Sir David Attenborough goes back in time to the roots of the tree of life, in search of the very first animals

In fifty years of broadcasting, Sir David Attenborough has travelled the globe to document the living world in all its wonder. Now, in the landmark series, David Attenborough\'s First Life, he completes his journey by going back in time to the roots of the tree of life, in search of the very first animals.

Sir David Attenborough looks at the natural history of the Antarctic continent

An encounter with the penguins, whales, albatross and other animals that eke out a living in the Antarctic. First in the series

Documentary about the wildlife in Antarctica. In September, spring begins, and the programme follows the activities of elephant seals, albatross, penguins, crab-eater seals and snow petrels. Second in the series

Documentary about the wildlife in and around Antarctica during the short summer, when seals and penguins are racing to raise their young before the return of the long winter. Third in the series

Penguins, seals, albatross and whales prepare to leave Antarctica before the winter storms shut off their food supplies. Fourth in the series

About wildlife in Antarctica in the middle of winter. Weddell seals maintain holes in the ice for access to food and shelter from the worst storms. Fish hide in the ice relying on their own natural anti-freeze to stop ice crystals growing in their tissues. Emperor penguins huddle together in groups to incubate a single egg. Fifth in the series

David Attenborough visits Captain Scott's abandoned hut in Antarctica and recounts the epic story of his struggle to be the first human being to stand at the South Pole. Now there is a permanent settlement of scientists. He explains the techniques, both old and new, used to capture the images used in "Life in the Freezer." Sixth in the series

The story of life, from the first primitive cells to the plants and animals that now live around us.

Life on Earth: A Natural History by David Attenborough is a groundbreaking television natural history series made by the BBC in association with Warner Bros. and Reiner Moritz Productions. It was transmitted in the UK from 16 January 1979.

A little furry animal from the jungles of South-East Asia, called a tree shrew, has attracted great interest from scientists because it shows how a great group of animals may have originated - the mammals.

David Attenborough explores the eternal duel between the hunters and the hunted - one of the driving forces of evolution.

David Attenborough's now legendary encounter with young gorillas is featured in this episode as he looks at the history of primates, whose ancestors sought their fortune in the treetops. There they developed binocular vision for accurately judging distances, and the ability to grasp trees with a firm grip. The group includes dazzling gymnasts, deafening choristers and highly cultured monkeys.

David Attenborough looks for crucial clues that help to explain how and why we have come to dominate life on Earth.

Bright blue starfish, crimson feather stars, shell-less snails in designs as extravagant as any Paris fashion show, shrimps of every colour, others that are transparent - just a sample of the animal wonders to be found in a small area of the Great Barrier Reef.

For most of Earth's history there was no life on land. But over 400 million years ago some tiny plants began an invasion from the water, closely followed by the first animals - the ancestors of millipedes and insects.

The number of insect species runs into millions; a single termite colony may consist of a million individuals; a locust swarm even a million million.

Fish occur in populations of billions and there are over 30,000 species, more than in any other group of backboned animals. The development of the backbone was a crucial advance in evolution -and it probably came from a most unlikely source, a little jelly-like creature called a sea squirt.

Some 350 million years ago, evolution reached one of its most crucial stages when fish crawled from water onto the land and became amphibians. Today, newts, salamanders, toads and frogs still survive in great quantities, and there is even one species of frog where the male gives birth from its mouth! Presented by David Attenborough

David Attenborough looks at the history of reptiles, the first back-boned creatures to solve the problems of living high and dry on the land. Their waterproofed skin and sealed eggs enabled the mighty reptiles to rule the world.

The story of life, from the first primitive cells to the plants and animals that now live around us. David Attenborough examines the uses and advantages of birds' unique possession - the feather. Man has yet to invent anything that, weight for weight, is as strong as the feather. Feathers are insulators, they provide the surface of the most perfect aerofoils known - bird's wings

Mammals have proved to be one of the most adaptable products of evolution. David Attenborough looks at their evolution from reptiles 200 million years ago. This remarkable transition involved the development of mechanisms for regulating body temperature, for allowing the young to develop in the womb and for suckling newborns.

David Attenborough brings us the universal story that unites each of us with every animal on the planet, the story of the greatest of all adventures - the journey through life. In the first episode, animals overcome their first great hurdle - surviving infancy.

In the journey towards adulthood, a moment comes for all animals when they must strike out on their own. With their parents absent they must learn to survive in a dangerous world. At this stage of life every small success may mean the difference between life and death.

Animals must find somewhere to live - a place that provides the necessities of life, shelter from the elements and a refuge from enemies.

Animals must try to gain a position of power in their worlds. The most powerful have best access to food and water, and they are also the most attractive to the opposite sex.

David Attenborough explores the courtship displays of flame bowerbirds and pufferfish.

In this final episode, animals attempt to rear their offspring.

Life Story takes us on the greatest of all adventures - the journey through life.