BBC Earth

Incredible facts and myths about the animal kingdom are put to the test. Is spider silk stronger than steel?

Following the train route from Bergen to Oslo, through the extraordinary mountains of southern Norway in winter. This super-fast train travels daily to the country's capital, and the first stop is Dale.

Steve and the crew travel 4,000 miles to the Loango National Park in Gabon. Steve heads out into Loango's maze of rivers on a mission to try and find an animal that is critically endangered but packs a mighty punch, the western lowland gorilla.

People who have chosen to live their life off-grid. Ben revisits the Goddard family, who, five years ago, were living a wild life in a static caravan on the Isle of Rum.

One basic need connects all life on earth - the need to breed. But for a few creatures, the odds of success are overwhelmingly stacked against them. Some must find a partner when there are none to be found, while others must find a way to succeed without breeding at all. And some must try and adapt in a world unrecognisable from when they were born. These are animals that have evolved some of the most extraordinary mating strategies of all.

Sue clears her runway of snow. Denise learns to dogsled. Jessie snares rabbits. Ricko teaches his son Skyler to hunt.

Gregg Wallace is in Gateshead, at a cheese factory where they produce 3,000 tonnes of spreadable cheese every year. He follows the production of jalapeno chilli flavoured cheese, from a 28,000 litre delivery of milk to 5,400 squeezy tubes.

Following the train route from Bergen to Oslo, through the extraordinary mountains of southern Norway in winter. This super-fast train travels daily to the country's capital, and the first stop is Dale.

People who have chosen to live their life off-grid. Ben revisits the Goddard family, who, five years ago, were living a wild life in a static caravan on the Isle of Rum.

One basic need connects all life on earth - the need to breed. But for a few creatures, the odds of success are overwhelmingly stacked against them. Some must find a partner when there are none to be found, while others must find a way to succeed without breeding at all. And some must try and adapt in a world unrecognisable from when they were born. These are animals that have evolved some of the most extraordinary mating strategies of all.

Sue goes ptarmigan hunting, Andy and Denise face off against jumble ice, and Jessie races in the Iditarod.

Gregg Wallace is in Gateshead, at a cheese factory where they produce 3,000 tonnes of spreadable cheese every year. He follows the production of jalapeno chilli flavoured cheese, from a 28,000 litre delivery of milk to 5,400 squeezy tubes.

Following the train route from Bergen to Oslo, through the extraordinary mountains of southern Norway in winter. This super-fast train travels daily to the country's capital, and the first stop is Dale.

People who have chosen to live their life off-grid. Ben revisits the Goddard family, who, five years ago, were living a wild life in a static caravan on the Isle of Rum.

Going behind the scenes of `The Mating Game' with Sir David Attenborough to discover the stories behind the missions to mate and leave a lasting legacy.

Sue clears her runway of snow. Denise learns to dogsled. Jessie snares rabbits. Ricko teaches his son Skyler to hunt.

Gregg Wallace is in Stoke on Trent, at an enormous cherry bakewell factory where they produce 250,000 little tarts every day. He follows the production of cherry bakewells, from the arrival of 27 tonnes of flour right through to dispatch. Along the way he learns what makes a shortcrust pastry `short' and discovers the simple way they ensure every cherry is precisely placed.

Beginning with a coast-to-coast journey through the Australian outback. Onboard the iconic Indian Pacific, cameras focus on the spectacular Blue Mountains. There's also a look at one of the oldest steam railways in Australia, the Zig Zag Railway.

Joanna Lumley visits Berlin and heads for the Festival of Lights, meets an all-female motorcycle club and visits a replica of a western town. Her travels also take her to a famous photographer who documented life in Soviet-controlled East Berlin and finally she meets Holocaust survivor, Frau Friedlander.

Sue travels from the sacred summit of Shivling, source of the Ganges, to the beautiful mountain town of Rishikesh. Along the way, she meets some Hindu holy men known as sadhus, wealthy tycoons, as well as local families to find out what the future holds for this great river.

Professor Brian Cox journeys to the remotest part of the solar system, a place that the most mysterious planets call home. These worlds remain shadowy for a simple reason. Beyond Saturn the most distant planets have only been visited once.

Hurricane Harvey, one of the most powerful hurricanes to strike the United States, rips a coastal town apart and dumps a once-in-a-thousand-years rainfall that drowns the city of Houston.

A record-breaking twister rips through Alabama. In South Africa, a violent storm with near-hurricane winds breaks the mooring lines of super-tankers. In Maui, a young daredevil is caught in a flash flood and swept off a massive waterfall.

Through a confluence of violence, crop failure, extreme heat, surges in population, and disastrous governmental policy making, famine is one Mother Nature's disasters whose complex causes are near impossible to tackle.

Joanna Lumley visits Berlin and heads for the Festival of Lights, meets an all-female motorcycle club and visits a replica of a western town. Her travels also take her to a famous photographer who documented life in Soviet-controlled East Berlin and finally she meets Holocaust survivor, Frau Friedlander.

Sue travels from the sacred summit of Shivling, source of the Ganges, to the beautiful mountain town of Rishikesh. Along the way, she meets some Hindu holy men known as sadhus, wealthy tycoons, as well as local families to find out what the future holds for this great river.

Professor Brian Cox journeys to the remotest part of the solar system, a place that the most mysterious planets call home. These worlds remain shadowy for a simple reason. Beyond Saturn the most distant planets have only been visited once.

Hurricane Harvey, one of the most powerful hurricanes to strike the United States, rips a coastal town apart and dumps a once-in-a-thousand-years rainfall that drowns the city of Houston.

Through a confluence of violence, crop failure, extreme heat, surges in population, and disastrous governmental policy making, famine is one Mother Nature's disasters whose complex causes are near impossible to tackle.