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Natural World is a nature documentary television series broadcast annually on BBC Two and regarded by the BBC as its flagship natural history brand. It is currently the longest-running series in its genre on British television, with more than 400 episodes broadcast since its inception in 1983. Natural World is produced by the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, but individual programmes can be in-house productions, collaborative productions with other broadcasters or films made and distributed by independent production companies and purchased by the BBC. Natural World programmes are often broadcast as PBS Nature episodes in the USA. Since 2008, most Natural World programmes have been shot and broadcast in high definition.
For decades, the National Geographic Society has presented specials on nature, foreign culture, scientific breakthroughs, and things which fall under the general category of "neat stuff." Each special is self-contained.
The storm of 1993 that ravaged the Eastern Seaboard was bigger than any since the 1800s. Most were expecting only more unseasonable warmth, and were caught off-guard by the hurricane winds, massive thunderstorms, and fierce blizzards. Meteorologists puzzled over bizarre reports from their computers. Late warnings went largely unheard. Video footage from Florida to Maine documents nature's savagery.
A documentary about the glorious history of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and its decline leading to the sale of its back lot and props. By extension this provides a general history of Hollywood's Golden Age and the legendary studio system.
A documentary on the two years filmmaker Hugh Miles spent in the Torres del Paine national park filming a young puma named Penny, after a dear friend of Miles.
Featuring behind-the-scenes footage and unprecedented access to its hallowed halls, this program from National Geographic takes viewers on an in-depth tour of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue -- the White House. Interviews with presidents and first ladies offer a revealing look at what goes into running that famous household, and White House employees give viewers a taste of the preparations involved in hosting a state dinner.
It's one of the ocean's most extraordinary and mysterious creatures. It's often seen, but very little is known about it: it's the bluefin tuna. It's faster than a dolphin and its hunting prowess rivals that of a great white shark. Traveling at over fifty miles per hour, it crosses the oceans. However, very little is known about its movements and life history; it's a creature so evolved that it escapes human observation. National Geographic guides us on a journey to discover the bluefin tuna.
Stalk the Arctic ice with the fiercest predator, the polar bear, as it prowls one of the most forbidding places on the planet: a hidden kingdom of magnificent creatures. Armed with a keen sense of smell and backed up by 1,700 pounds, fur and fangs, the polar bear stands alone at the top of the food chain. Yet many other hunters manage to survive in and around harsh arctic waters from the savvy arctic fox to the massive, whiskered walrus. The Arctic ice is revealed as a place of danger and drama as animals are stranded on frozen waters, trapped between moving sheets of ice, and caught in the struggle to survive. Brave the worst that nature has to offer.
Burgess Meredith narrates this insightful MGM-produced documentary about the life and career of Hollywood legend Clark Gable, from his childhood in Ohio, to his star status in Hollywood, and to his romantic life off-screen, including his marriage to Carole Lombard. The film incorporates classic film footage of Gable with interviews of people from his past, including an old classmate from his school days, a former sweetheart, and his press agent. Another treat is the rare home movie footage of Gable and Lombard on a camping trip.
Celebrates 30 years of televised specials by The National Geographic Society.
While most think an oasis in the desert is at best a mirage, this is not always so, as is the case of the jewel of the great African Kalahari Desert, Okavango. This nourishing delta, the largest within the borders of the Dark Continent, is the lifeblood for thousands of weary animals making the trek across the unforgiving sun-baked lands of Zimbabwe. Brought to video by National Geographic, this documentary refreshes the minds of the viewer with an educational and visually stunning look at the natural watering hole that supports the nomadic wildlife of the surrounding Northern Botswana region.
National Geographic draws viewers into the looking glass where eyes, much like our own, reflect playfulness, grief, loneliness, rage and above all, intelligence. Scientists continuing the work of legendary chimpanzee advocate Jane Goodall make startling revelations about chimps in the wild.
Many know that islands of the Caribbean sea are places of surprising beauty. But not it is common knowledge that deeply under water among coral reefs that surround islands, the enormous reign of the rarest stationed oneself, on anything not alike creatures
Travel around the world for a firsthand look at volcanoes - perhaps the most dazzling but destructive natural force on earth. Massive volcanic eruption can turn day into night, releasing the power of an atomic blast, spewing toxic avalanches of lava, gas, and ash. National Geographic Video transports you to some of the world's most notorious volcanoes, including Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines and Japan's Mount Unzen. Join volcanologists in their dangerous quest to forecast eruptions and save lives, putting you in the middle of the explosive excitement and human drama of Volcano: Nature's Inferno.
Long before Columbus, the Maya established one of the most highly developed civilizations of their time in the jungles of Mexico and Central America. Yet this advanced society of priests, astronomers, artisans, and farmers suddenly and mysteriously collapsed more than a thousand years ago. Accompany archaeologists to Copan, Dos Pilas, and other spectacular Classic Maya ruins as they unearth artifacts and huge temples of incredible beauty. Recently deciphered hieroglyphics and other new discoveries offer astounding clues to the lives of these ancient people. You'll hear the startling story of one kingdom's downfall and its final desperate hours of violent warfare. Through spine-tingling recreations, witness ancient rituals reenacted on sites where they originally occured. And meet the enduring Maya who still maintain many of their ancestor's traditions. You'll hear the voices of a magnificent civilization as you uncover LOST KINGDOMS OF THE MAYA.
This is the story of the incredible struggle for survival of the dragons of the Galapagos. On the island of Fernandina, each year Land Iguanas migrate up the steep slopes of the 5000ft active volcano to lay their eggs in the warm soil. If the rim of the crater is fully occupied they have to climb 1 km down the steep crater walls to the floor below. Many are killed finding a path down as the walls are steep & dangerously unstable causing many landslides.
Documentary about the sex life of various animals.
Dr. Robert Ballard of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and his research team become the first undersea explorers to locate, photograph, and explore the wreckage of the ill-fated HMS Titanic, which sank on its maiden voyage 2 1/2 mile deep in the icy waters of the Atlantic in 1912, taking 1500 passengers and crew with it to a watery grave. Utilizing dazzling state-of-the art equipment and cutting edge expertise they record the decaying remains of the ocean liner once thought "unsinkable."
An intriguing look at the agonies of the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, northern Mexico and Southern California forthrightly reveals the animals' and vegetation's dreadful task of accommodating themselves to their homeland. Stunningly photographed by Keith Brust, producer-writer Sean Morris and their companions --- with Barry Nye lending his customary editing assurance --- provide a handsome study of deprivation and survival and an illuminating look at how the other half lives and dies.
Companion TV documentary to the National Geographic Magazine article "The Last Dive of I-52" - October 1999 issue. Original NBC / National Geographic TV broadcast: September 11, 1999. When it sank in the deep Atlantic near the end of World War II, the Japanese submarine I-52 went to the bottom with over 100 lives - and a cargo that included two tons of gold and other secrets. Now, a military veteran-turned-adventurer bucks the odds on a long-shot mission to solve a tantalizing mystery over 50 years old, as he embarks on a deep-sea search for the lost submarine and its cargo of gold. Plunge three miles to the ocean floor and explore the sub's twisted remains in an effort to locate the shipment of gold. Be privy to declassified intelligence reports that reveal how WWII code breakers helped track down the I-52 submarine. Be there as U.S. Navy veterans retell stories of their mission to hunt down and sink this Top Secret Japanese war machine.
