Phil Coles

Wolves: Power of the Pack

From the arctic tundra to the great planes, the kingdom of the wolf extends across the entire northern hemisphere. They are icons of the wilderness, spectacular creatures that live and die by the sword.

Seasons of the Otter

Two otter pups have been carefully watched over by their mother for a year, but her tireless work will soon come to an end. From here on the pups will have to fend for themselves, one day maybe starting an otter family of their own.

Nature's Cutest

It’s a pretty tough decision to pick nature's cutest animal - a koala, a penguin, a big-eyed, wobbly-kneed fawn, a fluffy white seal, playing polar bear cubs. It’s a long line-up but expects a lot of oooh’s and awwws while you try to decide!

Super Senses

We take our features, our noses, eyes, and ears for granted, but they are pretty weird things until you look at the nose of a tapir or desman, the eyes of a cuttlefish or chameleon, or the ears of a seal or elephant. There is an almost endless variety of designs, and some are downright odd!

Migrations: The Big Swim

We live on an ever-moving planet, and as landscapes are altered, wildlife must march to its rhythm. Driven by instinct, they follow the maps hardwired into their DNA. Some run, some fly, but most swim.

Gorillas: Rumble in the Jungle

Gorillas live in complex social groups led by a dominant male silverback; he is intelligent and powerful, fiercely leading his troop through the dangers of the jungle; gorillas are like humans in so many ways, but their existence is under threat.

The Lions of Makalolo

There are two phenomenal beasts that rule one of Africa's true wilderness areas - Buffalos and Lions. The first dominate the plains with bulk, power and aggressiveness. The second rule by fear and tenacity... And when they clash, dust chokes the air, sharp claws collide against impressive horns... and blood soaks the thirsty land.

These Birds Were Made for Walking

These Birds Were Made For Walking Few things are more wondrous than the gift of flight, but some birds have chosen to give it up – the question is, why? Whether it is to save energy, tap into new food resources, or invest in other skills, they all have their reasons.

Hidden Japan

The culture of Japan is incredible, from bloom festivals to ultra-modern cities. But there are also more than 130 mammals and 600 bird species dwelling in Japan’s 6,852 islands. This island chain is long enough to span climate zones, providing a huge range of habitat.

Migrations: Herds on the Move

Migration is one of the great phenomena of the natural world. When it’s time to move some take to the skies or the oceans, but the migrants we know best are found in the awe-inspiring herds running across our planet.

Migrations: Frequent Flyers

Half of all bird species undertake annual migrations, everything from heavy-bodied swans to delicate hummingbirds. Migration is one of the most remarkable phenomena on the planet, hosts of animals of all shapes and sizes demonstrating incredible feats of endurance.

Polar Bears

The ultimate icons of the polar wilderness able to withstand the harshest environments and remain a top predator; the lives of polar bears are nothing short of remarkable!

Frog Song: The World of Amphibians

Amphibians are living fossils in a modern world. The various species of frogs, toads, and salamanders are more diverse than you could ever imagine. Whether dodging danger, raising their young, or wearing a disguise, amphibians never cease to amaze. So, hop along to your local pond, dive in, and explore the fascinating world of the frogs and their cousins.

Wild Little Cats

Little cats are predators with incredible hunting skills and looks, including big-eared, long-legged, jumping servals, fish-catching jungle cats, snow-shoed lynxes, and tiny kittens curled up on the sofa.

The Real Angry Birds

Angry birds are very popular- especially among game-playing kids, but are there real angry birds out there? Birds battle to survive, find food, and shelter, avoid danger, and raise their young. Life's hard, but will they get in a flap?

Nuts About Squirrels

Some people love squirrels others see them as pests and glorified rats but we can all agree that the characterful rodents are speedy quirky exceptional climbers and go crazy for nuts.

Alien Crab

When cataclysmic forces of nature wiped out the dinosaurs, only the monstrous and alien-like horseshoe crab survived. This one hour special follows the incredible journey of the horseshoe crab from the oceanic abyss to the beach, from its egg to adulthood and from its unchanged existence half-a-billion years ago to today.

Kodiak: Island of the Great Bear

Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska is home to the largest bear on earth, the Kodiak Bear. At least 2,500 bears live on the island and the animal is regarded as the world’s biggest land predator, reaching an impressive four meters in height when standing on its hind legs. Film maker Stefan Quinth spent three years filming the Kodiak Bear and the wildlife of Kodiak Island. His film is a dramatic story about bear and salmon, beavers and eagles. But it is also a film about the thrill of meeting the giant bear eye to eye in its natural habitat.

Species Hunter

This entertaining and educational 50-minute program follows well-known biologist Mac van Roosmalen as he pursues his life-long fascination with monkeys, traveling to exotic locations like the remote forests of Brazil--where he discovers remarkable and previously undiscovered species of all kinds. Having already found and named 20 previously unknown kinds of monkey, Roosmalen sets out another intrepid journey, this time on a quest to find large undiscovered mammals, and protect their endangered habitat.

Lions Behaving Badly

We think of the lion as the king of beasts - the perfect predators - built to make a swift clean kill - but think again. Now spectacular footage reveals another side to this hunters killing power. We follow a family of lion cubs as they start out in life. Seven out of the eight cubs are male - for them the clock is ticking, within two years they need to learn to hunt before setting out and finding new territories of their own, to avoid treading on the toes of the dominant pride male. The cubs hunting lessons are perhaps not what you might expect; instead of ambushing their prey and quickly despatching with a clean bite to the throat, these lions wrestle their victim to the ground and tuck in before the hapless beast is dead. When the prey is a young elephant, it means a slow and painful death. Are these lions behaving badly or is it simply that this is what lions do?

Living with Lions

On the African plains, where only the strong survive, one big cat rules supreme. This is life in the raw: savage, beautiful and unforgettable. During the eight years that Jurgen Jozefowicz filmed a pride of lions in South Africa's Kruger National Park, he won the trust of the dominant male and, astonishingly, was accepted into the pride. This is his story. How does it feel to live amidst a group of the most feared predators on the African continent as they fight to survive in a harsh, unforgiving world? Jurgen's film shows what it's like and is the result of his remarkable adventures. Jurgen is one of the world's premier wildlife photographers. His story of his life with these lions is one that spans a period of political struggles, disease and drought, showing the highs and the lows of life in the lion pride.