Main content

Islands

Episode 1 of 6

Wildlife documentary series presented by David Attenborough, beginning with a look at the remote islands which offer sanctuary to some of the planet's rarest creatures.

Remote islands offer sanctuary for some of the planet's strangest and rarest creatures. The rare pygmy three-toed sloth enjoys a peaceful existence on an idyllic Caribbean island, while nesting albatross thrive in predator-free isolation.

But island life always comes at a cost. On the Galapagos Islands, young marine iguana must escape an onslaught of deadly racer snakes the moment they hatch from the sand. On the sub-Antarctic island of Zavodovski, life gets more extreme still. Every day, one and a half million penguins risk being battered against the rocks by fierce waves as they try to get on and off the island.

Available now

58 minutes

Audio described

On TV

Sunday 10:35

More episodes

Previous

You are at the first episode

See all episodes from Planet Earth II

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:32

    Jónsi

    Around Us

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter David Attenborough
Composer Hans Zimmer
Producer Elizabeth White
Executive Producer Michael Gunton

Broadcasts

  • Sun 6 Nov 2016 20:00
  • Sun 13 Nov 2016 16:15
  • Thu 24 Nov 2016 01:05
  • Tue 31 Jan 2017 20:00
  • Wed 1 Feb 2017 02:35
  • Tue 23 May 2017 21:00
  • Tue 5 Sep 2017 16:15
  • Tue 2 Jan 2018 16:15
  • Sun 27 Sep 2020 14:20
  • Sun 27 Sep 2020 16:20
  • Sun 2 Jul 2023 16:45
  • Mon 29 Jan 2024 19:00
  • Tue 30 Jan 2024 01:25
  • Sun 7 Apr 2024 10:35
  • Mon 22 Apr 2024 10:00
  • Sunday 10:35

Featured in...

More tales from Planet Earth II

More tales from Planet Earth II

Discover more stories that took place behind the scenes whilst making Planet Earth II

Planet Earth II in 360º

Planet Earth II in 360º

Take virtual tours of some of the locations the Planet Earth II team have visited.

The Planet Earth II Playlists on iPlayer

The Planet Earth II Playlists on iPlayer

Radio 1 DJs Benji B, David Rodigan and Huw Stephens play music over aerial footage.

Gallery