David Attenborough BBC Natural History documentaries

[Guernica78]

I thought there would be existing threads already but my searches were quite futile. (Apologies if there are and my searches were in accurate)

For quite a while I’ve been wanted to collect and build up a library of the great David Attenborough nature documentaries he’s made for the BBC. is there a list of releases out there or can anyone advise. I know there’s a lot but it’s confusing as to what releases there are. I surprising amount still seems to be on DVD where as Blue Planet is on Blurray but Blue Planet 2 is on 4k.

Anyone got any advice or is it worth getting certain box sets. I feel I may have bitten off more than I can chew so anyone with an interest in this please feel to add to the thread.

[Magyalmar]

That's very easy, just go to https://www.blu-ray.com/David-Attenborough/68933/

Click on "4K Ultra HD", "Blu-Ray" or "DVD" depending on what format you're looking for.

[Deadend45]

A more useful post would be the David Attenborough nature productions narrated by somebody else.

[Guernica78]

Originally Posted by Magyalmar

That's very easy, just go to https://www.blu-ray.com/David-Attenborough/68933/

Click on "4K Ultra HD", "Blu-Ray" or "DVD" depending on what format you're looking for.

Brilliant, dry usefulness thanks. Though it doesn’t seem to show any of the box sets or combined releases.

[Magyalmar]

Originally Posted by Guernica78

Brilliant, dry usefulness thanks. Though it doesn’t seem to show any of the box sets or combined releases.

Yeah, good point. I'm not sure why, because the boxset pages do display David Attenborough as a credit (The Planet Collection or David Attenborough 3D Collection, for example).

Maybe somebody with more knowledge about how the website works has a solution to display the boxsets.

[Guernica78]

Originally Posted by Deadend45

A more useful post would be the David Attenborough nature productions narrated by somebody else.

Sorry, I don’t understand?

[petermaverick]

Originally Posted by Guernica78

Sorry, I don’t understand?

Have you looked on websites that sell blu-rays/ DVDs and 4K discs?

[fatboyslim142]

Maybe you or someone should start doing a thread on David Attenborough UK releases into BD (All BD), UHD (All UHD) & DVD (DVD ONLY) groups along with separate groupings for the following:

Originally Posted by Deadend45

A more useful post would be the David Attenborough nature productions narrated by somebody else.

& any film (ie edited for cinema) versions of Attenborough TV series.

Going through the Attenborough filmography on Wikipedia would help. Maybe someone should also do a different thread for non-Attenborough BBC Natural History releases using the "BBC Studios Natural History Unit filmography" page on wikipedia.

[LigandFields]

I have the BBC's bluray of LIFE ON EARTH and it's a classic. Nearly all of it was shot on film and so scrubs up very nicely on bluray.
So if you wanna start your Attenborough collection, you can begin at the beginning with that one.

[Deadend45]

Originally Posted by Guernica78

Sorry, I don’t understand?

You're joking right?

[2-J]

The complete list of Attenborough on UK 4K UHD releases, in release order is:

Planet Earth II
Blue Planet II
Dynasties
Seven Worlds One Planet
A Perfect Planet
The Green Planet
Frozen Planet II
Planet Earth III

Since Planet Earth II, several of his series have come out in the UK on DVD and standard blu ray only. E.g. The Mating Game, Dynasties II. And likely, Asia as well since there is no UHD currently listed on Amazon UK ... a lot of angry Amazon 'reviewers' complaining about a lack of UHD for that one.

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by 2-J

The complete list of Attenborough on UK 4K UHD releases, in release order is:

Planet Earth II
Blue Planet II
Dynasties
Seven Worlds One Planet
A Perfect Planet
The Green Planet
Frozen Planet II
Planet Earth III

Since Planet Earth II, several of his series have come out in the UK on DVD and standard blu ray only. E.g. The Mating Game, Dynasties II. And likely, Asia as well since there is no UHD currently listed on Amazon UK ... a lot of angry Amazon 'reviewers' complaining about a lack of UHD for that one.

Thanks for this list. Do you have a list of BD titles? Doesn't matter the order listed & that way someone could list which have also had UHD releases next to them in brackets or by highlighting them in a different colour to donate the also UHD release ones. That way the person who does this won't have to do a separate list for the UHD titles.

[Guernica78]

Originally Posted by fatboyslim142

Maybe you or someone should start doing a thread on David Attenborough UK releases into BD (All BD), UHD (All UHD) & DVD (DVD ONLY) groups along with separate groupings for the following:



& any film (ie edited for cinema) versions of Attenborough TV series.

Going through the Attenborough filmography on Wikipedia would help. Maybe someone should also do a different thread for non-Attenborough BBC Natural History releases using the "BBC Studios Natural History Unit filmography" page on wikipedia.

All good points, but I don’t know how to do links or post pics I’m afraid! Useless at things like that (I’m like someone’s Gran)

Yeah was suprised there didn’t seeem to be any specific threads on Natural History. Love them when I watch on tv then realise that I needed my own libary of them and confused myself why I haven’t started already! It’s been hard to find exact releases though. And it seems a bit random what’s in 4k and Blurray etc

[Guernica78]

Originally Posted by LigandFields

I have the BBC's bluray of LIFE ON EARTH and it's a classic. Nearly all of it was shot on film and so scrubs up very nicely on bluray.
So if you wanna start your Attenborough collection, you can begin at the beginning with that one.

Thank you. Yes this is high on my list! As it was one of the flagship series I wasn’t sure if it was out there in 4k or not as searching throws up conflicting results on different sites. (There seems to be official dvd-r releases)

Still if it looks good on Blurray I will snap that up if it’s the best we can get. Thank you.

[Guernica78]

Originally Posted by 2-J

The complete list of Attenborough on UK 4K UHD releases, in release order is:

Planet Earth II
Blue Planet II
Dynasties
Seven Worlds One Planet
A Perfect Planet
The Green Planet
Frozen Planet II
Planet Earth III

Since Planet Earth II, several of his series have come out in the UK on DVD and standard blu ray only. E.g. The Mating Game, Dynasties II. And likely, Asia as well since there is no UHD currently listed on Amazon UK ... a lot of angry Amazon 'reviewers' complaining about a lack of UHD for that one.

This is really useful thank you so much. Yes, I was always confused at to what was 4k and what wasn’t. I shall use this as a guide. It’s mystifying why the first blue planet doesn’t have a 4k release

[LigandFields]

Originally Posted by Guernica78

Thank you. Yes this is high on my list! As it was one of the flagship series I wasn’t sure if it was out there in 4k or not as searching throws up conflicting results on different sites. (There seems to be official dvd-r releases)

Still if it looks good on Blurray I will snap that up if it’s the best we can get. Thank you.

Well look at it this way: the picture quality on the Bluray is an order of magnitude better than what it looked like when originally broadcast on BBC2 in 1979! (Since for transmisson, the film would have been 'telecined' onto PAL videotape then beamed out to everyone's CRT TV set via UHF radiowaves...) It's a significant upgrade!
It may well have been shot on 16mm, as that was standard BBC practice at the time.

[Guernica78]

Originally Posted by LigandFields

Well look at it this way: the picture quality on the Bluray is an order of magnitude better than what it looked like when originally broadcast on BBC2 in 1979! (Since for transmisson, the film would have been 'telecined' onto PAL videotape then beamed out to everyone's CRT TV set via UHF radiowaves...) It's a significant upgrade!
It may well have been shot on 16mm, as that was standard BBC practice at the time.

Very good point, it’s easy to always search for a better version when there’s one that’s good enough. Still trying to justify my 4k player lol

[LigandFields]

Originally Posted by Guernica78

Very good point, it’s easy to always search for a better version when there’s one that’s good enough. Still trying to justify my 4k player lol

Well his more recent series are showcases for UHD! So certainly worth watching those in 4K.

Just a shame that, last time I checked, his 1980s stuff was still only available on DVD.

[fatboyslim142]

Originally Posted by Guernica78

Sorry, I don’t understand?

I think they mean things such as the US Discovery (co producers) releases of the US versions of Planet Earth & Life which were f***ed about with by said US channel & replaced the great Attenborough narration with the dull monotonous sleep inducing voice of Sigourney Weaver & the bloody annoying preachy billionaire Oprah respectively.

[Deadend45]

Originally Posted by fatboyslim142

I think they mean things such as the US Discovery (co producers) releases of the US versions of Planet Earth & Life which were f***ed about with by said US channel & replaced the great Attenborough narration with the dull monotonous sleep inducing voice of Sigourney Weaver & the bloody annoying preachy billionaire Oprah respectively.

You mean it wasnt the other way around? I thought the women were the original narration. teehee

I thought Weaver had shot the footage herself while on set for Gorillas in the Mist with a 1080i camera or was it the Gorillas?....