Jessie Buckley narrates the extraordinary story of the first transatlantic communications cable. In 16 August 1858, a short message is telegraphed from County Kerry to Newfoundland, 3,000km away: ‘Europe and America are united by telegraph. Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will towards men.’ The Morse code message is conducted along the new underwater transatlantic telegraph cable laid across the bed of the Atlantic Ocean. Sending the same message by ship would have taken at least ten days, but the transmission takes just hours and heralds the dawn of the modern communications age.
The quest is driven by visionaries and pioneers. Among them are Cyrus Field, a wealthy businessman who, despite his immense success, ends his life in poverty; Samuel Morse, inventor of the telegraph and Morse code; Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the British engineer who pushes boundaries and budgets; and Belfast physicist Lord Kelvin, who calculates how to achieve what had hitherto been deemed impossible. Together, their ingenuity and relentless pursuit helps realise one of the great scientific accomplishments of their age for which Valentia, on Ireland’s remote western coast, is ground zero.

The film explores the eye-opening realm of these creatures to better understand how they evolved. Travelling from the rain forests of French Guiana to the Arctic Ocean, scientists use traditional and cutting edge techniques to examine both modern insects and the fossil record in their search for a single common insect ancestor. Insects are vital to life on our planet, yet almost 40% of known species are in danger of extinction.
Insects are the most diverse group of organisms on Earth. The true number of species is unknown, but some estimates suggest that only a fraction have been identified. They have successfully adapted to every ecosystem on our planet. But insects still harbour many mysteries. Where do they come from? When did they first appear on Earth? How and why have they diversified and multiplied so successfully? At a time when certain insect species are in danger of extinction and there is greater interest in their role within ecosystems, this is the fascinating story of their origins.

The third episode unveils the enigmatic world of octopuses, long believed solitary creatures, revealing their unexpected social behaviors. Follow Dr. Alex Schnell as she forms a unique bond with Scarlett, a shy female day octopus, challenging the long-held belief that these creatures are ultimate loners. Witness intense interactions, from rival confrontations to cooperative hunting with other species, shedding light on the complex social dynamics of these intelligent beings. The film also takes you deep beneath the ocean to octopus nurseries and an extraordinary octopus oasis where multiple species coexist.
Discover how octopuses use their remarkable problem-solving abilities and sophisticated communication to navigate their environments and form selective social interactions. ‘Social Networkers’ redefines our understanding of these ancient, intelligent marine animals and their secret social lives, making it a must-watch for nature enthusiasts and curious minds alike.

90% of the goods we consume in the West are manufactured in far-off lands and brought to us by ship. The cargo shipping industry holds the key to our economy, our environment and the very model of our civilization; without it, it would be impossible to fulfill the ever-increasing demands of our societies. Yet the functioning and regulations of this business remain largely obscure to many, and its hidden costs affect us all. Due to their size, freight ships no longer fit in traditional city harbors; they have moved out of the public's eye, behind barriers and checkpoints.
The film answers questions such as: Who pulls the strings in this multi-billion dollar business? To what extent does the industry control our policymakers? How does it affect the environment above and below the water-line? And what's life like for modern seafarers? Taking us on a journey overseas and oceans, we reveal in an audacious investigation the many faces of world-wide freight shipping and sheds light on the consequences of an all-but-visible industry.

The magnificent ringed planet Saturn, along with its more than 80 moons, forms the most dynamic planetary system in our neighborhood. With underground oceans and protective magnetic fields, experts are exploring how this collective of satellites has the potential to rewrite the rules of the Solar System.
The closer that we look, the more we see these extraordinary moons like worlds of their own -- so dynamic, so Earth-like. Almost a billion miles from the Sun, these icy worlds could be home for Life 2.0. The moons of Saturn offer possibly the best chance of finding extraterrestrial life in our solar system. With each new mission, we get closer to unraveling the mysteries of Saturn's moons.

Our blue planet is facing one its biggest threats in human history. Trillions of pieces of plastic are choking the very lifeblood of our earth, and every marine animal, from the smallest plankton to the largest mammals, is being affected. But can we turn back this growing plastic tide before it is too late? Wildlife biologist Liz Bonnin visits scientists working at the cutting edge of plastics research. She works with some of the world's leading marine biologists and campaigners to discover the true dangers of plastic in our oceans and what it means for the future of all life on our planet, including us.
Liz travels to a remote island off the coast of Australia that is the nesting site for a population of seabirds called flesh-footed shearwaters. Newly hatched chicks are unable to regurgitate effectively, so they are filling up on deadly plastic. She visits the Coral Triangle that stretches from Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands to find out more from top coral scientists trying to work out why plastic is so lethal to the reefs, fragile ecosystems that contain 25 per cent of all marine life.