BBC Earth

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.

Sir David Attenborough reveals nature's evolutionary anomalies. Here he looks at the platypus and the curious case of the male Midwife Toad.

Jump aboard New Zealand's famous Northern Explorer, the longest running passenger service in the country. The train travels 423 miles along the historic North Island Main Trunk Line on a 12-hour voyage.

Yorkshire-born Moli and his Californian wife Noelle left city life behind to set up their own business as wildlife safari guides in the unexplored Ruaha National Park in Tanzania.

Despite their exhilarating beauty, thunderstorms can be deadly. Given the right conditions, these storms can easily evolve into supercells which can then produce hurricanes and tornadoes.

For Alaskans, the return of winter brings new and dangerous challenges.

Gregg visits an enormous factory in Italy which produces 400,000 frozen pizzas each day. He mixes up a 450-kilogram batch of dough for the bases, enough for 180,000 pizzas, and watches as each one is stretched to exactly 26 centimetres in diameter.

Jump aboard New Zealand's famous Northern Explorer, the longest running passenger service in the country. The train travels 423 miles along the historic North Island Main Trunk Line on a 12-hour voyage.

Yorkshire-born Moli and his Californian wife Noelle left city life behind to set up their own business as wildlife safari guides in the unexplored Ruaha National Park in Tanzania.

Despite their exhilarating beauty, thunderstorms can be deadly. Given the right conditions, these storms can easily evolve into supercells which can then produce hurricanes and tornadoes.

For Alaskans, the return of winter brings new and dangerous challenges.

Gregg visits an enormous factory in Italy which produces 400,000 frozen pizzas each day. He mixes up a 450-kilogram batch of dough for the bases, enough for 180,000 pizzas, and watches as each one is stretched to exactly 26 centimetres in diameter.

Jump aboard New Zealand's famous Northern Explorer, the longest running passenger service in the country. The train travels 423 miles along the historic North Island Main Trunk Line on a 12-hour voyage.

Yorkshire-born Moli and his Californian wife Noelle left city life behind to set up their own business as wildlife safari guides in the unexplored Ruaha National Park in Tanzania.

In the far north of the planet lies the largest land habitat on earth, home to snow-covered forests and the icy open tundra. These are lands of extremes that push animals to their limits: in winter they are so cold that much of the ground has remained frozen since the last ice age. To stand any chance of survival, animals must adapt in extreme ways: here a super pack of wolves, 25 strong, has come together to take on the only large prey available to them in winter, American bison.

For Alaskans, the return of winter brings new and dangerous challenges.

Gregg Wallace is in Burton upon Trent at Britain's biggest brewery, where they produce three million pints of beer a day. He follows the production of Britain's best-selling lager, and gets to grips with brewing terms.

Jump aboard New Zealand's famous Northern Explorer, the longest running passenger service in the country. The train travels 423 miles along the historic North Island Main Trunk Line on a 12-hour voyage.

Gregg Wallace visits the Denby factory in Derbyshire, which has been making pottery since 1809. Brits drink a staggering 195 million mugs of tea and coffee every day, so Gregg is following production of one of the factory's best sellers.

Chris Packham reveals some of the cleverest animal communicators on the planet. For decades, people have longed to emulate Dr Doolittle and be able to understand what animals are communicating to one another.

From the frozen poles to the searing deserts, this is an exploration of how animals have come up with strategies to survive the uneven amounts of sunlight that fall on Earth.

Hannah Fry finds out how 1970s car crashes helped us to count our steps, why WWII dog-fights led to a crucial health monitor and how fitness trackers are even being used to catch killers.

A space mission discovers the dramatic history of the Milky Way. Prof Brian Cox reveals how the galaxy endured multiple collisions as rival galaxies fought for survival.

Gregg Wallace visits the Denby factory in Derbyshire, which has been making pottery since 1809. Brits drink a staggering 195 million mugs of tea and coffee every day, so Gregg is following production of one of the factory's best sellers.

Chris Packham reveals some of the cleverest animal communicators on the planet. For decades, people have longed to emulate Dr Doolittle and be able to understand what animals are communicating to one another.

From the frozen poles to the searing deserts, this is an exploration of how animals have come up with strategies to survive the uneven amounts of sunlight that fall on Earth.

Hannah Fry finds out how 1970s car crashes helped us to count our steps, why WWII dog-fights led to a crucial health monitor and how fitness trackers are even being used to catch killers.

A space mission discovers the dramatic history of the Milky Way. Prof Brian Cox reveals how the galaxy endured multiple collisions as rival galaxies fought for survival.