11 September 2023

Nature provides a constant world of wonders, awesome spectacle and species adapting to often challenging environments. But which are the top nature documentaries, and why? We take a look at the best work by the BBC’s legendary Natural History Unit, fascinating campaigning films tackling the climate emergency – and humans’ part in it – and even documentaries that bring extinct animals back to life.

Plus, as the official sponsor of the Wildscreen Festival, we’ve also highlighted scores and soundtracks, ranging from Philip Glass to Hans Zimmer. The latter revealed the power of music in the best nature documentaries when he spoke to National Geographic recently:

‘There is an inherent mystery and element of extraordinary chance in the world of nature. The music mercilessly seduces you into paying attention to what is going on onscreen… We make everything look beautiful, absolutely wonderful, and for a moment you love it all. When really, we should be saying, wake up – we’re destroying it all. And when we destroy it, we will destroy ourselves.’

Here are the nature docs we’ll be diving into:

• Life on Earth
• Planet Earth II
• An Inconvenient Truth
• The Blue Planet
• The Frozen Planet
• Walking with Dinosaurs
• Racing Extinction
• Kiss the Ground
• Blackfish
• The Cove
• Wild China
• Wild Caribbean
• Earthshot: Repairing our Planet
• Attenborough’s Life in Colour
• March of the Penguins
• Chris Packham’s Animal Einsteins
• Natural History Museum: World of Wonder
• A Perfect Planet
• Cheetah Family and Me
• Koyaanisqatsi
• Forest of the Golden Monkey – China’s Hidden Kingdoms
• Jane
• Our Planet
• Cowspiracy
• My Octopus Teacher
• Seaspiracy

The Best Nature Documentaries

Life on Earth (1979)

The OG of nature documentaries was made by the BBC in 1979, and featured David Attenborough travelling the globe, tracing the story of the evolution of life on our planet. This was the show that really established David Attenborough as not only TV’s foremost naturalist, but also an icon of British culture.

From building replicas of mole rat burrows to spending hundreds of hours waiting for a Darwin’s frog, which incubates its young in its mouth, to finally spit them out, the show pioneered a number of filming techniques to capture often rare, elusive animals.

The series’ most iconic sequence was when Attenborough interacted with a group of mountain gorillas in Dian Fossey’s sanctuary in Rwanda. He described the encounter in his memoirs as, ‘one of the most exciting encounters of my life.’

The series’ soundtrack was just as innovative. Composer Edward Williams’ avant-garde score was recorded with a traditional chamber music ensemble, combined with electronic sounds, processed through an early British synthesizer, the EMS VCS 3.

Planet Earth II (2017)

For natural history filmmaking at its most riveting, look no further than Planet Earth II’s most celebrated sequence. Baby iguanas have to run the gauntlet across a sandy beach to the safety of the rocks, whilst chased by a cascade of beady-eyed, super-fast racer snakes.

The desperate chase sequence is so gripping that it’s been watched over 26 million times on YouTube (and it won Virgin TV’s ‘Must See Moment’ awards at the BAFTAs). The final iguana’s near-miraculous escape is soundtracked by blockbuster supremo and Oscar-winner Hans Zimmer, who expertly ramps up the tension.

When it came to writing the music for it, Zimmer said, ‘Imagine you’re a Hollywood composer, and so you know a lot of Hollywood directors who are all doing their car chases and whatever. Nobody ever had as exciting a chase, as exciting footage, as that. It’s incredibly emotional stuff. All the music is trying to do is shine an additional light onto things. Make it something that gets under your skin.’

Zimmer has also scored Seven Worlds, One Planet and Blue Planet II for the BBC. This year saw him combine forces with another BBC favourite, George Fenton, to conduct the Earth Prom, a musical celebration of the iconic moments filmed by the BBC’s Natural History Unit, at the Royal Albert Hall, to celebrate the BBC’s centenary.

An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

Director Davis Guggenheim eloquently weaves the science of global warming with former Vice President Al Gore’s personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change in the nature documentary that kick-started a worldwide discussion of climate change.

Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way - often humorous, frequently emotional, and always fascinating. In the end, An Inconvenient Truth accomplishes what all great films should: it leaves the viewer shaken, involved and inspired.

Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to obtain and disseminate information about the climate challenge and put it on the political agenda. According to the Nobel Committee at that time, Gore was probably the single individual who had done most to rouse the public and the governments that action had to be taken to meet the climate challenge. ‘He is,’ in the words of the Committee, ‘the great communicator’.

The Blue Planet (2001)

‘Our planet is a blue planet: over 70% of it is covered by the sea. The Pacific Ocean alone covers half the globe. You can fly across it non-stop for twelve hours and still see nothing more than a speck of land. This series will reveal the complete natural history of our ocean planet, from its familiar shores to the mysteries of its deepest seas.’

The natural history of the world’s oceans is captured in this beautifully-filmed documentary. Yet another ground-breaking series from the BBC, state of the art underwater photography techniques were used to capture previously un-filmed species and their behaviour. From tidal to coral, seasonal to frozen, The Blue Planet revealed the extraordinary wonders and surprises of life underwater.

The series took almost five years to make, covering nearly 200 filming locations. The camera team spent three years on standby, waiting to film blue whales – they finally caught up with them in the Gulf of California. Whilst in South Africa, the team spent two seasons attempting to film the annual sardine run.

George Fenton’s gorgeous score, which won a BAFTA for Best Original Music, kick-started the fashion for live orchestral performances of TV scores – The Blue Planet Live! toured the UK from 2006-2008. The show featured some of the most spectacular sequences, displayed on a huge screen, 18 metres wide and three storeys high.

The Frozen Planet (2011)

With The Frozen Planet, the BBC revealed the last great wildernesses on the planet – the Polar regions. The seven episodes take the viewer across the frozen lands of the Arctic and the Antarctic to observe the climactic conditions and examine the challenges faced by indigenous wildlife.

Despite being so seemingly inhospitable, these vast, frigid landscapes are surprisingly rich with life. The Natural History Unit once again captures unimaginable imagery above and below the ice, using cutting-edge camera technology and crystal-clear high-definition cinematography.

Featuring polar bears, Arctic terns, krill, minke whales and penguins, the series won BAFTAs for Best Sound: Factual, Best Photography: Factual and Best Editing: Factual, together with four Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

George Fenton once again composed the musical score and songs, conducting the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Walking with Dinosaurs (1999)

If you’re a Jurassic Park fan, then why not watch the ‘real’ thing? Combining fact and informed speculation with computer graphics and animatronics effects that were cutting-edge at the time, the series took two years to make and was a huge hit. It made a distant world as real and natural as images from today’s Serengeti.

The series begins in the late Triassic period and concludes in the late Cretaceous period, as you watch insectivorous pterosaurs chase moths in the evening air, or bull Torosaurus lock horns over a young female. Tracing the 145-million-year history of dinosaurs, from their first appearances to their abrupt demise, this series marked a watershed in TV imagery.

The score was composed by Benjamin Bartlett, who has also written for Vera, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man and He Kills Coppers and took home the BAFTA for Best Original Music.

Racing Extinction (2015)

As you might expect from the title, this is a documentary exploring the devastating effects of climate change on the world’s oceans. Human activity currently threatens half of the world’s aquatic species with mass extinction.

Academy Award-winning documentary director Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) joins scientists, environmentalists, activists, artists and engineers to draw attention to the pressing issue of mankind’s role in mass extinction in this sobering eco-thriller. The filmmakers also offer suggestions as to what each of us can do to protect nature, our oceans and the environment for generations to come.

J. Ralph is an Academy Award-nominated composer, and his score for Racing Extinction also includes the original song ‘One Candle’, recorded with SIA.

Kiss the Ground (2020)

‘The answers we’ve been looking for to fight climate change are right under our feet. Regenerative agriculture is a way to use the planet’s own natural systems to rebalance our climate while meaningfully supporting the farmers and ranchers we all rely on every day’, Filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell

Narrated by Woody Harrelson, Kiss the Ground sheds light on a ‘new, old approach’ to farming called ‘regenerative agriculture’, which has the potential to balance our climate, replenish our water supplies and feed the world.

This covers ideas such as reduced tilling, limits on nitrogen fertilisers, use of cover crops and prioritisation of animal and plant diversity. Based on a book of the same name, and directed by award-winning filmmakers Josh and Rebecca Tickell, the film shows how soil health is tied to our planet’s overall heath.

Blackfish (2013)

Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, a notoriously aggressive orca that killed three people while in captivity at SeaWorld in Florida. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite uses shocking footage and emotional interviews to present a convincing case against keeping these wild animals for human entertainment.

The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw praised Blackfish for being, ‘as horribly gripping as a serial-killer thriller, though the real villain is not the ostensible culprit, but its human captors’. He concluded that, ‘we frown on circus animals and we would be horrified by zoos which featured the keepers riding around on lions’ backs or sitting on the shoulders of gorillas. Yet the whale acts are still acceptable. Not for much longer, perhaps.’

Highly regarded as a jazz instrumentalist, American composer Jeff Beal creates music that often incorporates improvisatory and composed elements. His dramatic soundtrack for Blackfish shows the scope of using a full orchestra to create storytelling tension.

The Cove (2009)

Using state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.

In September every year, over 2,000 small whales and dolphins may be captured or killed in the dolphin drive hunting season. The Cove, directed by Racing Extinction’s Louie Psihoyos, is a provocative mix of investigative journalism and eco-adventure, whose arresting imagery makes this an unforgettable and courageous story, inspiring both outrage and action.

Wild China (2008)

The best animal documentaries show you something unexpected and transformative. Billed as ‘the last hidden world’, this ground-breaking six-part series brought never-before-seen images of Chinese wildlife, landscapes and people into our homes. From the world’s highest mountains to steaming forests, grassy plains and rich tropical seas, the programme took more than two years to complete and includes rare footage of some of China’s most remote regions, including the Mongolian steppes and the Yuanyang rice terraces.

The beautiful score was composed by Barnaby Taylor and performed by Cheng Yu and the UK Chinese Ensemble.

Wild Caribbean (2007)

Along with Wild China, Wild Caribbean was part of the BBC Natural History Unit’s ‘Continents’ programmes, surveying the natural history of each of the world’s major land areas.

The four-part series was narrated by actor Steve Toussaint – now starring as Lord Corlys Velaryon in HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon. The series reveals the islands’ hidden wild side, including the mangrove forests of Barbuda’s lagoons, which host the Caribbean’s largest colony of frigate birds, Cuba’s limestone caves and the 20,000 Caribbean flamingos that arrive to breed on the southerly ABC islands’ salt pans.

The original score was by David Lowe who, fun fact, is also the composer of the iconic BBC News theme, which he originally wrote in 1999.

Earthshot: Repairing our Planet (2020)

The Earthshot Prize is awarded to five winners each year for their contributions to environmentalism. The five categories were inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals; they are the restoration and protection of nature, air cleanliness, ocean revival, waste-free living, and climate action.

Launched in 2020 by Prince William and David Attenborough, the Prince gave a TED Talk discussing climate change and encouraged world leaders to take action, to mark the launch of the ten-year project. Prince William and Attenborough both appeared in the accompanying BBC documentary, which detailed the importance of environmental work and discussed the new prize.

Attenborough’s Life in Colour (2021)

David Attenborough gets up close and personal with the animal kingdom to bring our colourful world to life through a whole new perspective.

Find out why tigers are orange, zebras have stripes and flamingos are pink – and technology enables viewers to look beyond our limited, human, perception and see things from the creatures’ own unique visual perspectives.

March of the Penguins (2005)

This French feature-length nature documentary, depicting the year-long journey of the Emperor Penguins of Antarctica, was directed and co-written by Luc Jacquet, and co-produced by the National Geographic Society.

The beautiful documentary chronicles the heroic and harrowing journey that the penguins make, amid subfreezing temperatures and violent snowstorms at the South Pole, in order to mate. Biologist and filmmaker Jacquet had to be almost as determined as his subjects – he spent more than a year filming, in the harshest of conditions.

Empire hailed it for, ‘producing some of the most beautiful images of the Antarctic ever committed to celluloid’, whilst Alex Wurman’s sprightly soundtrack is a stand-alone pleasure.

Chris Packham’s Animal Einsteins (2021)

Get inside the minds of nature’s savviest species with Chris Packham, and prepare to be amazed. Cunning corvids, fast-fingered chimps and the buzz words of bees all show how smart animals have to be to survive. Packham and the BBC team uncover an array of clever strategies across the animal kingdom.

Natural History Museum: World of Wonder (2021)

Venture behind the doors of one of the greatest museums in the world, London’s Natural History Museum. Revealing everything from the life story of the 25-metre long skeleton of Hope, the blue whale, to piecing together the skeleton of a T-Rex, you’ll also encounter some of the never-before-displayed items from the museum’s 80 million-strong collection.

A Perfect Planet (2021)

Covering volcanoes, the sun, weather, oceans and the human impact on the environment, this is another ambitious earth science series from the BBC. Over 3,000 hours of footage were captured for the series, which spans 31 countries.

The five-part series shows how the forces of nature, such as ocean currents and solar energy, drive, shape and support Earth’s great diversity of life. In doing so, it reveals how animals are perfectly adapted to whatever their environment throws at them.

The beautiful orchestral soundtrack was created by award-winning composer Ilan Eshkeri (Stardust, The Young Victoria), who said that, ‘creating the music for A Perfect Planet has been a hugely rewarding experience. The series celebrates the extraordinary world we are a part of, as well as showing the delicate balance of the systems that support life, and what we need to do to ensure its future stability.

‘It’s a message that’s very important to me and one that I believe we have a responsibility to engage with – in a way that not only educates but inspires the next generation. This influenced my approach to the music, and set me on an unconventional path… I hope my music can play a small part in helping to inspire change.’

Cheetah Family and Me (2021)

Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan embarks on an adventure to get up close and personal with an animal family, following two cheetah mums as they work against all odds to protect and provide food for their gorgeous young cubs.

Based in the Kalahari, Buchanan experiences at first hand the very real dangers these beautiful big cats face from their harsh environment, dangerous wildlife and dwindling prey, with the help of expert cheetah guides Richard Satekge and Julius Mkhize.

A subtle soundtrack brings both lightness and drama, according to what the two cheetah families are experiencing.

Koyaanisqatsi (1982)

This Hopi word means ‘life out of balance’. Director Godfrey Reggio’s unconventional documentary details the inherent conflict between nature and urbanism. An original score by legendary composer Philip Glass complements the stunning cinematography.

Featuring extensive footage of natural landscapes and elemental forces, the film gives way to many scenes of modern civilisation and technology. Given its lack of narration and dialogue, the production makes its points solely through imagery and music, with many scenes either slowed down or sped up for dramatic effect.

Forest of the Golden Monkey – China’s Hidden Kingdoms (2021)

Meet China’s most affectionate and vocal monkeys in the remote, seasonal forests of Central China. Follow the journey of a baby Golden snub-nosed monkey during the first year of her life as she learns all about her forest home and battles the elements to survive, in National Geographic’s stunning documentary.

Jane (2017)

National Geographic began producing documentaries in 1965, featuring the work of Jane Goodall, Jacques Cousteau and Dian Fossey.

They returned to the work of Jane Goodall in 2017, drawing on over 100 hours of never-before-seen footage tucked away in the National Geographic archives for over 50 years. Award-winning director Brett Morgen (Montage of Heck, The Kid Stays in the Picture) tells the story of the extraordinary woman whose chimpanzee research challenged the male-dominated scientific consensus of her time.

The story of the trailblazer who defied the odds to become one of the world’s most admired conservationists is soundtracked by a rich orchestral score from legendary composer Philip Glass. The Hollywood Reporter had particular praise for Glass’s music and the part it plays in the documentary: ‘Set to an almost overwhelmingly emotional original score by Philip Glass, this is a wondrous and moving account of a remarkable life, that puts us right there with Goodall.’

The Best Nature Documentaries on Netflix

Our Planet (2019)

Netflix’s ambitious first nature documentary enables viewers to experience our planet’s natural beauty and examines how climate change and humans impacts all living creatures.

The series’ spectacular scope was overseen by Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey, the producers behind world-famous nature documentaries Planet Earth, Frozen Planet and The Blue Planet.

From frozen worlds to jungles, coastal seas to deserts and grasslands, forests to fresh water, Bryan Resnick of Vox praised the series for its take: ‘Humans have caused staggering amounts of wildlife loss. Our Planet doesn’t hide from it’.

Specially commissioned orchestral music by Stephen Price was accompanied by theme song ‘In This Together’ by Ellie Goulding.

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)

Billed as, ‘the film that environmental organisations don’t want you to see!’, Cowspiracy was described by director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) as, ‘a documentary that will rock and inspire the environmental movement’ and is definitely a conversation-starter.

The film follows intrepid filmmaker Kip Andersen as he uncovers the most destructive industry facing the planet today: animal agriculture. As eye-opening as Blackfish, and as inspiring as An Inconvenient Truth, this is a shocking, yet humorous documentary, which reveals the devastating environmental impact of large-scale factory farming.

My Octopus Teacher (2020)

‘What Charlotte’s Web did in the popular imagination for the humble, much-maligned barn spider, My Octopus Teacher sets out to achieve for the eight-limbed mollusc of its title — a creature of great, shimmery beauty and mystery regarded by many with more bemusement than affection.’ Variety.com

My Octopus Teacher took home the Oscar for the Best Documentary Feature in 2021. Filmmaker Craig Foster forges an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, learning as the animal shares the mysteries of her world.

Every day for a year, Foster went free diving, wanting to be ‘more like an amphibious animal’, without barriers between himself and the environment. The spellbinding film, as well as revealing the hidden depths of octopus’ behaviour and intelligence, also showcased the world of the kelp forests, which make up roughly 25% of global coastlines.

The soundtrack is by Kevin Smuts, who took home the award for best score at the International Documentary Awards.

Seaspiracy (2021)

Passionate about ocean life, British filmmaker Ali Tabrizi sets out to document the harm that humans do to marine species — and uncovers alarming global corruption. Seaspiracy examines the global fishing industry and shows how human actions cause widespread environmental destruction.

Fishing has wiped out 90% of the world’s large fish and is the greatest threat to marine wildlife. An astonishing 30,000 sharks are killed every hour, whilst 70% of macro plastic at sea comes from fishing gear. Plus, there’s a human cost, with 24,000 fisheries workers dying on the job every year and widespread forced labour reported in 47 countries.

It’s another bold, eye-opening documentary from Netflix that changed many people’s ideas on the ‘sustainability’ of fishing.

Wildscreen Festival 2022

As you can see, whether you want to be awed by its power, or inspired to make changes in order to conserve wildlife and ecosystems, there’s a nature documentary for you. Nature docs are one of our favourite genres – so much so that we’re very proud to be the official Music Partner of Wildscreen Festival 2022. Wildscreen celebrates the very best in natural world storytelling, and is taking place from October 10th-14th.

For more on TV, films and ads check out the Edit, our expertise and inspiration-packed blog.

Soundtracking Nature

Looking for inspiration for your nature documentary score? We have a wealth of fantastic tracks for you to license, including:

• ‘Beautiful Life’ by Patrick Hawes combines joyful piano with busy, nostalgic strings, ideal for a positive, slightly quirky sequence.
• Kes Loy’s ‘As I Go Higher’ is a thoughtful picked acoustic guitar track, perfect for a section full of warmth and optimism.
• If you’re looking for ‘Active Optimism’, then choose Mark Petrie’s track, with uplifting, warm synths, strings and a melodic piano build. It’s also got a triumphant ending, making it great for a ‘journey’-type section.
• If there’s another Walking with Dinosaurs doc, then may we suggest including ‘March of the Mammoth’? Emotional strings blend with battle drums and a haunting vocal chant.
• ‘Peek a Boo’ is giving us cheeky monkey vibes, or inquisitive young animals exploring and getting into trouble with its jaunty, mischievous pizzicato strings, xylophone and clarinet.
• For dreamy aerial, or underwater shots, Luke Richards’ aptly-titled ‘Electricity in the Air’ features hypnotic, floaty piano arpeggios, with light pulsing synths and atmospheric textures.
• Any Aussie nature doc can take Alies Sluiter’s ‘Edible Emus’ as its musical starting point. Full of didgeridoo and pizzicato strings, it’s also got animal noise effects to fully seal the deal.
• If you’ve got a quieter interlude to score, then why not give Matt Nasir’s ‘Not a Care in the World’ a listen? Its serene piano and strings are laid over a light female vocal bed.
• Or for something a bit darker, try ‘Heart of the Storm’ – its slow, moody soundscape features a drone and clarinet, which remind us of deep space, or alien-looking life forms miles down in the ocean.
• If you loved Frozen Planet, then ‘Arctic Blue’ will transport you back to the icy landscapes, courtesy of its wistful piano and harp.

Or do some globe-trotting with our world documentary series playlist, our hand-picked seasonal playlists, such as Spring, or discover our wide-ranging, cross-genre playlists and latest albums, which are updated every fortnight.