Film Screening: The Summer Science Sir David Attenborough collection

Zoo Quest to Madagascar: episode 1

First transmitted in 1961, David Attenborough searches for the strange creatures that inhabit Madagascar. Is the gigantic bird, the rukh or roc, a creature of myth?

1961, run time 30min

The languages of animals: Beware! - David Attenborough's 1973 Christmas Lectures

In his 1973 Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, Sir David Attenborough demonstrates the varied means by which animals convey information to one another and reveals a collection of diverse and complicated behaviours. From visual signals to distinctive scents, the series explores the vast repertoire of animal language as well as the diverse meaning of messages, whether it be attracting a mate or acting as a warning signal. In the lecture, Sir David explores the tantalising question of whether it is possible for us to communicate with animals and if we could ever hope to teach an animal to use a human language.

1973, run time 59 minutes

The Ark in South Kensington

David Attenborough celebrates the Natural History Museum's 100th anniversary. He discusses familiar aspects like dinosaur skeletons and lesser-known behind-the-scenes activities, exploring how this Victorian marvel adapts to new ideas.

1981, run time 40 minutes

David Attenborough - The Early Years

First transmitted in 2013, Sir David Attenborough recalls key moments from his early broadcasting career and shares the stories behind them.

Among the highlights featured are Sir David's first encounter with Elsa the lioness immortalised by the Born Free book, and the logistics behind being the first to film indri lemurs, using a recording of their loud, distinctive calls to entice the animals out of hiding.

Having recently completed the landmark natural history series Africa (2012), Sir David also reflects on his first trip to the continent while filming Zoo Quest to West Africa in 1955.

2013, run time 29 minutes

Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives, episode 4: The Rare Glimpses

David Attenborough uncovers bizarre creatures of the earliest seas, tiny horses the size of spaniels and an animal that's half bird and half reptile - the rarest of them all.

1989, run time 40 minutes

Life in the Freezer, episode 1: The Bountiful Sea

David Attenborough uncovers bizarre creatures of the earliest seas, tiny horses the size of spaniels and an animal that's half bird and half reptile - the rarest of them all.

1989, run time 40 minutes

Life on Earth, episode 12: Life in the Trees

David Attenborough's now-legendary encounter with young gorillas is featured in this episode as he looks at the history of primates, whose ancestors sought their fortune in the treetops. There they developed binocular vision for accurately judging distances, and the ability to grasp trees with a firm grip. The group includes dazzling gymnasts, deafening choristers and highly cultured monkeys.

1979, run time 54 minutes