Sir David Attenborough looks at the natural history of the Antarctic continent
Documentary • Series • 1993 • 1 season
Starring: David Attenborough
S1 E1 - The Bountiful Sea
With winter temperatures of minus 70 degrees centigrade and winds of 100mph, only a few hundred people live in this inhospitable continent that is one and a half times the size of Europe. The wildlife, however, is abundant - millions of penguins, thousands of whales and half the world's seals somehow survive hardest conditions on the planet.
Nov 18, 1993 • 30m
S1 E2 - The Ice Retreats
In the spring, the thaw begins and animals like the humpback whale and the crabeater seal follow the retreating ice.
Nov 25, 1993 • 30m
S1 E3 - The Race to Breed
It's summer in Antarctica, and with 24-hour daylight the race to breed is on as two million fur seals crowd the beaches of South Georgia. When the pups are born, ferocious bulls attack any intruders who challenge their females. Meanwhile, Chinstrap penguins cross glacial streams and climb near vertical cliffs to feed their chicks as formidable leopard seals lurk.
Dec 2, 1993 • 30m
S1 E4 - The Door Closes
Autumn has stirred up harsh seas which batter the islands of Antarctica, leaving penguins to struggle ashore to feed their young. Amid the wildness of the landscape, leopard seals pounce at unsuspecting fledglings, fur seal pups take their first swim, and young wandering albatrosses rehearse their amazing courtship dance.
Dec 9, 1993 • 30m
S1 E5 - The Big Freeze
During the Antarctic winter, conditions are so extreme that most animal life deserts the region. The few exceptions include emperor penguins, which huddle together as storms rage, and Weddell seals, which maintain holes in the ice for access to an underwater world in which fish survive by having natural antifreeze in their blood.
Dec 16, 1993 • 30m
S1 E6 - Footsteps in the Snow
David Attenborough's natural history of Antarctica focuses on man's struggle to survive in this frozen world. From Captain Scott's old hut, he describes the race to be the first to the South Pole, and he reveals how today scientists and support staff manage to live at the Pole all year round, despite temperatures of minus 70 degrees Celsius and weeks of total darkness.
Dec 23, 1993 • 30m
About This Show
Life in the Freezer
Sir David Attenborough looks at the natural history of the Antarctic continent
Documentary • TV Series • 1993
Details
- Genre
- Documentary
- First aired
- Nov 18, 1993
- Last aired
- Dec 23, 1993
- Status
- Ended
- Episodes
- 6
- Network
- BBC One
- Studio
- BBC, National Geographic Society, BBC Lionheart Television
- Language
- English
- Score
- 8.3 out of 10 from 27 votes