David Attenborough returns to the island of Madagascar on a very personal quest. In 1960 he visited the island to film one of his first ever wildlife series, Zoo Quest. Whilst he was there, he acquired a giant egg. It was the egg of an extinct bird known as the 'elephant bird' - the largest bird that ever lived. It has been one of his most treasured possessions ever since. Fifty years older, he now returns to the island to find out more about this amazing creature and to see how the island has changed. Could the elephant bird's fate provide lessons that may help protect Madagascar's remaining wildlife? Using Zoo Quest archive and specially shot location footage, this film follows David as he revisits scenes from his youth and meets people at the front line of wildlife protection. On his return, scientists at Oxford University are able to reveal for the first time how old David's egg actually is - and what that might tell us about the legendary elephant bird.
The Last Bumblebee is a solution-based documentary featuring interviews with scientists, and environmentalists discussing the importance of bumblebees as pollinators and the various threats they face.
Tim Noonan investigates the ultimate wildlife mystery to find out if the Tasmanian tiger, the world's rarest, most elusive animal, is gone for good or just very good at hiding.
Recorded by pioneers as far back as 1805, the Tasmanian tiger has become an intensely mystifying Australian icon, whose entire existence has become the stuff of both fable and legend. This program investigates a chequered past and puts the speculation into perspective, taking into account the tragic culling and ‘bounty era’ where the carnivorous creatures were thought to be solely responsible for a considerable loss of farmers’ livestock. Balancing the facts with personal reflections from Tasmanian locals, scientists and other informed practitioners, The Tasmanian Tiger is a thought-provoking and revealing look at the extraordinary life and death of one of Australia’s most mysterious marsupials.
In a wild and windswept corner of Australia, acclaimed film-maker Simon Plowright spends a year living with the iconic but endangered marsupial, the Tasmanian Devil.
There are about 250 people with a unique ancestry. Livonians – one of the smallest and most endangered nations. Each of Livonians has a duty to preserve their identity and the great history of their ancestors. Trillium follows the footsteps of a poet and researcher Valts Ernštreits, who is one of 20 people able to speak fluent Livonian – an indigenous language related to Estonian and Finnish – in his efforts to look after the language and culture of these ancient settlers of the Baltic Sea coast.
The original film of the Tasmanian tiger (also known as the thylacine) was shot by Australian zoologist David Fleay in 1933 on black-and-white film. Recently, this historic footage has been colorized and digitized by a team of international experts. You can watch the remastered footage of the last-known surviving Tasmanian tiger here. The thylacine, which resembled a medium-to-large-sized canid, had dark transverse stripes radiating from the top of its back. Sadly, the last known thylacine died in 1936 at the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania.
An extinct species, the Tasmanian tiger. A long-forgotten legend, “The Pieman” aka Alexander Pearce, who was hanged for cannibalism in 1824. Both had a desperate need to survive; both could have living descendants within the Tasmanian bush. Four hikers venture deep into isolated territory to find one of these legends, but which one will they come upon first?
A strange race of human-like marsupials appear suddenly in Australia, and a sociologist who studies these creatures falls in love with a female one. Is this a dangerous combination?
Adopted by a big, lively and spirited kangaroo family of traveling wrestlers, Teo’s life is pretty great. But when mysterious visions lead him to a faraway land, Teo is forced to rediscover his roots and embark on an epic journey to save his homeland from impending destruction.
A Tasmanian tiger wanders around in his zoo enclosure. A glacier is slowly melting. Facing its predicted disappearance, nature exerts its fury, bursts over the frame and resists its extinction by transformation.
Martin, a mercenary, is sent from Europe by an anonymous biotech company to the Tasmanian wilderness on a hunt for the last Tasmanian tiger.
A dramatization of the relationship between heart surgery pioneers Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas.
A shy and quiet World War II evacuee is housed by a disgruntled old man, and they soon develop a close bond.
After another 7 year wait, director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born children from Seven Up! and 7 Plus Seven. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
A documentary chronicling the Beatles' rehearsal sessions in January 1969 for their proposed "back to basics" album, "Get Back," later re-envisioned and released as "Let It Be."
Just two years away from turning 30, participants in Michael Apted's documentary series are facing serious questions of identity and purpose, wondering whether they've found their place in the world.
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
Formed in 1975 from the remnants of a British blues band and a California soft-rock duo, Fleetwood Mac evolved into one of the most successful pop-rock groups of the 1970s--a reputation no doubt cemented by their 1977 masterpiece RUMOURS. One of the bestselling albums of all time, RUMOURS' impeccable songwriting, lush vocal harmonies, and polished production stand as testament to the band's cohesive powers--a fact made even more remarkable by the romantic tensions roiling amongst its members at the time (Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were ending their long-term romantic relationship; Christine and John McVie were getting a divorce). This episode of the CLASSIC ALBUMS series recounts the making of Fleetwood Mac's career-making opus through interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and live performances of timeless gems such as "Don't Stop," "Dreams,""Go Your Own Way," "You Make Loving Fun," "The Chain," and more.