Channel logo

Spectacular Earth

Season 1
Get closer than ever before to some of the world's most stunning phenomena and discover the extraordinary forces that coincide to make each mesmerizing spectacle happen. This astonishing natural history documentary looks at the science and spectacle behind, lightning, megawaves, volcanoes and auroras to discover what causes them and the devastating damage they can inflict.
20224 episodesTV-PG
Free trial of BBC Select

Prime membership required

Terms apply

Episodes

  1. S1 E1 - Lightning
    July 29, 2022
    52min
    7+
    In Arizona, lightning strikes from so high above the ground, through such clear air, that it creates the perfect conditions for the most electrifying show on Earth. This remarkable natural history documentary also reveals the science behind cloud-fall on Table Mountain in South Africa, a frozen waterfall in the Alps and the vast wildflower blooms of the South African veldt.
    Free trial of BBC Select
  2. S1 E2 - Megawave
    August 5, 2022
    49min
    TV-PG
    Nazaré in Portugal is the site of the biggest ocean waves ever recorded on Earth. To understand the science behind these monsters, this stunning natural history documentary plunges beneath the waves to reveal the sprawling landscapes of the seabed. It also travels to South Africa and witnesses the Sardine Run, captures a circular rainbow at Victoria Falls and chases tornados in the Midwest.
    Free trial of BBC Select
  3. S1 E3 - Volcano
    August 12, 2022
    52min
    TV-PG
    Volcan del Fuego in Guatemala is one of the most explosive volcanoes of them all. This jaw-dropping natural history documentary gets right inside this phenomenon using drones and by lowering a data gathering probe into the crater to unearth the science before it erupts. There are also spectacular flamingos flocking in Kenya, and a dramatic boiling geyser in Iceland.
    Free trial of BBC Select
  4. S1 E4 - Aurora
    August 19, 2022
    52min
    TV-PG
    The largest of all of Earth's spectacular displays stretches across thousands of kilometers in the night sky: the Aurora Borealis. The arctic wilderness of Northern Sweden is one of the best places to witness the aurora and this natural history documentary sets up camp there. Plus, the beauty of total eclipses is explored and mass turtle migrations in Costa Rica are recorded.
    Free trial of BBC Select

Details

More info

Subtitles
None available
Producers
Jane Aldous
Studio
BBC Studios Productions
By clicking play, you agree to our Terms of Use.