Frozen Planet (2011)

This Frozen Planet special brings together the very best highlights of the series, taking viewers on a spectacular journey through the entire polar year - from the depths of winter to the melting world of the polar summer. In the south, spring starts with the comical stone-stealing adelie penguin males. In summer the females return and the parents struggle to raise their chicks before the big freeze of autumn. In the north, tiny polar bear cubs begin their lives under the snow, while the male faces the harshest winter on Earth. Will all three cubs survive as the ice melts beneath their feet? These stories, together with unforgettable moments from Frozen Planet's other characters, play out against breathtaking polar scenery in this one-hour special.

Attenborough narrates this overview of modern day exploration of the South Pole, introducing the technology, equipment and facilities that allow scientists to survive and thrive in one of the most inhospitable places on the planet. (Blu-Ray bonus)

A survey of the Arctic and Antarctic, discovering magical new ice worlds inhabited by the most extraordinary animal survivors on Earth.

The sun returns after months of darkness, dynamically transforming the landscape. Millions of migrants join the hardy residents as they find mates and begin to breed.

Summer creates a window of opportunity that attracts hordes of visitors who cram a lifetime of drama into a few short months as they feed, fight, and rear their young.

Polar landscapes are transformed as the big freeze returns. Most animals leave on epic journeys, some now battle to breed, and, for the hardy few, it’s a time of opportunity.

During winter most animals abandon the polar regions, but a few extreme survivors remain. This is the story of their strategies and battles to survive the planet’s harshest weather.

Humans have no natural protection against the cold of the polar regions. Why, therefore, have we been visiting these remote places for thousands of years; and what keeps us going back today?

A look at how scientists measure changes in the polar regions and what those changes mean for the animals and people who live there, as well as the rest of the planet.