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The Best Episodes of Natural World

Every episode of Natural World ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Natural World!

Natural World is a nature documentary television series broadcast annually on BBC Two and regarded by the BBC as its flagship natural history brand. It...
Genre:Documentary
Network:BBC Two

Best Episodes Summary

"Leopard - A Darkness In The Grass" is the best rated episode of "Natural World". It scored 9.7/10 based on 23 votes. Directed by N/A and written by N/A, it aired on 10/5/1986. This episode scored 0.6 points higher than the second highest rated, "Battle to Save the Tiger".

  • Leopard - A Darkness In The Grass
    9.7/1023 votes
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    #1 - Leopard - A Darkness In The Grass

    Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 10/5/1986

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Battle to Save the Tiger
    9.1/1018 votes
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    #2 - Battle to Save the Tiger

    Season 26 Episode 2 - Aired 4/11/2007

    The Indian tiger is in deep trouble. Thirty years ago India set aside over 30 tiger reserves controlled by Project Tiger. Initially it was hailed as a great success, but in the last few years hundreds of tigers have been poached from under officials' noses according to WPSI (Wildlife Protection Society of India) run by Belinda Wright. This film, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, looks at the controversy surrounding the plight of the tiger. Can they come back from the brink of extinction again?

    Director: Mike Birkhead

    Writer: N/A

  • Eye for an Elephant
    9.0/109 votes
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    #3 - Eye for an Elephant

    Season 25 Episode 3 - Aired 11/1/2006

    Martyn Colbeck has spent 15 years scouring Africa for the ultimate images of the world's largest land creature- the African Elephant. Along the way he has learned how to read elephant minds, gain unsurpassed levels of trust and, so, achieve pictures of spectacular beauty and insight. An Eye For an Elephant charts the journeys Colbeck has made since he first became entranced by the magic and mystery of elephants after he arrived in Amboseli National Park in 1990 and met Echo, a young matriarch. His work on an eventual trilogy about Echo and her family resulted in scenes of elephant life and behaviour never seen on screen before - and inspired him to seek out and film other herds, including the forgotten elephants who struggle for survival in the parched deserts of Namibia and the dense confines of the Congolese jungle. The story of his personal and wildlife discoveries is told by inter-cutting new footage and Colbeck’s recollections with archive treasures and a selection of the powerful still images that helped him to win the title International Wildlife Photographer of the Year. As the story unfolds, viewers experience the intensity of the camerman’s relationship with the elephants he views almost as family, and gain a sense of why they deserve his affection.

    Director: Martyn Colbeck

    Writer: N/A

  • Tiger Dynasty
    9.0/1030 votes
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    #4 - Tiger Dynasty

    Season 31 Episode 8 - Aired 2/1/2012

    A young tigress is chosen to found a new dynasty. Airlifted from her home in an Indian park to life in a new reserve, Baghani the tigress must fight with leopards for territory and learn to hunt dangerous wild boar. Also released is Rajore, a hot blooded young male. For two years every aspect of their lives are followed by the camera. Will they mate and start a family, or will they be killed by poachers?

    Director: Nalla

    Writer: N/A

  • Desert Lions
    8.8/1014 votes
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    #5 - Desert Lions

    Season 26 Episode 9 - Aired 5/30/2007

    Many years ago lions thrived in the deserts of Namibia's Skeleton Coast, until they were exterminated by man. Six years ago maverick biologist Flip Stander discovered a tiny remnant population alive and well in nearby mountains, and started to study them. Their numbers have grown and they are now returning to the desert in increasing numbers. But if these lions are to continue roaming here, Flip will have to persuade local people that these lions are worth more alive than dead.

    Director: Amanda Barrett, Owen Newman

    Writer: N/A

  • Titus: The Gorilla King
    8.8/1016 votes
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    #6 - Titus: The Gorilla King

    Season 28 Episode 1 - Aired 11/11/2008

    Abandoned as a baby, removed from normal gorilla family life as a youngster - so profound were the misfortunes that Titus suffered in his early years that no gorilla scientist could have predicted his eventual rise to power. His moving life story is pieced together here for the first time, based on archive film and the memories of field workers who have studied the mountain gorillas since Dian Fossey's pioneering work more than 40 years ago. At 33 years of age, Titus is not just one of the most powerful Silverbacks in Rwanda's Virunga Mountains, he is possibly the most remarkable gorilla ever known. His life story is as full of drama, intrigue and tragedy as any human soap opera. Against a stunning backdrop of misty volcanic peaks cloaked in bamboo and giant lobelia, Titus has successfully steered his family group through thick and thin. Now he is under pressure again. With his ally-turned-rival, Kuryama, jockeying for position, is the final chapter in Titus's extraordinary reign about to occur?

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Jungle Gremlins of Java
    8.8/1050 votes
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    #7 - Jungle Gremlins of Java

    Season 31 Episode 7 - Aired 1/25/2012

    The slow loris is the real-life gremlin, extremely cute but with a venom that can kill. Now it's also a YouTube superstar with millions of hits. Dr Anna Nekaris travels to the jungles of Java to solve the riddle of its toxic bite, but a shocking discovery awaits.

    Director: Stephen Gooder

    Writer: N/A

  • On the Trail of Tarka
    8.7/1010 votes
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    #8 - On the Trail of Tarka

    Season 25 Episode 2 - Aired 10/25/2006

    Filmmakers Charlie Hamilton-James and Philippa Forrester went in search of otters on a short stretch of the River Torridge in Devon, immortalised 80 years ago by Henry Williamson in his famous novel Tarka the Otter. Over months of patient fieldwork they got to know and film a family of wild otters. The result is both a lyrical portrait of these shy creatures and a tribute to Williamson's skills as a writer and naturalist.

    Director: Charlie Hamilton James, Philippa Forrester

    Writer: N/A

  • Buddha, Bees And The Giant Hornet Queen
    8.7/1022 votes
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    #9 - Buddha, Bees And The Giant Hornet Queen

    Season 25 Episode 8 - Aired 4/25/2007

    The Giant Japanese Hornet is the fiercest looking insect on earth, and one of the deadliest. This film follows the remarkable life of one giant hornet queen, as she emerges from hibernation and starts to build up a colony in an old temple garden. Her army of warriors terrorise the beautiful mountain valley in their constant struggle to find food for their hungry grubs. In a series of dramatic pitched battles, the giant hornets massacre thousands of bees, but victory isn't always assured - one local honeybee fights back thanks to a remarkable defensive strategy, and suddenly it is the hornets that are dying. A beekeeper monk bears witness to the rising power of the giant hornet colony, and despite the hornet's attacks on his own bees, he reveals a deep respect for these incredible predators.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Monkey-Eating Eagle of the Orinoco
    8.7/1054 votes
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    #10 - The Monkey-Eating Eagle of the Orinoco

    Season 30 Episode 1 - Aired 7/8/2010

    The harpy eagle is the most powerful bird of prey in the world, plucking monkeys from the branches of the jungle canopy. Rare and elusive, they are seldom seen, but with the discovery of a harpy nest in the remote Orinoco rainforest of Venezuela, wildlife film-maker Fergus Beeley has a unique opportunity to follow the life of a chick from birth to adulthood. Fergus ascends high into the canopy to reveal a stunning world of colour and sound, following the trials of the harpy eagle's newly hatched chick as it grows up. Fergus becomes just another member of the dazzling community of birds and animals surrounding the harpy nest and develops an unexpectedly close bond with the chick.

    Director: Fergus Beeley

    Writer: N/A

  • The Super Squirrels
    8.7/1018 votes
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    #11 - The Super Squirrels

    Season 38 Episode 6 - Aired 6/19/2018

    The squirrel family is one of the most widespread on earth, so what is the secret to their success? There are squirrels that can glide through the air, outwit rattlesnakes and survive the coldest temperatures of any mammal. We uncover the extraordinary abilities of these cheeky characters, putting their problem solving to the test on a specially designed assault course. We team up with some of the world's top squirrel scientists who are making groundbreaking discoveries - from the fox squirrel who can remember the location of 9,000 nuts to the grey squirrel whose tree-top leaps are the basis of new designs in robotics. We also see the world through the eyes of an orphan red squirrel called Billy, as he grows up and develops all the skills he will need to be released back to the wild. It is time to meet the animal family we should never underestimate - the supersquirrels.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Cork - Forest in a Bottle
    8.6/1017 votes
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    #12 - Cork - Forest in a Bottle

    Season 28 Episode 5 - Aired 12/9/2008

    Every time we weigh up which bottle of wine to buy, we hold the fate of nightingales, rare black storks, secretive wild cats and one of the world's most remarkable trees in our hands. It has all to do with the stopper. If it is cork, it probably came from the bark of one of the ancient cork oak trees from the Montados, in the Alentejo region of Portugal.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Black Mamba, White Witch
    8.6/1065 votes
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    #13 - Black Mamba, White Witch

    Season 29 Episode 4 - Aired 11/19/2009

    In the small African kingdom of Swaziland, the black mamba is a snake both feared and revered. During summer, these elegant yet lethal snakes turn up everywhere - in homes, schools and cars - and people are bitten every week. Enter Thea Litschka-Koen, a mum and hotel manager who has become known affectionately as the white witch. She and her husband are on call 24 hours a day to rescue and release black mambas when they get too close for comfort. But what everyone wants to know is will they come back again? We follow Thea and her team as they set up a pioneering new scientific project: to track the black mambas they release back into the wild, and find out just how these deadly snakes spend their lives.

    Director: Jo Scofield

    Writer: N/A

  • Prairie Dogs - Talk of the Town
    8.6/1023 votes
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    #14 - Prairie Dogs - Talk of the Town

    Season 29 Episode 11 - Aired 2/3/2010

    Prairie Dogs are America's answer to the meerkat - small, sociable and exceptionally cute. This offbeat film narrated by Rob Brydon takes us to the Wild West where prairie dogs live in huge colonies known as 'towns'. Like meerkats they are comical to watch, but there is a whole lot more to prairie dogs than just being cute - they can talk. For 30 years Professor Con Slobodchikoff has been recording their calls in response to predators like coyotes, hawks and badgers. He believes he has discovered a language second only to humans in its complexity. It's a bold claim but is he right? Con has devised a series of cunning field experiments to help prove his point.

    Director: Stephen Dunleavy

    Writer: N/A

  • Echo - An Unforgettable Elephant
    8.6/1086 votes
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    #15 - Echo - An Unforgettable Elephant

    Season 30 Episode 2 - Aired 8/5/2010

    A celebration of the life and legacy of Echo, the world's most famous elephant, who was born in 1945 and died in 2009, and who Natural World followed for the last 20 years of her life. The timing of Echo's death could not be worse. The wise old matriarch had guided her family for half a century but the cruellest drought in living memory devastated her home under the shadow of Kilimanjaro. Will her 38-strong band of relatives and descendants overcome the loss of their leader, hunger and poachers to survive?

    Director: Mike Birkhead

    Writer: N/A

  • Komodo - Secrets of the Dragon
    8.6/1050 votes
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    #16 - Komodo - Secrets of the Dragon

    Season 31 Episode 4 - Aired 8/24/2011

    The Komodo dragon was discovered one hundred years ago, yet the true nature of the biggest lizard in the world is only just being uncovered. Using hi-tech tools to take a fresh look at this prehistoric beast, Dr Bryan Fry discovers there is a lot more to the dragon than meets the eye - from hidden venom glands to its secret origins.

    Director: Stephen Dunleavy

    Writer: N/A

  • Orangutans: The Great Ape Escape
    8.6/1032 votes
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    #17 - Orangutans: The Great Ape Escape

    Season 33 Episode 6 - Aired 10/4/2013

    Leonora is no ordinary orangutan, she is a pioneer. With her three year old son in her arms, she is about to set off on an epic journey back to the wild - the great ape escape. It is a long way from what she is used to. After being orphaned as a baby, she has spent the majority of her life in a rescue centre. She is leaving behind 600 other orangutans, all of whom are relying on her for their chance at freedom. If Leonora can make it, they could too.

    Director: Annie Backhouse

    Writer: N/A

  • Supercharged Otters
    8.6/1077 votes
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    #18 - Supercharged Otters

    Season 37 Episode 5 - Aired 6/20/2017

    Otters are playful, adaptable and champion swimmers - they've captivated cameraman Charlie Hamilton James for the last 25 years. He's filmed them more than anyone else and now, through the eyes of three orphaned river otters, a set of ground-breaking experiments and some incredible wild encounters, Charlie wants to reveal their survival secrets and exactly why he believes they're so special.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • The Wonderful World Of Dung
    8.5/1012 votes
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    #19 - The Wonderful World Of Dung

    Season 10 Episode 3 - Aired 12/8/1991

    No description available

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Moose on the Loose
    8.5/108 votes
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    #20 - Moose on the Loose

    Season 26 Episode 3 - Aired 4/18/2007

    Anchorage capital city of Alaska is the wildest city on Earth thanks to its dramatic wildlife. Alongside 260,000 people are up to 1,000 moose, 200 black bears and 60 grizzlies as well as large numbers of beavers, ravens and eagles. Managing this urban menagerie is all in a day's work for rangers Rick and Jesse. They believe that people and large dangerous animals can live in one city and through the groundbreaking Alaska Fish and Game project they're determined to prove it.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Gabon - Forests of the Future
    8.5/1011 votes
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    #21 - Gabon - Forests of the Future

    Season 26 Episode 10 - Aired 6/6/2007

    In a region of Africa more often in the news for human suffering and civil war, the state of Gabon is a stable democracy that is devoting itself to protecting wildlife. Over 10% percent of the country's rainforest is protected in a series of national parks that are home to elephants, gorillas, chimps and giant troupes of mandrills.

    Director: Stella Cha

    Writer: N/A

  • Queen of the Savannah
    8.5/1016 votes
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    #22 - Queen of the Savannah

    Season 31 Episode 12 - Aired 3/29/2012

    The queen African honeybee rules the savannah - even elephants panic at the buzzing of her hive. This recreates the life of the queen and her colony as they fight to survive. Ground-breaking close-up photography shows a bee-eye view of their world, from the queen murdering her sisters to fighting off giant invaders and eventually migrating across the savannah to the great Mount Kenya. Accompanied by short film Safe in the City with Dr George McGavin on the growth of the urban beekeeper.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: Verity White

  • Jaguars - Born Free
    8.5/107 votes
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    #23 - Jaguars - Born Free

    Season 32 Episode 6 - Aired 1/21/2013

    In this Natural World special, three tiny orphaned jaguar cubs are discovered in a Brazilian forest. A family decide to take the place of their mother and train them to become wild again. Over two years they must learn to climb trees, swim, and hunt for their dinner. If they can be successfully released, it will give new hope to these rare animals. Narrated by Zoe Wanamaker.

    Director: Rob Sullivan

    Writer: N/A

  • Leopards: 21st Century Cats
    8.5/1016 votes
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    #24 - Leopards: 21st Century Cats

    Season 33 Episode 1 - Aired 5/17/2013

    Leopards are built for strength rather than speed, hunting in the shadows and ambushing their prey. In an ever shrinking world, their lives are colliding with people - attacks are reported regularly and hundreds of these big cats are stoned, trapped or shot.

    Director: N/A

    Writer: N/A

  • Africa's Giant Killers
    8.5/1037 votes
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    #25 - Africa's Giant Killers

    Season 34 Episode 1 - Aired 4/11/2014

    Africa's largest herd of elephants and a fearless pride of young lions come face to face in an epic fight for survival. Rarely do their worlds collide, until now. This is no chance conflict; nature has played its part. Drought has weakened the elephants and the lions are desperately hungry. The dawn of the giant killers has arrived.

    Director: Brad Bestelink

    Writer: Rob Sullivan