Best David Attenborough documentaries to stream – including new BBC series (2024)

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David Attenborough is a British national treasure – and with his new series Asia taking to the BBC, a new generation is just discovering his work for the first time.

Asia, available to stream for free on BBC iPlayer, explores the “breathtaking variety of Asia’s wildest places”. Exploring a “continent steeped in beauty and intrigue, from the polar wilderness of Siberia to the coral seas of the Indian Ocean”, the show – narrated by David – is a must-watch for wildlife fans.

It’s the second Attenborough documentary focused solely on a huge continent, after the release of Africa in 2013.

It’s by no means the only Attenborough special available on iPlayer, however. Fans who haven’t gone through his entire backlog of works are in for a treat, with gems like Blue Planet, Planet Earth and Dinosaurs: The Final Day all ready to watch for free.

One such gem is the hour-long special Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster. In it, David is tasked with “investigating the discovery of a lifetime”. That discovery is the huge skull of a pliosaur – a giant sea monster dating back to the time of the dinosaurs.

A new generation is only just discovering David's backlog of work (Image: Getty Images)

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Another must-watch is the miniseries Big Cats, released in 2018. Comprised of three episodes, the series goes to show that big cats are eerily similar to their domestic counterparts.

A synopsis for the show reads: “Documentary series uncovering the secret lives of big cats, using the latest technology and scientific research to bring these animal superstars out of the shadows.”

On X, fans had a particular soft spot for anything cat-related, with one tweeting: “Great footage of these big shy cats. It took David Attenborough's team 3 years to film the first ever snow leopard's just over 20 years ago.”

Wildlife expert David has produced a huge number of documentaries (Image: Getty)

Someone else said their own pet cat enjoyed it, writing: “My Socks used to love David Attenborough wildlife programmes - especially if they were about birds or other big cats - his extended family.”

Of course, opinions on social media vary – with fans vying to have their say on the best of David’s work.

One wrote: “David Attenborough’s 1995 series The Private Life of Plants was the best nature documentary ever. I will not be taking questions at this time.”

Another agreed: “Mammals narrated by David Attenborough, is the best TV Series of the year so far... Brilliant idea to infuse the making of the series into its episodes, otherwise you'd think parts of it, are animation.”