Africa

In Africa's ancient south west corner, two extraordinary deserts sit side by side. Water is in short supply, yet these deserts are somehow full of life because the creatures that live here have turned the rules of survival on their head. This episode celebrates nature's ingenuity, no matter how tough it gets. In the Kalahari scrub lands, clever meerkats are outsmarted by a wily bird, solitary and belligerent black rhinos get together to party and giant insects stalk huge flocks of birds. Rain almost never falls in the Namib, instead it must make do with vaporous, vanishing fog. The creatures in this, the world's oldest desert, have gone to the extremes -- spiders wheel to escape and a desert giraffe fights to defend his scant resources in the greatest giraffe battle ever filmed.

East Africa is a land which is constantly changing. To survive here, creatures must be able to deal with unpredictable twists and turns -- wet turning to dry, famine to feast, cold to hot -- no matter how hostile and unpredictable it becomes. From dense forests, to snow capped peaks, steamy swamps to endless savannah, this unique and varied land is also a haven for life. But away from the forever-travelling herds, there are a huge cast of other characters -- lizards that steal flies from the faces of lions, vast dinosaur-like birds who stalk catfish through huge wetlands, and elephants who battle for three days for the right to father the next generation. East Africa can be a cruel and unforgiving place, when the stakes are high you must be prepared to take risks and if necessary to gamble with your life.

The Congo rainforest covers the very heart of Africa, it is a dynamic and pulsating habitat, packed with life. From the competitive centre of the forest to the open edge of the Atlantic Ocean, this is all about carving out space in a crowded world. When darkness falls, the atmosphere changes. Using specialist technology we discover a luminescent landscape as the forest glows in the dark. Tiny frogs battle it out using kung-fu moves then hide their precious eggs in folded blades of grass. Great herds of elephants gather at a mystery meeting place to socialize under cover of darkness, and the three ton titan bulls cause the ground to shake as they meet in furious combat, terrifying the other animals and hurling trees to the ground with their passion. Here in the Congo, no matter how tough the competition, you must stand up and fight for yourself and your patch.

Southern Africa is a riot of life and colour. But if it was not for two great ocean currents that sweep around and shape the continent's Great Cape it would be a desert. This episode celebrates the rejuvenating powers of the ocean. To the east, the warm Agulhas current flows south, generating clouds that roll inland creating the wettest place in southern Africa. Home to a magical fairy-tale butterfly ballet, the area is known as the 'Google' rainforest as it was only discovered using satellite images in 2005. To the west is the cold Benguela current. It is home to more great white sharks than any other sea on Earth. But perhaps most impressive is where the two currents meet. The clash of warm and cold water creates one of the world's most fabulous natural spectacles, South Africa's sardine run. This is the greatest gathering of predators on the planet, including Africa's largest, the Brydes Whale.

North Africa is home to the greatest desert on Earth, the Sahara. This vast wilderness, the size of the United States, is the toughest part of the African continent -- the sun rules mercilessly here. In this haunting wilderness, dunes 'sing', sandstorms stretch for a thousand miles and rain may not fall for 50 years. But it wasn't always like this. This is a story of an apocalypse and how, when nature is overrun, some are forced to flee, some endure, but a few seize the opportunity to establish a new order.

What does it take to make a natural history series like Africa? This Making Of follows the crew as they capture some of the most memorable scenes from the show.