David Attenborough is a promotional hook for Monday’s long-awaited launch of discovery+.
The 94-year old legend narrates A Perfect Planet, a blue chip series that stands out among the new streamer’s higher quality programs.
I am in awe of Attenborough’s lifetime contribution to documentary filmmaking. I earned a credit on one of his hit series. (See 2016 below.)
The discovery+ press campaign inspired me to take a right turn away from writing abput the streamer’s prospects and instead to focus on Attenborough’s dominating audience appeal.
BBC1 has been his UK broadcasting home.
In this post:
- I list the top BBC1 wildlife programs from 2020 back to 2011.
- Attenborough’s programs are highlighted with links.
- The data is explained in notes below the 2020 list.
Here is my ratings data tribute to David Attenborough, with brief Takeaways.
BBC1 Nature & Wildlife Programs
2020
Programme Title | ‘000 P4+ | Share | |
1 | Extinction: The Facts | 4,374 | 22.4 |
2 | Primates | 4,211 | 16.8 |
3 | Planet Earth: A Celebration | 4,109 | 21.7 |
4 | Blue Planet Revisited | 3,942 | 23.2 |
5 | Spy in the Wild | 2,862 | 11.3 |
6 | Blue Planet II | 2,814 | 18.2 |
7 | Planet Earth II | 2,284 | 13.2 |
8 | Attenborough and the Sea Dragon | 2,269 | 16.6 |
9 | Penguins – Spy in the Huddle | 1,910 | 14.1 |
10 | Animal Park | 1,618 | 25.9 |
11 | Seven Worlds, One Planet | 1,449 | 11.9 |
12 | Snow Animals | 369 | 7.6 |
13 | Iolo: The Last Wilderness of Wales | 207 | 1.4 |
14 | Stormborn (See my Case Study) | 173 | 0.8 |
15 | Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands | 138 | 1.7 |
Notes on the Data
- The ‘000 P4+’ column refers to viewers 4 years and older in thousands.
- Share refers to the program’s share of television sets in use at that time.
- The data refers to highest single episode in a series.
- The categories come from BARB, and titles are sometimes incomplete.
- Excuse any oversight if I incorrectly labeled a series.
Still from Sea Dragon
2019
Programme Title | ‘000 P4+ | Share | |
1 | Seven Worlds, One Planet | 8,704 | 39.8 |
2 | Blue Planet Live | 5,745 | 24.3 |
3 | Earth from Space | 4,494 | 17.8 |
4 | Snow Animals | 3,455 | 17.6 |
5 | Blue Planet II | 3,392 | 17 |
6 | Serengeti | 2,951 | 16.8 |
7 | Animal Park Summer Special | 2,040 | 36.8 |
8 | River Walks | 1,901 | 10.6 |
9 | The Farmers Country Showdown | 1,628 | 16.4 |
10 | Spy in the Snow | 1,437 | 13.3 |
11 | Life in the Snow | 1,119 | 16.3 |
12 | Dynasties | 1,087 | 10.3 |
Hit Drama vs Hit Wildlife
- The highest-rated BBC1 dramas in 2019 were Line of Duty (10.7 million) and Call the Midwife (8.7 mill).
- ITV’s #1 drama was Manhunt (8.7 mill).
- Seven Worlds‘ 8.7 million viewers is a measure of Attenborough’s untiring appeal, and of the UK broadcast audience’s intense interest in the quality documentary format.
2018
Programme Title | ‘000 P4+ | Share | |
1 | Dynasties | 8,060 | 31.3 |
2 | Spy in the Snow | 5,085 | 25.2 |
3 | Big Cats | 5,026 | 22 |
4 | David Attenborough & the Giant Sea Dragon | 4,860 | 18.9 |
5 | Animals with Cameras | 4,021 | 18.7 |
6 | Earth’s Natural Wonders | 3,676 | 14.7 |
7 | Elephants on the Move | 2,743 | 14.8 |
8 | River Walks | 2,690 | 13.7 |
9 | Blue Planet II | 2,681 | 16.7 |
10 | Animals Behaving Badly | 2,259 | 13 |
11 | The Deer Stalker: Our Lives | 1,865 | 12 |
12 | Animal Park Summer Special | 1,599 | 30.6 |
13 | The Farmers Country Showdown | 1,548 | 16.7 |
14 | Attenborough and the Giant Elephant | 1,157 | 11.4 |
2017
Programme Title | ‘000 P4+ | Share | |
1 | Blue Planet II | 14,011 | 45.8 |
2 | Spy in the Wild | 6,218 | 25.7 |
3 | Wild Alaska Live | 5,998 | 31.9 |
4 | Attenborough and the Giant Elephant | 5,378 | 20.3 |
5 | Snow Bears | 4,969 | 23.6 |
6 | Galapagos | 4,173 | 16.9 |
7 | Judi Dench My Passion for Trees | 3,075 | 13 |
8 | The Farmers Country Showdown | 2,757 | 15.6 |
9 | Super Small Animals | 1,825 | 9.2 |
10 | Animal Park Easter Special | 1,729 | 28 |
Still from Blue Planet
2016
Programme Title | ‘000 P4+ | Share | |
1 | Blue Planet II | 13,143 | 43.3 |
2 | Life in the Snow | 4,163 | 18.4 |
3 | Forces of Nature with Brian Cox | 3,944 | 16.3 |
4 | Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People | 3,701 | 15.7 |
5 | Nature’s Miracle Orphans | 3,658 | 18.7 |
6 | Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough | 3,653 | 13.8 |
7 | Ingenious Animals | 3,257 | 15.7 |
8 | Nature’s Epic Journeys | 2,749 | 11.6 |
9 | Autumn: Earth’s Seasonal Secrets | 2,441 | 16.3 |
10 | Animal Babies | 2,213 | 15.8 |

2015
Programme Title | ‘000 P4+ | Share | |
1 | The Hunt | 5,801 | 21 |
2 | Big Blue Live | 5,329 | 27.8 |
3 | Earth’s Natural Wonders | 4,882 | 22.1 |
4 | Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough | 4,510 | 18.2 |
5 | Pets: Wild at Heart | 4,423 | 18 |
6 | Animals in Love | 4,245 | 20.6 |
7 | Super Cute Animals | 4,230 | 21.7 |
8 | Snow Chick: A Penguin’s Tale | 4,215 | 17.5 |
9 | Shark | 3,994 | 17.1 |
10 | Nature’s Boldest Thieves | 3,014 | 16.1 |
2014
Programme Title | ‘000 P4+ | Share | |
1 | Dolphins: Spy in the Pod | 5,292 | 20.3 |
2 | Life Story | 5,119 | 20.6 |
3 | The 7 Wonders of the Commonwealth | 4,376 | 19.1 |
4 | Operation Wild | 4,159 | 19.3 |
5 | Hidden Kingdoms | 3,801 | 15.3 |
6 | Nature’s Miracle Orphans | 3,789 | 21.2 |
7 | Monkey Planet | 3,635 | 14.9 |
8 | 24 Hours on Earth | 3,358 | 14.8 |
9 | Frozen Planet | 2,479 | 12.4 |
10 | Talk to the Animals | 2,428 | 12.5 |
2013
Programme Title | ‘000 P4+ | Share | |
1 | Africa | 8,519 | 28.1 |
2 | Penguins – Spy in the Huddle | 5,835 | 20.7 |
3 | Animal Odd Couples | 5,588 | 21.5 |
4 | Great Bear Stakeout | 3,988 | 15.5 |
5 | The Great British Year | 3,935 | 16.8 |
6 | Ultimate Swarms | 3,123 | 13.4 |
7 | Britain and the Sea | 2,994 | 10.3 |
8 | Britain’s Big Wildlife Revival | 2,957 | 15.8 |
9 | Super Giants Animals | 2,620 | 10.9 |
2012
Programme Title | ‘000 P4+ | Share | |
1 | Planet Earth Live | 6,061 | 22.9 |
2 | Earthflight | 5,075 | 18.1 |
3 | Snow Babies | 4,752 | 20.1 |
4 | The Great British Countryside | 4,372 | 17.8 |
5 | Supersized Earth | 4,258 | 16.1 |
6 | Richard Hammond’s Miracles of Nature | 4,022 | 16.4 |
7 | Land of the Lost Wolves | 3,859 | 14.8 |
8 | Polar Bear: Spy on the Ice | 2,750 | 14.8 |
9 | Miniature Britain | 2,550 | 10.8 |
10 | Frozen Planet | 2,044 | 14.8 |
Still from First Life
2011
Programme Title | ‘000 P4+ | Share | |
1 | Frozen Planet | 9,727 | 34.1 |
2 | Ocean Giants | 5,941 | 22.7 |
3 | Earthflight | 5,771 | 20.7 |
4 | Planet Dinosaur | 4,741 | 18.5 |
5 | Nature’s Miracle Babies | 4,043 | 19.8 |
6 | Walk on the Wild Side | 2,126 | 14.4 |
7 | Polar Bear: Spy on the Ice | 1,755 | 10.5 |
8 | Animal 24:7 | 1,503 | 24.1 |
9 | Halcyon River Diaries | 1,262 | 7.4 |
10 | David Attenborough’s First Life | 590 | 10.5 |
More on discovery+
- Here is a Discovery presser: discovery+ to Highlight Our Wonderfully Perfect World and the Adventures She Bestows on us with a Variety of Nature Docuseries Launching on Jan 4
- Will You Pay to Stream Comfort Shows? Discovery Is About to Find Out (New York Times)
And coverage of A Perfect Planet
- Not even London lockdown could stop David Attenborough’s new series (The Age, Melbourne)
- ‘Like a mission to Mars’: making David Attenborough’s A Perfect Planet (Guardian)
Read my earlier posts including:
- discovery+. What You Need to Know! Key Facts and Takeaways
- David Attenborough’s U-Boat Explores the Great Barrier Reef for BBC1