Wild Isles

Original version

BBC Northern Ireland region started on 19th April 1955 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One Northern Ireland.

BBC One Northern Ireland

Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

David Attenborough reveals the spectacular and important British wildlife on our doorstep.

Extraordinary. Dramatic. Beautiful. Sir David Attenborough celebrates the wonders of British wildlife. It's our home, as you've never seen it before.

Series 1

BBC Two

The BBC North East & Cumbria region started in 1959 (tbc) as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One North East & Cumbria.

BBC One North East & Cumbria HD

BBC One Nightlight

Simulcast of network BBC One in high definition. From 03/11/2010

BBC One HD

The BBC South West region started on 20th April 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South West.

BBC One South West HD

The BBC East region started on 1st May 1959 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One East.

BBC One East

BBC One region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

BBC One East Midlands

BBC One East Midlands HD

BBC One North West HD

BBC One Yorks & Lincs

BBC One Yorkshire

BBC One East HD

The BBC South region started on 5th January 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South.

BBC One South

BBC One West Midlands

The BBC West region started on 1st September 1957 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One West.

BBC One West HD

BBC One Yorks & Lincs HD

BBC One South West

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region. Separated as BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One London HD

BBC One Oxfordshire HD

BBC One Cambridgeshire HD

BBC One North East & Cumbria

BBC One South HD

BBC One Cambridgeshire

BBC One Oxfordshire

BBC One London

London

BBC One Channel Islands HD

BBC One Yorkshire HD

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region that included London and part of the South region. Separated from BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One South East HD

BBC One South East

BBC One West

BBC One North West

BBC One West Midlands HD

BBC One Channel Islands

BBC One Wales

Wales

Simulcast of BBC One Northern Ireland in high definition. From 24/10/2012

BBC One Northern Ireland HD

BBC One Scotland

Scotland

Simulcast of BBC One Wales in high definition. From 29/01/2013

BBC One Wales HD

Simulcast of BBC One Scotland in high definition. From 14/01/2013

BBC One Scotland HD

Simulcast of network BBC Two in high definition.

BBC Two HD

BBC Two England

England

BBC Two Northern Ireland

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

BBC Two Wales

Simulcast of BBC Two Wales in high definition

BBC Two Wales HD

Simulcast of BBC Two Northern Ireland in high definition

BBC Two Northern Ireland HD

David Attenborough

Gisle Sverdrup

Andy Netley

Hilary Jeffkins

Alastair Fothergill

Silverback Films Ltd

Wild Isles: Series 1: Ocean

Ocean

BBC One - Wild Isles, Series 1, Ocean

David Attenborough explores our mysterious seas and reveals dramatic wildlife stories.

David Attenborough explores our seas, from the vibrant and surprising shallows to the abundant open ocean, and reveals some extraordinary and dramatic wildlife stories.

Sir David Attenborough explores the surprisingly vibrant seas that surround the British Isles. The vast watery wilderness around us is over three times the size of our land mass, and yet to many, our oceans remain a mystery. Full of colour and teeming with life, the seas of Britain and Ireland are crucially important to a range of wildlife. This episode goes beneath the waves to uncover the thriving habitats that exist along our 22,000-mile coastline.

In winter, clear evidence of the ocean’s abundance can be seen on a beach in Norfolk. Thousands of grey seals congregate on the shoreline to give birth. Britain and Ireland are home to 40 per cent of the world’s grey seals, and the number being born on our shore rises every year. Once the newly born pups are weaned, the females are ready to breed again, and heavyweight males enter violent, bloody fights to win a stretch of beach, and the females along with it. 

Beyond the beach, the vibrant shallows contain several important habitats. Rich beds of seagrass are nurseries for a range of animals, while also acting as very important carbon storage areas. They are also home to one of the strangest fish in our waters, the seahorse. We follow a male and female as they perform a balletic mating dance in the water, delicately entwining their tails. The stakes are high, as these animals mate for life.

In deeper water, patterned cuttlefish prowl the water on the hunt for food. When night falls, tiny algae floating in the water alert the cuttlefish to nearby prey. The bioluminescence allows the cuttlefish to snatch their victims, even in the dead of night.

Some animals, like the spider crab, undergo a mass migration along the shallow seabed. For just a few days every year, thousands of crabs march together, forming a huge mass of bodies. Others, like the slow-moving royal flush sea slug, have a more mesmerising way of migrating. They use the water currents to carry them to new and food-rich areas, using their bodies like wings to swim upwards and drift. 

At the most northerly point of the British Isles are the Shetland Islands. The undisturbed coastline here is a stronghold for more than a thousand otters. We follow a fearless young otter as it dives to the sea floor, turning up rocks in search of fish and crabs. They need to catch enough prey to keep warm in the frigid northern water. Thankfully, the pickings here are rich.

The Corryvreckan whirlpool off Scotland's west coast is the third-largest whirlpool on the planet. Clashing currents recycle nutrients up to the surface, and the waters become a rich soup of tiny floating algae that serve as food for a group of alien-looking animals called the zooplankton, which are in turn a crucial food for our largest fish, the basking shark. 

Herring and mackerel form huge swirling shoals as they too feed on plankton, and this attracts the attention of aerial hunters. Gannets dive at speeds of more than 60 miles an hour to snap up the fish. As they hit the surface, they fold their wings back to avoid them breaking on impact. 

In a touching piece to camera, Sir David bids a fledging Manx shearwater chick farewell as it embarks on a 6,000-mile journey across the oceans to South America. There is no better example of how important the British Isles and its abundant seas are to the survival of wildlife worldwide.

Wild Isles: Series 1

BBC One

David Attenborough reveals British wildlife as spectacular as anything found on the globe.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Wild Isles

Series 1

Ocean

Contributors

Genres

Brand

Series

BBC One Northern Ireland

About BBC One