Image: David Attenborough at Kaieteur Falls in Guyana filming Life on Earth.
The landmark natural history series Life on Earth began on 16 January 1979. The series was written and presented by David Attenborough, in an ambitious attempt to provide an authored overview, as Kenneth Clark did with Civilisation. The series took 3 years to make and took Attenborough all over the world.
In the first episode he began in the South American rainforest and ended up on the Great Barrier Reef. However for most of the time he stayed out of the picture and provided a discreet commentary, allowing the impressive photography to speak for itself.
The most memorable sequence in Life on Earth saw Attenborough sitting with a band of gorillas. He was able to convey the similarities that humans and gorillas share as he calmly addressed the camera. Many creatures and behaviours were captured on film for the first time; the programme showed the living fossil fish coelacanth, and the spectacular courtship displays of birds of paradise.
The success of the series, confirmed the BBC Natural History Unit as world leaders in natural history filmmaking. Life on Earth provided the template for several more Attenborough series, including Living Planet, Trials of Life and Life of Birds. It created an audience expectation for stunning and unique photography that the NHU continues to meet with series such as Planet Earth.
January anniversaries
The Six Wives of Henry VIII
1 January 1970
The Brains Trust
1 January 1941
The Archers
1 January 1951
Z Cars
2 January 1962
Trumpton
3 January 1967
Open University
3 January 1971
Camberwick Green
3 January 1966
Final edition of The Listener published
3 January 1991
Gardeners' World
5 January 1968
A Question of Sport
5 January 1970
Forces Programme
7 January 1940
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit
10 January 1990
First in-vision television weather forecaster
11 January 1954
The League of Gentlemen
11 January 1999
Goodness Gracious Me
12 January 1998
Listen with Mother
16 January 1950
Life On Earth
16 January 1979
First episode of BBC Breakfast Time
17 January 1983
Blankety Blank
18 January 1979
The Week's Good Cause
24 January 1926
Under Milk Wood
25 January 1954
Television Dancing Club
27 January 1948
Desert Island Discs
29 January 1942
Newsnight
30 January 1980
The State Funeral of Sir Winston Churchill
30 January 1965
Alas Smith and Jones
31 January 1984
