Life on Earth poster

Life on Earth

★ 9.1 3K votes 1979–1979 1 season · 13 episodes Ended BBC Two
Nature & scienceThe natural world or science itself as the subject.This show: 10/10Wonder & aweSpectacle and imagination that expand the world.This show: 8/10DocuseriesNonfiction storytelling across episodes.This show: 8/10Family-safeNothing to worry about with anyone in the room.This show: 7/10
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Ratings per Episode
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Votes per Episode
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About

"The blueprint every nature documentary since has copied"

David Attenborough's landmark survey of the animal kingdom, tracing life from single-celled organisms to mammals across thirteen episodes, each built around a major branch of evolution. It moves at an unhurried, almost lecture-like pace, with Attenborough traveling the globe to show behavior rarely filmed before. The tone is calm, curious, and reverent rather than thrilling, carried entirely by his narration and the novelty of the footage. It feels more like a beautifully illustrated textbook than modern nature TV, but its patience and clarity are exactly the point.

Watch it for

the sight of a young Attenborough inventing the modern nature documentary format on the fly.

Maybe skip if

you expect fast editing, dramatic music swells, or CGI-era visual polish.

Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.

All Seasons

▼
Season 11979
8.71K1311h 55m
EpTitleRatingYoursVotesRuntime
▶1The Infinite Variety8.7
13555 min
▶2Building Bodies8.6
10655 min
▶3The First Forests8.8
10155 min
▶4The Swarming Hordes8.6
10055 min
▶5The Conquest of the Waters8.6
9655 min
▶6Invasion of the Land8.9
9055 min
▶7Victors of the Dry Land8.7
9055 min
▶8Lords of the Air8.7
8955 min
▶9The Rise of the Mammals8.8
9055 min
▶10Theme and Variations9.0
8355 min
▶11The Hunters and Hunted8.8
8955 min
▶12Life in the Trees8.9
9555 min
▶13The Compulsive Communicators8.6
8755 min

Full Cast & Crew

Cast

David Attenborough Self - Presenter

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