Life On Earth

David Attenborough had been a celebrated natural-history presenter ever since Zoo Quest in the 1950s, yet Life on Earth (1979) was something on an entirely different scale. With 150 minutes of the best selected clips from the 13-programme series, this offers a chronological account of the flora and fauna of planet earth over a period of 3,500 million years. Whether recounting the first journey from the sea to the land, the development of insects and flowers, or "The First Forests" and "The Lords of the Air", Attenborough's enthusiasm is infectious. He guides us through "The Infinite Variety" of life from microbes to marsupials, via an unforgettable meeting with mountain gorillas, to conclude with "The Compulsive Communicators", mankind itself. Three years in the making, involving one-and-a-half million miles of travel and featuring some of the most beautiful, breathtaking and ambitious photography then seen on television, Life on Earth was the first natural history blockbuster. It redefined TV by showing that an epic, serious wildlife documentary could be a massive popular success. As such it remains a true television landmark, and paved the way for Attenborough's The Living Planet (1984), The Trials of Life (1990), The Private Life of Plants (1994), as well as The Planets (1999) and Walking With Dinosaurs (1999). --Gary S Dalkin