British Isles: A Natural History
British Isles: A Natural History is an eight-part documentary series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit and presented by Alan Titchmarsh. Originally broadcast in the UK on BBC1 from September to November 2004, it took viewers on a journey from the formation of what is now the British Isles some 3 billion years ago to the present day, revealing how natural and human forces have shaped the landscape. Each of the 50-minute episodes was followed by a 10-minute short specific to each region of the British Isles. In 2007, the BBC made a companion series about British wildlife called The Nature of Britain, also presented by Titchmarsh. A 3-disc Region 2 and 4 DVD set featuring all eight episodes was released on 29 November 2004. Titchmarsh wrote an accompanying book, also called British Isles: A Natural History, and released by BBC Books on 1 October 2004.
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Cast
Seasons
1.3 Billion Years in the Making
29-09-200460mBeginning in a familiar garden setting, Alan peels back the layers of Britain's varied past. He travels to his native Yorkshire to reveal how innocent sounding place names provide...
2.Dinosaurs, Deserts and Volcanoes
06-10-200460mFrom Jurassic Oxford to Scotland's Himalayas, Alan explores the secret history hidden in the rocks beneath our feet. He discovers how Scotland and England drifted together from the...
3.Ice Age
13-10-200460mAlan gets under the skin of the much misunderstood Neanderthal man, examines relics from the past and discovers that an ice sheet covering most of Britain stopped at London's Finch...
- Ep 4
4.Islands Apart
20-10-200460mAlan ventures 50 metres below the Channel, scales an ancient tree in the New Forest and stalks red deer in Scotland to tell the story of how island Britain was created. He searches...
- Ep 5
5.Taming the Wild
27-10-200460mPiecing together clues from the natural and man-made landscape, Alan looks at the dramatic changes that have affected the British Isles from the Stone Age to the Industrial Revolut...
- Ep 6
6.Revolution
04-11-200460mThe way of life of many animals was shaped by the industrial age. The canal network not only provided transport for bulk goods, it was also a fantastic new habitat. In Wales slate...
- Ep 7
7.Modern Times
11-11-200460mAlan tracks down red squirrels in Lancashire, a rare butterfly on the Norfolk Broads and plays with high explosives on the moorlands of Northumberland to find out just how Britain'...
- Ep 8
8.Our Future
18-11-200460mA Mediterranean climate, an eternal winter or a devastating flood, Alan examines the options for the future of Britain. In the Lake District, Alan spots Wordsworth's famous daffodi...
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