First Life

Sir David Attenborough takes a journey back in time to discover how the very first animals developed on our planet.

SYNOPSIS

In fifty years of broadcasting, Sir David Attenborough has travelled the globe to document the living world in all its wonder. Now, in the landmark series First Life, he completes his journey by going back in time to the very roots of the tree of life, in search of the very first animals.

From the fog bound coastline of Newfoundland to the deserts of North Africa and the rainforests of Queensland, Attenborough finds evidence in fossils and living animals of an extraordinary period in Earth’s history, half a billion years ago, when animals first appeared in the oceans. From the first eyes that saw, to the first predators that killed and the first legs that walked on land, these were creatures that evolved the traits and tools that allow all animals, including us, to survive to this day.

First Life is told with stunning photography, cutting edge visual effects and the captivating charm of the world’s favourite naturalist. This is a story that can only be told now because in the last twenty years, stunning fossil finds at sites across the world have transformed our understanding of the first life forms, and the latest technology allows us to recreate the first animals and their environments with photorealistic CGI.

Episode titles: Arrival, Conquest and The Making of First Life.