Sophie Cooper

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.

This installment of the series produced by the acclaimed Nature team showcases the grandeur of the Emerald Isle. Going beyond the usual travelogue, the film takes viewers to places they've never been before so they can truly appreciate the natural treasures of the country: the lush plant life; the animal families that call the country home, including peregrine falcons and dolphins; and the magnificent countryside, from the mountains to the bogs.

A 6-foot-long animatronic shark featuring on-board cameras, Robo Shark is designed to blend in with real sharks and capture never-before-seen wild shark behavior. Footage shown in this television special includes the deep-sea thresher shark in the Philippines; giant whale sharks feeding off the coast of Belize; and deadly hammerheads, great whites and bronze whaler sharks in South Africa.

The Seychelle Islands, known for their long stretches of white sand, also provide a home to unusual flora and fauna, including the coco de mer, a tree with the world's largest seeds, giant tortoises inhabiting an ancient volcano and living carpets of silver lizards. This film features contributions from experts who believe these exotic species are evidence that the islands were once part of a primeval super-continent.