The series was broadcast at an unfortunate time, most newspapers were on strike. The main article about the series was to be found in the magazine “Wildlife” (that was later to be renamed as “BBC Wildlife”).
David Attenborough (1979). “The secrets of My New TV Spectacular”. Exclusive interview, Wildlife Magazine, Volume 21, No.2, February 1979 pp. 6-9.
Series filming locations
The book “True to Nature” included a chapter on the production of this series, following the filming crew on their trip to the US. The series starts in South America (some South American rainforest) before it goes to the Galapagos Islands. It is therefore interesting to start a larger scale overview of the series filming locations by looking at the Americas. This also combines sequences from various other episodes in the series, showing them differently.
The only episode that does not take place on that particular continent is the final one, about humanity.
Concentrating on the Americas the filming locations in episode 2 where in
Canada, British Columbia 33′-35′ — looking for fossils — and
on the east coast of North America – 40’40-43’25 -looking for horse shoe crabs
In episode 3 – talking about plants while life was stepping onto land
Attenborough was showing us the petrified forest of Arizona in 36′-38′
In episode 4 (about insects) he appears with parasol ants stripping trees of their leaves in South America @44′-47′.
Filming locations (where Attenborough appears):
Filming locations in the Americas
North America:
| Location | Contents | Episode: location |
| Not localised | Horse shoe crabs at eastern seaboard of North America | Episode 2: 40’40-43’25 |
| Attenborough talking while enjoying dolphins from an aquarium in the States | Episode 10: 46′ | |
| Attenborough appears in North America explaining how the buffalo eat | Episode 11: 8’30 | |
| Outside map – Hawaii | Swimming with humpback whales near Hawaii | Episode 10: 37’30 |
Hawaii
Outside map – Swimming with humpback whales near Hawaii (37’30) episode 10
The rest of the American locations were easier to pinpoint
| # | Location | Contents | Episode: location |
| 1 | Canada | Segmented worms found in the Rocky Mountains, British Columbia | Episode 2: 33′-35′ |
| 2 | Grand Canyon | Fossil hunting in the Grand Canyon | Episode 1: 11′ |
| 2 | The petrified forest of Arizona, close to the Grand Canyon | Episode 3: 36′-37′ | |
| 3 | Great Lakes | Lake Superior, hunting for microscopic fossils | Episode 1: 17′ |
| 4 | Yellowstone | Yellowstone National Park, introducing the start of life | Episode 1: 24′ |
| 5 | Utah | In Utah, USA Attenborough showed bones from the dinosaur era | Episode 7: 23’30 |
| 6 | Texas | Attenborough had a look at fossilised footprints of dinosaurs | Episode 7: 27’30 |
| 7 | Montana | Badlands of Montana, bone hunting | Episode 1: 17′ |
| 8 | New Mexico | Looking for bats | Episode 10: 19′ |
2 Fossil hunting in the Grand Canyon (11′) episode 1
3 Lake Superior, hunting for microscopic fossils (17′) episode 1
4 Yellowstone National Park, introducing the start of life (24′) episode 1
2 The petrified forest of Arizona, USA (36′-37′) episode 3 close to the Grand Canyon
5 In Utah, USA Attenborough showed bones from the dinosaur era (23’30) episode 7
6 In Texas, he had a look at fossilised footprints of dinosaurs (27’30) episode 7
7 Badlands of Montana for bone hunting (29′) episode 7
8 Looking at bats in New Mexico (19′) episode 10
The map above shows the main filming locations (where Attenborough appeared) in the series. Filming, with him on screen, but without a location, are ignored. They were too vague to point down. The map is downloaded from the internet.
South America:
Howler monkeys in an unnamed forest in South America (2′) episode 1 — Amazon is not the only possibility
Galapagos Islands, introducing evolution (4′) episode 1
Attenborough is having a look at tadpoles in pools by the Potaro river in Guyana, South America (37’30) episode 6
Galapagos – Attenborough talking about the largest scale of all, the carapace of tortoises. Later he talks about the qualities of being cold-blooded (7′-16′) episode 7
Talking about the origin of marsupials in Patagonia (14′) episode 9
Attenborough explaining how South American wildlife evolved (17’30) Episode 11
Investigating a cave in Patagonia, South America (19′) Episode 11
Europe:
Using ‘violent methods’ to seek fossils in Wales (21’40-23′) episode 3
Mouth of Severn in England (7’40) searching for fossils of ancestral fish — episode 5
North of England, picking up horse tail while explaining the vegetation long ago (11′-12′) episode 6
Solnhofen, Germany (3′) – episode 8
Walking through where Arctic terns are nesting, Iceland (38’30) – episode 8
Observing a radar where bird migration is observed, Gibraltar (45′) – episode 8
Desman filmed in the Pyrenees (4′) – episode 10
France, showing the advancement of humans early on (23′) – episode 13
Africa:
Lake Magadi in Great Rift Valley (45’30) episode 5
In the Comoro Islands, talking about the coelacanth (3′) episode 6
East Africa, bringing a lungfish to life in the height of the dry season (6′) – episode 6
The egg of the elephant bird, Southern Madagascar (40′) – episode 8
Looking at a pangolin in Africa (11’45) – episode 10
Attenborough appears among wildebeest on the plains in Africa (30’30) – episode 11
Attenborough showing a lemur in a tree in Madagascar (2′) – episode 12
Looking at monkeys in Africa (22’40) – episode 12
The most famous sequence of all, the mountain gorillas of Central Africa, on the border of Rwanda and Zaire (36′-44′) – episode 12
Early film somewhere in Africa (3’15) – episode 13
Asia
| Location | Contents | Episode: location |
| Far East | Attenborough, through binoculars, watching the silver-leaf monkey in the far east | Episode 12: 32’30 | Southeast Asia | Talking about social society of green tree ants (He may or may not be on location, reasons given elsewhere | Episode 4: 42’35 | Japan | Fishing for largest crabs in the world | Episode 2: 46′ | Japan | On the tiny offshore island Koshima showing the monkeys’ inventiveness: They learned to use tools to wash their food | Episode 12: 28’50-32′ |
Not localised – Attenborough, through binoculars, watching the silver-leaf monkey in the far east — Episode 12: 32’30
Southeast Asia: Talking about social society of green tree ants (42’35). Attenborough may or may not be on location, reasons given elsewhere
Japan – Fishing for largest crabs in the world — Episode 2: 46′
Japan (again) – On the tiny offshore island Koshima showing the monkeys’ inventiveness: They learned to use tools to wash their food – Episode 12: 38’50-32′.