To the Ends of the Earth
David Attenborough sets out on an extraordinary journey across the earth's polar regions, exploring the Arctic and Antarctic.
David Attenborough travels to the end of the Earth, taking viewers on an extraordinary journey across the polar regions of our planet, North and South. The Arctic and Antarctic are the greatest and least-known wildernesses of all - magical ice worlds inhabited by the most bizarre and hardy creatures on Earth.
Our journey begins with David at the North Pole, as the sun returns after six months of darkness. We follow a pair of courting polar bears, which reveal a surprisingly tender side. Next stop is the giant Greenland ice cap, where waterfalls plunge into the heart of the ice and a colossal iceberg carves into the sea. Humpback whales join the largest gathering of seabirds on Earth to feast in rich Alaskan waters. Further south, the tree line marks the start of the taiga forest, containing one third of all trees on earth. Here, 25 of the world's largest wolves take on formidable bison prey.
At the other end of our planet, the Antarctic begins in the Southern Ocean, where surfing penguins struggle to escape a hungry sea lion and teams of orcas create giant waves to wash seals from ice floes - a filming first. Diving below the ice, we discover prehistoric giants, including terrifying sea spiders and woodlice the size of dinner plates. Above ground, crystal caverns ring the summit of Erebus, the most southerly volcano on earth. From here, we retrace the routes of early explorers across the formidable Antarctic ice cap - the largest expanse of ice on our planet. Finally, we rejoin David at the South Pole, exactly one hundred years after Amundsen, and then Scott, were the first humans to stand there.
Last on
Clips
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Arctic spring melt from Space
Duration: 00:01
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Chopper squad
Duration: 05:48
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Stunning snowflakes
Duration: 00:40
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Merry Erebus!
Duration: 01:31
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | David Attenborough |
Composer | George Fenton |
Series Producer | Vanessa Berlowitz |
Executive Producer | Alastair Fothergill |
Broadcasts
- Wed 26 Oct 2011 21:00
- Sun 30 Oct 2011 16:10
- Wed 30 Nov 2011 01:50
- Sun 18 Dec 2011 16:50´óÏó´«Ã½ HD
- Mon 16 Jan 2012 00:10´óÏó´«Ã½ HD
- Sun 5 Feb 2012 13:30´óÏó´«Ã½ One except Scotland
- Sat 5 May 2012 13:00´óÏó´«Ã½ HD
- Mon 8 Jul 2013 16:15
- Sat 2 Nov 2013 19:00
- Sun 3 Nov 2013 01:30
- Wed 6 Nov 2013 23:00
- Mon 7 Jul 2014 16:15
- Wed 4 Mar 2015 13:00´óÏó´«Ã½ Two Scotland
- Wed 4 Mar 2015 14:45´óÏó´«Ã½ Two except Scotland
- Mon 15 Feb 2016 16:15´óÏó´«Ã½ Two except Wales
- Sun 14 Nov 2021 16:05´óÏó´«Ã½ One except Wales
- Wed 13 Sep 2023 19:00
- Tue 27 Feb 2024 19:00
- Wed 28 Feb 2024 01:00
- Mon 21 Oct 2024 19:00
- Tue 22 Oct 2024 00:55
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The Poles are home to many of the most charismatic animals, from polar bears to penguins.