Life on Earth (13 Parts)

Synopsis

Series tracing the development of life from its earliest beginnings through single cell forms to the final emergence of man. Filmed in more than 100 locations around the world.
1: The beginnings of life on earth and the profusion of life that is to be covered in detail in the later programmes.
2: The earliest forms of marine life, leading to the development of those creatures with the necessary equipment to move on to land.
3: The gradual move to the land by sea and river plants and how the major problems involved were overcome.
4: The history of the insects and their interdependence and co-evolution with the plants that support them.
5: The ancestry of the fishes, the first creatures with backbones.
6: The stage when fishes crawled onto the land - the amphibians.
7: The vital innovations that brought about the predominance of the reptiles were a scaly, waterproof skin and a shell-protected egg. This programme includes the dinosaur.
8: Birds and their history.
9: How and when the most enterprising repitiles changed into mammals. Much of the programme is given to Australian marsupials.
10: Some of the many variations in mammals which have all evolved from a common ancestor.
11: The tactics adopted by the hunters and the hunted.
12: The primates.
13: The story of man.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Video; Videocassette. Standard formats. col. 13 x 55 min.

Year of production

1979

Availability

Sale

Notes

Broadcast on BBC? from 16/1/79.

Subjects

Anthropology; Biology

Keywords

amphibian; animals; birds; dinosaurs; evolution; fish; insects; mammals; marsupials; plants; reptiles; wildlife

Credits

Producer

Christopher Parson

Writer

David Attenborough

Contributor

Maurice Fisher; Maurice Tibbles; Oxford Scientific Films

Cast

David Attenborough

Sections

Title

Infinite variety, The

Synopsis

1: The beginnings of life on earth and the profusion of life that is to be covered in detail in the later programmes.

Title

Building bodies

Synopsis

2: The earliest forms of marine life, leading to the development of those creatures with the necessary equipment to move on to land.

Title

First forests, The

Synopsis

3: The gradual move to the land by sea and river plants and how the major problems involved were overcome.

Title

Swarming hordes, The

Synopsis

4: The history of the insects and their interdependence and co-evolution with the plants that support them.

Title

Conquest of the waters

Synopsis

5: The ancestry of the fishes, the first creatures with backbones.

Title

Invasion of land, The

Synopsis

6: The stage when fishes crawled onto the land - the amphibians.

Title

Victors of the dry land

Synopsis

7: The vital innovations that brought about the predominance of the reptiles were a scaly, waterproof skin and a shell-protected egg. This programme includes the dinosaur.

Title

Lords of the air

Synopsis

8: Birds and their history.

Title

Rise of the mammals, The

Synopsis

9: How and when the most enterprising repitiles changed into mammals. Much of the programme is given to Australian marsupials.

Title

Theme and variations

Synopsis

10: Some of the many variations in mammals which have all evolved from a common ancestor.

Title

Hunters and hunted

Synopsis

11: The tactics adopted by the hunters and the hunted.

Title

Life in the trees

Synopsis

12: The primates.

Title

Compulsive communicators, The

Synopsis

13: The story of man.

Production Company

Name

BBC Television (Bristol)

Distributor

Name

BBC Active Video for Learning - now BBC Learning

Contact

Carolina Fernandez Jeremy Wilcox (CF - for educational enquiries JW - channel sales manager)

Email

BBCStudiosLearning@bbc.com

Web

https://www.bbcstudioslearning.com/ External site opens in new window

Phone

+44 (0) 20 8433 1009

Address

BBC Studios Limited
Television Centre
101 Wood Lane
London
W12 7FA
UK

Notes

The BBC Active company has now been absorbed within BBC Learning, a division of BBC Studios. It was originally a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Pearson Education. Formerly known as ‘BBC Worldwide Learning Studies’ and before that as ‘Videos for Education & Training’