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The World About Us

Season 16

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A series of films from all over the world about our astonishing planet and the creatures that live on it. Combining natural history with an element of adventure, the series featured well-known naturalists such as Jane Goodall and Gerald Durrell, and the oceanographer Jacques Cousteau. Succeeded by The Natural World.

Where to Watch The World About Us • Season 16

26 Episodes

  • The Blasted Heat
    E1
    The Blasted HeatDocumentary which looks at the heathland of Wessex and its wildlife.
  • The Art of Surviving
    E2
    The Art of SurvivingDocumentary on the natives of one of the world's most inhospitable areas, the North Eastern Amazon basin.
  • Bird of the Thunder Woman
    E3
    Bird of the Thunder WomanAn analysis of a wealth exchange cycle in the Papua New Guinea Highlands. Shows part of the Sa cycle of the Wola people of Halalinja, Southern Highlands Province. Cassowaries and pigs, which are highly prized, are raised by the women. At a ceremony lasting two days, the birds and pigs are slaughtered by the men and the meat is distributed to relatives and friends. The ceremony if just one in an elaborate cycle of gift exchanges.
  • The Axing of the Himalayas
    E4
    The Axing of the HimalayasDocumentary about the deforestation of the Himalayas by man and the ecological consequences of it.
  • The Samurai from Twickenham
    E5
    The Samurai from TwickenhamDocumentary which looks at the Soma wild-horses chase in Japan and one Englishman's unique involvement in it. He is Michael Jay, a 35 year-old Englishman from Twickenham.
  • Futebol Brasil
    E6
    Futebol BrasilDocumentary looking at the fanatical football following in Brazil with emphasis on the Bel Horizon team Atletico Mineiro, and their star forward Reinaldo, with interviews with him, and with the fans of the team.
  • Sky Doctor: A Lifeline for the Outback
    E7
    Sky Doctor: A Lifeline for the OutbackDocumentary which looks at the work of the flying doctor in Australia, concentrating on the work of Dr. Robert Liddell from Perth.
  • Big Business in Bees
    E8
    Big Business in BeesThe vital role played by bees as pollinators in the vast American industry of alfalfa production.
  • Tibet: The Lost Mystery
    E9
    Tibet: The Lost MysteryFirst of a two part documentary which tells the mysterious story of Tibet, a country unseen by Europeans until early this century, of its destruction by invading Chinese in 1950, and the flight into India of the Dalai Lama with 100,000 Tibetans.
  • Tibet: The Bamboo Curtain Falls
    E10
    Tibet: The Bamboo Curtain FallsSecond part of a two part documentary film which look at the daily life in Tibet throughout the twentieth century, with film shot by western travelers in the early part of the century, and an examination of the change in the country after in Chinese invasion in 1950. Compiled principally from Chinese and Tibetan sources, this production reviews the history of Tibet from the Chinese invasion in the 1950's to the present. It includes rare footage of the Dalai Lama's visit to Peking in 1954, the Chinese newsreel coverage of the invasion, Tibetan and Chinese footage of the 1959 uprising and a record of the Dalai Lama's flight to India. Also included are extracts from the footage by the first delegation of the Tibetan Government in exile during a three month tour of Tibet in the fall of 1979.
  • The Incredible Heap: The Story of Garden Compost
    E11
    The Incredible Heap: The Story of Garden CompostThe research which naturalist James Gray does into the lives of the inhabitants of an ordinary garden compost heap.
  • The Mick Burke Award
    E12
    The Mick Burke AwardTwo part special which looks at the six finalists in the competition set up for amateur documentary film-making teams.
  • Trading to Extinction
    E13
    Trading to ExtinctionDocumentary about the trade in wildlife and the products gleaned from the world' s animals, and the effects that the trade is having on the growing list of endangered species.
  • Last Days in Sinai
    E14
    Last Days in SinaiDocumentary which looks at the effects of the 15 years of occupation of Sinai by Israel and the influence that it will have now that the land has been returned to Egypt.
  • South American Sketchbook
    E15
    South American SketchbookDocumentary which follows the journey of artist Feliks Topolski and his son Daniel to South America in the form of a random sketchbook which mirrors the drawings made by Topolski.
  • In Pursuit of the Boar
    E16
    In Pursuit of the BoarDocumentary which looks at the life cycle and the natural enemies (mainly human) of the wild-boar, now extinct in England, but still inhabiting the forests of France.
  • The Trail Blazers
    E17
    The Trail BlazersDocumentary which follows up the young criminals who featured in the "LAST CHANGE WAGON TRAIN" (Season 13, Episode 20) and discovers from them why the scheme seems to work.
  • The Hidden Land
    E18
    The Hidden LandPortrays the life and customs of the Dai people in the South Yunnan Province of the People's Republic of China.
  • Home on the Range
    E19
    Home on the Range
  • Eliza Doolittle Goes to Bombay
    E20
    Eliza Doolittle Goes to BombayDocumentary which compares the fictional version of the life of a Bombay twig seller, as portrayed in a hindi adaptation of the story of Pygmalion with the reallity of modern twig sellers.
  • American Challenge
    E21
    American Challenge
  • Ribbon of Life: One Man's Reef
    E22
    Ribbon of Life: One Man's ReefDocumentary in which marine biologist Alastair Birtles gives his guide to the Great Barrier Reef off the Queensland coast.
  • Stranded
    E23
    Stranded
  • Camels Outback, Eh?
    E24
    Camels Outback, Eh?Documentary which looks at the population of wild camels in the Australian outback, which have been established by strays from camels imported to build railways.
  • The Forgotten Voyage
    E25
    The Forgotten VoyagePlay by Elaine Morgan, which tells the story of naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace and his voyage to the Far East in 1854 where he made discoveries complementary to those of Darwin. Dramatization about the journey made by Alfred Russel Wallace, a young naturalist, to Singapore and the Spice Islands. The journey lasted for eight years from 1854 and Wallace's scientific discoveries paralleled those of Charles Darwin.
  • On the Tracks of the Wild Otter
    E26
    On the Tracks of the Wild OtterDocumentary on the life and habitat of Otter's in the Shetland Isles.

 

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