Attenborough in Paradise and Other Personal Voyages

You haven’t really seen the world until you see it through the expert eyes of acclaimed natural historian, Sir David Attenborough. This outstanding collection of seven Attenborough Specials represents some of the famed naturalist’s most personal quests and passionate enthusiasms. In the title program, Attenborough in Paradise, he captures the spectacular courtship displays of New Guinea’s birds of paradise. Then you’re invited to follow as Attenborough traces a piece of amber in The Amber Time Machine, discovers the history behind a strange figurine in The Lost Gods of Easter Island, and reveals exotic courtship and mating habits in Bowerbirds: The Art of Seduction. The set also includes A Blank on the Map and The Song of the Earth. Applaud Attenborough’s 50- year career at the BBC with your host Michael Palin in Life on Air, a 2002 tribute.

Attenborough In Paradise - The most beautiful, dazzling and glamorous birds in the world live in New Guinea. Only a few species of birds of paradise and bowerbirds have ever been filmed, partly because they are so shy, partly because they live in such remote regions. This film is the first portrait of the family as a whole. Sir David Attenborough takes the viewer into hiding places, up trees and through swamps to observe their splendid plumage, their wonderful courtship displays, their fascinating behavior and their amazing variety.

A Blank On The Map - The central area of New Guinea was thought to be uninhabited until aerial photographs showed signs of human habitation. David Attenborough accompanies an expedition into the interior to find and make contact with these people and map the area.

The Lost Gods of Easter Island - "A grotesque head, attached to a body grossly elongated and as thin as a stick, carved in wood." When Attenborough saw this remarkable carving at an auction, he knew it was more important than the auctioneers believed. He bought it and tried to find out more about it. The search takes him all over the globe, from Russia to Australia, England to Easter Island, where the truth lies. In a very different role from that of explorer and observer of wildlife, David changes his spots to become a historical detective on the trail of a small wooden figurine with a unique history.

Bowerbirds: The Art of Seduction - Bowerbirds' antics put the most extravagant of soap operas into the shade. The males are obsessed with sex and will do anything to get it. They are master decorators, building elaborate bowers to attract a female. However, sometimes neighboring bowerbirds pay sneaky visits and steal decorations, bright feathers, fruits and flowers to adorn their own nest. They are also birds with all the darker emotions associated with sex: envy and jealousy. They sometimes gang up on an over-successful neighbor. Master storyteller David Attenborough, as author and presenter, ensures this is a memorable treat.

The Song of The Earth - Humans have been making music since our ancestors descended from the trees. So what is it for? Attenborough's two great passions combine in this personal and groundbreaking natural history of music. Despite many attempts, you can't explain music in terms of survival of the fittest, and it's far more than a by-product of an overdeveloped brain. In The Song of the Earth, David seeks to prove, using a surprising and wide variety of evidence, that the origins of music lie in territory, emotion and sex.

Life on Air - This landmark program reveals the remarkable history of David Attenborough's half-century career at the BBC. Attenborough joined the BBC in 1952 and has seen the BBC become world-renowned across a number of genres, including, of course, the genre that he has come to epitomize - natural history. Archive footage reminds us of some of his most unforgettable moments, revealing the extraordinary history of his life on air. Michael Palin presents the program and interviews Attenborough and key figures from his career.

The Amber Time Machine - Amber holds the secrets of the tropical rainforests of 25 million years ago. A lifelong collector of amber, Attenborough embarks on a journey of discovery, examining and identifying the contents of this unique material, tracing the animals and plants entombed in this resin back to their origins. Detective work and specialized visual effects enable this film to unravel extraordinarily detailed stories about these ancient tropical plants and animals, bringing them to light for the first time.