable interactive timeline.

An inventory of ancient trees in the United Kingdom

The world is filled with trees that are hundreds—if not thousands—of years old, and the UK's Woodland Trust believes each one deserves the same protections great cathedrals and castles receive. This active database invites users to peruse...

Explore Amazon rainforest species in this interactive

Explore plant and animal species from different parts of the rainforest, including the canopy, forest floor, and river basin while learning some general facts specific to the Amazon rainforest.

View galleries of images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope

With more than 1.7 million observations made since 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has captured images of space missions, planets, stellar nurseries, interstellar comets, star clusters, galaxies, and more. This search tool allows users to sort and filter across these celestial objects to explore over 35 years of Hubble's astrophotography.

Explore 'The Presidents' collection

PBS's "The Presidents" collection profiles America's leaders through award-winning documentaries, interviews, and archival footage. The series captures how each president reflected the nation's values, crises, and culture while shaping the office's power and legacy.

Travel through deep time with this interactive Earth

Explore key moments in Earth’s transformative history as continents drift and climate fluctuates over 4.6 billion years. The Smithsonian presents a series of interactive snapshots of the earth. From its toddler years during the Hadean period, when its surface was mostly molten, to the mostly unidentifiable landmasses of the future earth, 100 million years from now.

Search a massive database of over 4 decades of clues from the TV quiz show 'Jeopardy!'