Watch Walking with Dinosaurs

TV-14
2002
1 Season
8.5 (7,046)

Walking with Dinosaurs was a groundbreaking documentary series that premiered on BBC One in 1999. Narrated by Nikolay Drozdov, Kenneth Branagh, and Avery Brooks, the show took viewers back in time to the Mesozoic Era, reconstructing prehistoric landscapes and animating the creatures that once roamed the earth, all with the help of cutting-edge technology.

The six-episode series followed the evolution of dinosaurs from their origins as small, agile predators to the massive, lumbering beasts that dominated the planet for millions of years. The show featured stunning computer-generated imagery (CGI) that brought these ancient creatures to life, giving viewers a glimpse into their behavior, habits, and social structures.

Walking with Dinosaurs was made by a team of paleontologists, artists, and animators who worked tirelessly to ensure that every detail was accurate and scientifically sound. The team used the latest knowledge and research to create realistic models of the dinosaurs, depicting them with skin, feathers, and scales, as well as giving them distinctive colors and markings.

The show was divided into six episodes, each focused on a different period of dinosaur evolution. The first episode, "New Blood," explored the origins of the dinosaurs, showing how they arose from small, agile reptiles that lived in the shadows of larger predators. The episode introduced viewers to some of the earliest known dinosaurs, such as Eoraptor and Herrerasaurus.

The second episode, "Time of the Titans," depicted the emergence of the giant sauropods, the largest land animals ever to live. The episode showed how these massive creatures evolved to support their enormous bodies, and how they adapted to unique environments such as forests and swamps.

The third episode, "Cruel Sea," explored the world of marine reptiles, including the fearsome ichthyosaurs and the plesiosaurs. The episode gave viewers a look at life under the ocean during the age of the dinosaurs.

The fourth episode, "Giant of the Skies," focused on the pterosaurs, the winged reptiles that ruled the skies during the Mesozoic Era. The episode showed how these creatures evolved to become the largest flying animals in history, and how they developed unique adaptations for flight.

The fifth episode, "Spirits of the Ice Forest," took viewers to the polar forests of ancient Antarctica, where they met some of the most bizarre dinosaurs to ever live, including the bizarre, duck-billed Therizinosaur.

The sixth and final episode, "Death of a Dynasty," depicted the end of the dinosaur era, as the planet was rocked by catastrophic events such as volcanic eruptions and asteroid impacts. The episode explored the final days of the dinosaurs, from the last surviving species to the ultimate extinction that wiped them out.

Overall, Walking with Dinosaurs was a landmark television series that captivated audiences with its stunning visuals, scientific accuracy, and immersive storytelling. The show was a major influence on popular culture, inspiring countless documentaries, books, and films about dinosaurs, and remains a beloved classic among fans of the prehistoric world.

Walking with Dinosaurs is a series that ran for 1 seasons (11 episodes) between December 30, 2002 and on BBC One

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6. Death of a Dynasty

November 8, 1999

After 160 million years of dominating life on earth the dinosaurs appear as vigorous as ever. Yet closer study reveals there are hidden stresses and the rich ecosystem hides problems. Volcanic activity is high and disease and sterile eggs common. The central character in the program is a female Tyrannosaur that is trying to raise a new brood of chicks. As the program starts, small mammals are already swarming over one nest that she has abandoned and she is looking to mate again. She lives at the base of an active volcano and the migration of local herds has been disrupted by lava flow. She finds a mate and starts a second nest but it needs constant attention, as mammal populations are unusually high. After several months she successfully hatches some of her eggs, but in an attempt to protect the young chicks, an Ankylosaurus kills her.

5. Spirits of the Ice Forest

November 1, 1999

Throughout the entire time of the dinosaurs there were no ice caps on the poles. In the mid Cretaceous period, thick forests covered Antarctica. Although the climate here was warm, the sun would set completely for two months during the winter and then, for the first time in their history, dinosaurs would have faced ice and frost. The animals that lived here evolved to cope with what was, by dinosaur standards, the most extreme of environments. The program follows a small group of social herbivores called Laellynasaura that live in the forest all year round. It starts with spring as the little dinosaurs survive another long dark winter. As the forest comes alive, the Laellynasaura build nests together and lay eggs. Gradually other dinosaurs migrate down from the north and start to graze in the river valleys.

4. Giant of the Skies

October 25, 1999

On a deserted beach lies the dead body of a giant pterosaur, an Ornithocheirus. With wingspans of up to 13 meters, these were the largest flying creatures ever. There is no sign of why this one died but over the course of the program, it is revealed how this King of the Sky met his end after undertaking an epic flight to find a mate. The program picks up several months earlier on a windy cliff edge on the coast of Brazil where the mating season has begun for a bizarre-looking pterosaur, Tapejara, is in full swing. On every ledge the males duck and bob their fantastic red crests to attract a mate. The solitary Ornithocheirus is here too, dwarfing the local inhabitants. He has ended up in Brazil after wandering thousands of miles in search of food but now he has to return home to his own mating ground in southern Europe. His flight takes him up the coast of Northern America.

3. Cruel Sea

October 18, 1999

For all the successes of dinosaurs on land, they never made it into the sea; that is the realm of an entirely different group of reptiles, no less successful and no less awesome. The Jurassic sea boasted the largest carnivore on the planet, Liopleurodon. At 25 metres, this monster was the same size as a blue whale but armed with teeth that were a quarter of a metre long. Ophthalmosaurus, the fastest animal in the sea, was also frightening and used his large eyes for nighttime hunting. The program follows the dramatic conflicts of nature that are an annual event in the waters around the small group of islands in the Jurassic sea. It starts with the invasion of hundreds of pregnant Ophthalmosaurus who have come to give birth in the shallow protected waters. The young pups learn to fend for themselves in seas where they are prey for the sharks and even for their own parents.

2. Time of the Titans

October 11, 1999

By the late Jurassic period, dinosaurs dominated the globe and the most widespread group of all was the sauropods. These long-necked herbivores were giants even among dinosaurs, weighing between 20 and 70 tons. This single program spans 12 years, following the hatching of a tiny Diplodocus through her struggle for survival until she reaches maturity and mates for the first time, completing the circle of life. The action opens with a huge mother laying her eggs on the edge of a vast forest. She then abandons them and when they hatch they have to run the gauntlet of every predator in the area as they make their own way deep into the woods and seek the protection of dense vegetation. We follow one female over the years as she gradually piles on the tons, avoiding dangers from hungry carnivores and fire.

1. New Blood

October 4, 1999

Set in the mid-Triassic period, when the world was still recovering from a massive extinction that millions of years before wiped out 95 per cent of life. Across most of the Earth lie vast deserts but near the poles the weather in monsoonal. Here life is rebuilding the diversity that once existed. The program follows a small group of animals in a river valley through the dry season. Large herds of the Placerias, an ancient, bulky reptile, feed off the fern prairies. Primitive mammals dig burrows beneath them, small pterosaurs chase insects in the air and an agile little dinosaur called Coelophysis lives on its wits among them. Terrorizing all these creatures is the giant predator Postosuchus, a fearsome land crocodile with a head like a Tyrannosaurus. As the drought drags on, all the creatures are affected by it. The herds dwindle and the mammals lose their offspring.

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Where to Watch Walking with Dinosaurs

Walking with Dinosaurs is available for streaming on the BBC One website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch Walking with Dinosaurs on demand at Amazon, Vudu and Apple TV.