BBC HomeExplore the BBC
This page was last updated in September 2005We've left it here for reference.More information

5 December 2009
Accessibility help
Text only
Documentaries BBC Four

BBC Homepage
BBC Television
Get BBC Four
FAQ

Contact Us

Like this page?
Send it to a friend!

 
Drying cod, Lofoten Islands, Norway © Dan Tapster
  EUROPE: A NATURAL HISTORY
BBC Two: Sundays from September 11 2005
 
 

A stunning four-part series, charting the dramatic events which have shaped the ever-changing landscapes and wildlife of Europe.

1. GENESIS
Sunday 11 September 9pm-9.50pm
An epic three billion year story begins, with the unravelling of clues as to how Europe's stunning landscapes and wildlife were created. Witness Oxford roamed by dinosaurs, the Jura vineyards of France swallowed under tropical seas, St Petersburg buried under desert sands and the mightiest event of all, the birth of the Mediterranean.

2. ICE AGES

Sunday 18 September 9pm-9.50pm
Over the past two million years Europe has been swept by waves of extreme climatic change. Two kilometre thick ice sheets carved their way across the continent, reaching as far south as London, Amsterdam and Berlin. Mammoths wandered the North Sea, and even lions and hippos roamed Trafalgar Square. Then, shortly before the last great Ice Age released its grip, our ancestors set foot on the continent.

3. TAMING THE WILD
Sunday 25 September 9pm-9.50pm TBC
In the last 10,000 years Europe has been transformed from a largely forested, virgin landscape in to the manicured continent we know today, and at an ever-accelerating rate. As culture spread its influence across the land with monumental symbols of ownership, animals were tamed, seeds were sown, forests decimated and minerals excavated. How did wildlife cope with these drastic changes, and what impact did they have on ourselves?

4. A NEW MILLENNIUM
Sunday 2 October 9pm-9.50pm TBC
Today, some 730 million people live in Europe. How is wildlife adapting to this brave new world, who are the winners and losers, and what efforts are we making to help? And ultimately, given the problems with unwelcome and invasive species on the continent through international trade, and an increasingly fickle climate, the future could bring all sorts of surprises.

 
 
BBC FOUR NEWSLETTER
Sign up for TV programme and website news
  BBC Four Newsletter
IN PICTURES
A stunning gallery of
images from the series
Wolves in the Alps © Klaus Feichtenberger

 

BBC Links

British Isles: A Natural History

Natural History of Wales

Natural History Museums:
UK and Ireland

Volcanoes

Earthquakes

External Links

Natural History Museum, London

Geological Timescale Maps
Includes Jurassic period, Cretaceous period and more

Paleomap Project
2 & 3-D maps of changing plate tectonics

Geology of Great Britain
An introduction from the University of Southampton

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites

 



About the BBC | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy