BBC Earth

A behind-the-scenes look at the series that explores the most successful animal group on Earth, from the tiny Etruscan shrew to the largest mammal in existence, the blue whale.

Steve starts his South African adventure in one of the weirdest places he's ever gone looking for animals, a power station, in the dark. He's staking the location out for a little big cat that has so far eluded the Deadly 60, the serval.

Gregg Wallace visits a factory tucked away amongst thatched cottages in the village of Wollaston, Northamptonshire. It may be a tranquil setting, but this factory has been making boots for 120 years.

Bill Nighy narrates a railway journey around Andalucía on the luxury Al Andalus train, a 5 star hotel on wheels, taking its passengers back to the extravagance and opulence of the 1930s.

Sue Aikens must protect Kavik from the dangers that lurk in the shadows. The Hailstones use the cover of night to search for food under the ice.

After a certain fateful day changed their lives forever, Amber and Amy packed their family onto a converted school bus to tour the rugged coastlines and dramatic mountain ranges of New Zealand's North Island and have covered 10,000km in a year.

To pay for armies and other costs, the ancient powers had to tax territories and monetise their assets. But in this world of commerce, ancient societies stored their wealth in different ways.

Gregg Wallace visits a factory tucked away amongst thatched cottages in the village of Wollaston, Northamptonshire. It may be a tranquil setting, but this factory has been making boots for 120 years.

Celebrating the wonders of Queensland, Australia, cameras travel over 1,000 miles from Brisbane to Cairns onboard one of the most advanced trains in the world.

The Hailstones brave the freeze to seek new land for the expanding family. Sue Aikens must replenish her resources in Chena to survive the brutal cold.

French-Canadian Julien lives in a remote Buddhist monastery in the jungle-mountains of Thailand. Ben learns how and why he stripped away all complications of a life for a primitive Eastern and religious existence, and how it affected his family.

In a world where enemies watch for weakness, the ancient powers must use all their strength and cunning to defend their people, conquer new lands, and rise to the challenge of the battlefield.

Gregg Wallace visits a huge vacuum cleaner factory in the heart of Somerset. This 32-acre site is a hive of activity where 1.2 million vacuums are made every year. Gregg is following their biggest seller, the Henry vacuum cleaner in bright red.

Alexander Armstrong heads to the south of the country, which has epic scenery. He leaves the boiling mud and lava flows of the volcanic island below as he ascends to the breathtaking, freezing roof of Europe's biggest glacier.

The final days of winter force Alaskans to push through the cold.

Ben ventures to Central America and a remote island off the coast of Panama. His host Jaimie is an inventor, who has built a unique home and an unconventional family to create his own wild utopia. Ben gets stuck into island life.

Brian explores the solar system's weirdest worlds: the misfits and oddballs with freakish shapes and sizes. He visits an egg-shaped dwarf planet that should not really exist, a tiny moon that looks like a UFO, a tortured patchwork moon, and more.

The mutilated mummy of the Younger Lady has mystified Egyptologists for over a hundred years; new evidence finally reveals who she was and why her brutal death is directly linked to the world-famous Tutankhamun.

Celebrating the wonders of Queensland, Australia, cameras travel over 1,000 miles from Brisbane to Cairns onboard one of the most advanced trains in the world.

The final days of winter force Alaskans to push through the cold.

Ben ventures to Central America and a remote island off the coast of Panama. His host Jaimie is an inventor, who has built a unique home and an unconventional family to create his own wild utopia. Ben gets stuck into island life.

Brian explores the solar system's weirdest worlds: the misfits and oddballs with freakish shapes and sizes. He visits an egg-shaped dwarf planet that should not really exist, a tiny moon that looks like a UFO, a tortured patchwork moon, and more.

The mutilated mummy of the Younger Lady has mystified Egyptologists for over a hundred years; new evidence finally reveals who she was and why her brutal death is directly linked to the world-famous Tutankhamun.

Alexander Armstrong heads to the south of the country, which has epic scenery. He leaves the boiling mud and lava flows of the volcanic island below as he ascends to the breathtaking, freezing roof of Europe's biggest glacier.