1. Comment #422058 by MUNRO1 on October 6, 2009 at 3:55 pm

Yet another excellent series from the man who has inspired generations of young people to become interested in wildlife and the world in general.

Here's hoping that he continues to make these shows for many a year.

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2. Comment #422059 by rustylix on October 6, 2009 at 4:02 pm

The anticipation is interfering with my career, just like the weeks before TGSOE was released.

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3. Comment #422061 by chuckgoecke on October 6, 2009 at 4:09 pm

Definitely a hero of mine, This series looks superb!

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4. Comment #422064 by Galapagos on October 6, 2009 at 4:18 pm

I am definitely looking forward to this one. Thanks for the heads up, rd.net!

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5. Comment #422066 by submoron on October 6, 2009 at 4:30 pm

Amazon and the BBC shop are taking orders for the DVD and BluRay release which is at the end of November. I ordered on Saturday. How can it fail?

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6. Comment #422075 by IworshipRD on October 6, 2009 at 5:03 pm

Kudos to the BBC for this series! I must set my DVR!!

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7. Comment #422082 by j.mills on October 6, 2009 at 6:05 pm

Saw the accompanying book in the shops; began to salivate. Starts Mon 12 Oct 09, 9pm BBC1.

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8. Comment #422083 by Ivan The Not So Bad on October 6, 2009 at 6:05 pm

The BBC has also just launched its new "Wildlife Finder" on their website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wildlifefinder/

With an introduction by David Attenborough it's a minor marvel well worth a click or three.

Oh, and don't forget the David Attenborough archive either:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/attenborough/index.shtml

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9. Comment #422085 by Fuzzy Duck on October 6, 2009 at 6:10 pm

Wonderful news! Attenborough himself is a truly a marvel of this world.


And thanks for the links, Ivan The Not So Bad.



Kevin

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10. Comment #422087 by Swordmaiden on October 6, 2009 at 6:17 pm

Oh no,another dilemma for me. I love David Attenborough and love learning from him but I can't because I am a big girlie softie and cannot BARE to see animals killed, even though I know it's nature and the linch-pin of survival of the fittest. I can't help it. I had to watch 'The Genious of Charles Darwin' through my fingers! As soon as I see a zebra or a deer I have to switch off cos I know what's coming. I wish they would make a girlie version and cut out the grizzly stuff!

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11. Comment #422088 by RichardofYork on October 6, 2009 at 6:18 pm

If David Attenborough has done what he usually does then this series will be mega .He's a global treasure Long may he continue .His series "Life in cold blood " was amazing , well all his programmes have been amazing

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12. Comment #422094 by Apathy personified on October 6, 2009 at 6:40 pm

Can't wait, it's going to be epic.

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13. Comment #422095 by AshtonBlack on October 6, 2009 at 6:53 pm

I admire this man immensely. I only wish there was someone that could come close to replacing him. Sadly the likes of DA are few and far between. To me as influential as Sagan or Burke.

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14. Comment #422096 by gbooster on October 6, 2009 at 6:54 pm

these are the only shows I like watching, and Attenborough is the best. I can't wait to see these! Though it will probably be a while since I am in the USA :(

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15. Comment #422103 by j.mills on October 6, 2009 at 7:35 pm

I can't help thinking the themes of some of his series are a tad indistinct: Life On Earth, The Trials Of Life, now Life... Not that I'm complaining! They could call it Brilliant BBC Wildlife Documentary With David Attenborough, Volume 318 and I'd be happy! :)

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16. Comment #422104 by briankelly321 on October 6, 2009 at 7:36 pm

I saw a very interesting interview with Attenborough a few years back on Irish TV. When asked by the interviewer (Pat Kenny) what his thoughts on God were, he said (to paraphrase) that he was agnostic but leaning towards atheism. The only thing that planted doubt in his mind was the inexplicable sense of wonder he experienced when listening to a beautiful piece of music.

I'd love to find a link to the interview. Will post it if I find it.

Its interesting to note also that Pat Kenny, the former host of the Late Late Show was excellent at gently teasing a response out of Sir Attenborough who tried to evade giving a concrete answer. The current host Ryan Tubridy is extremely poor as evinced in his encounters with Richard Dawkins that you can find elswhere on this site.

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17. Comment #422111 by Quine on October 6, 2009 at 8:43 pm

Comment #422087 by Swordmaiden:

I wish they would make a girlie version and cut out the grizzly stuff!

Unfortunately, it is the removal (and the denial) of the grisly stuff that promotes the false impression that the world was made by a perfectly loving deity. People need to see the truth, even though it is not pleasant to behold, as a goad to actual thought.

[edit: grizzly corrected for spelling, thanks j.mills]

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18. Comment #422118 by j.mills on October 6, 2009 at 8:58 pm

[Cough.] "Grisly". "Grizzly" is the bear, who surely doesn't appear in all wildlife programmes...

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19. Comment #422123 by Border Collie on October 6, 2009 at 9:06 pm

Does anyone know if/when this will be in the US?

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20. Comment #422125 by sornord on October 6, 2009 at 9:10 pm

WONDERFUL! Thought he was retiring after Life In Cold Blood...can't wait!

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21. Comment #422128 by digibud on October 6, 2009 at 9:25 pm

I can't find it at Amazon. A link?

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22. Comment #422133 by Electric Sheep on October 6, 2009 at 10:10 pm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-DVD/dp/B002KSA4FG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1254866907&sr=8-6

Realised in the UK on November the 30th

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23. Comment #422145 by Crazycharlie on October 6, 2009 at 11:30 pm

I could never repay what I've learned over the years from Sir David's series and books. It's priceless. You Brits truly have a national treasure in him.

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24. Comment #422146 by Fizzle on October 6, 2009 at 11:36 pm

Why is ES's avatar so big? I did NOT need to see that!

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25. Comment #422149 by mordacious1 on October 7, 2009 at 12:37 am

Fizzle

Neither did the altar boys.

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26. Comment #422155 by Fizzle on October 7, 2009 at 1:42 am

Point.

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27. Comment #422178 by TexasRanger on October 7, 2009 at 5:13 am

Ooooo, narrated by Sir David Attenborough! Another must-watch.

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28. Comment #422188 by Roy_H on October 7, 2009 at 6:22 am

I can't wait!One of my most treasured possessions is a signed copy of his book "The First Eden"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMYgcBxKx-w this guy has got his voice off almost perfectly.

Electric Sheep's avatar, warning, may contain nuts ( albeit probably unused )

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29. Comment #422214 by evotruth on October 7, 2009 at 8:50 am

To pre-order Life:

Click Here

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30. Comment #422233 by Wezzock on October 7, 2009 at 10:58 am

Alright peeps£

How do you get some articles put up on the site£

Thanks

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31. Comment #422238 by ANTIcarrot on October 7, 2009 at 11:27 am

> Using state-of-the-art filming techniques, this 10-part BBC One series, narrated by David Attenborough, is about extreme behaviour.<

I think he missed episode 11: Mind.

We all know cheetahs run fast. Wolves hunt in packs. Some whales can eat tons of krill at a time... Yes the camera work will be visually stunning, but I get the impression we're not going to learn anything that's actually new. Setting ourselves aside, there is a range of exceptional (extreme?) mental atributes and behaviours in the animal kingdom. And most of it is something almost no one knows about.

Isn't it about time the BBC admitted that these beautiful creatures are more than well engineered but mindless killing machines? Even Mr Clarkeson (enarmored of horsepower as he is) will happily admit that computers are also very impressive. Can't Mr Attenborough do the same?

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32. Comment #422240 by Mark Jones on October 7, 2009 at 11:39 am

Comment #422233 by Wezzock

See here.

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33. Comment #422284 by Swordmaiden on October 7, 2009 at 2:42 pm

Comment #422111 by Quine

Thanks Quine, yeah I know it happens and you're right about the reality of it being shown to help dispell the God theory, it's just me, I get upset by it, mainly seeing the prey so scared rather than the blood and gore.
On the subject of "dispelling";Grisly - grizzly - can't say I have ever had to write that word before! Interseting!

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34. Comment #422370 by vicars_daughter on October 7, 2009 at 8:38 pm

Oooh brilliant timing - I have a root canal to "look forward" to on Tuesday. Sir David's dulcet tones will soothe my nerves.

He manages to combine calm authority and boyish excitement, to educate without patronising ... /gush

*bounce* I can't wait.

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35. Comment #422374 by j.mills on October 7, 2009 at 8:57 pm

Good luck with the dentistry! While you're lying there, reflect on the wonderfully intelligent design that neglected to include maintenance panels in tooth enamel...

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36. Comment #422388 by vicars_daughter on October 7, 2009 at 9:37 pm

Thank you and well said, j.mills

Whilst lying there, I will (thanks to the wonders of humanity's scientific endeavours) be totally out of my gourd ... no dentist gets a drill near me without lots of lovely IV sedation :o)

(edited as I forgot my manners!)

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37. Comment #422720 by sheepscarer on October 9, 2009 at 9:28 am

Yes we are right to be worried about replacing the great David - the BBC seems to be obsessed with celebrity these days at the expense of expertise. I recently watched (admittedly a light-weight magazine programme) the One Show's wildlife spot to be told by the very attractive 'wildlife expert' how bats use RADAR to navigate in their nocturnal foraging trips.

There is a little hope on the horizon with presenters like Chris Packam and Simon King who are trying to inject a little science into the BBC's Autumn and Springwatch anthropomorphic series but even this can be frustrating - last week Kate Humble replied to a viewer's question about sparrowhawks devastating the local songbird population by saying this would not happen as the sparrowhawk would take care not to deplete its food supply!

Can't think of anybody else at the moment. The last bastion of expertise on the BBC is Patrick Moore's The Sky at Night which is an absolute gem and does seem to have wonderful communicators and experts. I watch this and sometimes don't understand it but I'm always humbled and awestruck.

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38. Comment #422725 by PERSON on October 9, 2009 at 10:43 am

37. Comment #422720 by sheepscarer on October 9, 2009 at 9:28 am
The Cell?
Bang Goes the Theory? (slightly annoying, but hardly short of rigour)
Country file? (often fluff pieces, but they do go into serious issues with considerable expertise, and one of the presenters is a farmer)
Last Chance to See?
That's just what's on now.

It's also ignoring radio programmes:
Material world, Leading Edge, In Our Time (often), and plenty of others.

Then there was the LHC coverage, particularly Brian Cox' stuff. That's just off the top of my head. There's been plenty of other good programmes.

Do you actually watch the BBC, or just flick over to it occasionally? Perhaps you should have a look at the iPlayer:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/categories/factual/science_and_nature/

I love TSAN as well, but it's hardly the "last bastion".

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39. Comment #422767 by louis14 on October 9, 2009 at 9:17 pm

31. Comment #422238 by ANTIcarrot

Unlike most non-BBC animal documentaries I've seen, Attenborough's output has been a light-year away from touting the natural world as just 'mindless killing-machines'.

The recent series have been about spectacle. Seeing behaviour that we've previously not been shown, or seeing it in ways that reveal more about animal behaviour than we knew before. I'm not sure which programs you've been watching.

All that said, I think there's a lot of mileage in describing nature in terms of mind. I'm very curious about all the complex behaviour which is contantly explained away as 'instinct', for instance, which doesn't explain the mechanism of instinct.

And then there are all those things which we have defined ourselves by, and which get eroded as the years go by. Birds and chimps using tools for instance. So much for 'man - the tool-maker'.

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40. Comment #422825 by sheepscarer on October 10, 2009 at 10:32 am

I stand corrected - agreed that BBC Radio 4 is superb and worth the licence money on its own.

I still maintain that its science output on TV is poor and dumbed down. Countyfile is photogenic and cosy I grant you but its so-called 'investigations' with John Craven are about as in-depth as Blue Peter. Bang Goes the Theory epitomises all that is wrong with the BBC's tv science output - an obsession with short attention spans and whizz-bang visuals. This kind of approach has already trashed the once excellent Horizon series. You mentioned 4 programmes (1 a farming magazine) in a week long schedule covering all the BBC channels. It's hardly impressive.

On the other point about wildlife spectacle and other areas, perhaps, neglected: how about an ecological perspective. There have been many fascinating natural experiments and insights: trophic cascades, game theory, brood-parasitism (mimetic eggs in birds), niche exclusion/competition, reciprocal altruism, sphexism, nutrient cycles, sexual selection, social versus solitary etc etc. It would be nice to delve a bit deeper sometimes and understand the complex relationships in the natural world. The struggle for survival (hunter versus hunted) has been amply dealt with by DA's programmes - let's look at some of its fascinating ecological consequences.

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41. Comment #422837 by bluebird on October 10, 2009 at 2:07 pm

Wish I knew what that spectacular critter in the photo is. Dang, can't watch this series :(

But, the BBCR4, yeah!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n3jxh

BBC article about the blue butterfly re-introduction:
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8102739.stm?ad=1

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42. Comment #423101 by digibud on October 11, 2009 at 6:46 pm

Thanks for the ordering links, but none are from the US Amazon and I continue to be unable to find a way to order it in the US. Perhaps it's not available yet? Anyone find a link on Amazon for the heathens in the colonies?

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43. Comment #423264 by stephenray on October 12, 2009 at 12:54 pm

@ swordmaiden:

If you can't bare to see animals killed, me and the rest of the guys will give you a dispensation to watch with your clothes on.

(tee hee)

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44. Comment #428629 by BigJohn on October 31, 2009 at 10:42 pm

OK, I give up. Where can I watch this? Where can I download this? Where can I buy this on DVD? So far I have searched and searched and have found nothing viable.
I will not, however, guarantee that I will watch it clothed when I do find it.
Ohh, it's Halloween. Do come in, my dear, we'll watch a DVD instead of me giving you candy; it will be most exciting for you, I am sure, heh, heh, heh...
Well, maybe next year.

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