Everything you need to know about Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough
Sound is the vocabulary of nature. It plays a crucial role in the lives and everyday struggles of animals around the globe - from birth to surviving adulthood and finding a mate. In this ground-breaking series, David Attenborough explores the extraordinary ways that animals hear and produce sound, and how it influences the decisions they make.
Secret World of Sound uses cutting-edge audio technology to reveal new perspectives and understanding of animal behaviour. We will see how baby caiman communicate with each other from within the egg, how lions and hyaenas battle in the dark using sound, how a strange fish baffled local residents with its eerie hum, and how some birds have mastered the art of mimicry to remarkable effect.
Filmed in 4K ultra-high definition, each episode of this series will feature in-depth stories of up to eight animals, followed by a five-minute behind-the-scenes segment revealing the fascinating technologies used to make the series. The latest super-sensitive microphones and recording devices were used to capture sounds that are often out of reach of the human ear. For the first time, this major blue-chip television series will place sound centre stage.
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How many episodes will there be?
Secret World of Sound is a three-part series featuring the following episodes:
Episode 1: Hunters and Hunted
For some animals, sound is key to survival. They use sound to hunt, to defend themselves, and to escape. With supersensitive ears, great grey owls can detect voles beneath a foot of snow, while kangaroo rats hear rattle snakes in the dark and defend themselves by foot drumming. Sound can make the difference between life and death.
Episode 2: Love and Rivals
For some animals, sound is the key to finding a mate and to warn off the competition. Gibbons, dippers and lyrebirds sing some of the most melodious songs in nature to impress the females, whilst bull elk bugle and a strange deep sea fish hums and barks to communicate its intentions.
Episode 3: Finding a Voice
The most perilous time in an animal’s life is the very beginning. To survive, young animals need help, and to use their voices. This episode follows baby animals as they enter the world and use sound to announce their arrival, to beg for food and call for help in their quest to survive.
Who is David Attenborough?
Sir David Frederick Attenborough is one of the world’s most recognisable and distinguished biologists and natural historians. His work for the BBC and other television networks is widely regarded as creating the standard by which all nature documentaries should aspire to.
David’s distinctive narration and hushed tones are synonymous with nature documentaries the world over, and his work on series including Planet Earth, The Blue Planet and Frozen Planet has been described as “peerless”.
How old is David Attenborough?
Born in Isleworth, west London on 8 May 1926, Sir David is 97 years old at time of writing.
Has David Attenborough made other shows for Sky?
Secret World of Sound is not the first time Sir David has brought his brilliant natural world series to Sky, with him making his Sky debut back in 2010 with the BAFTA-winning Flying Monsters, a special documentary on the prehistoric pterosaur family of dinosaurs. He would return with The Penguin King in 2012, following the lives of king penguins, and the botanical documentary series Kingdom of Plants.
in 2013 he presented the three-part series Galapagos with David Attenborough, where he journeyed to the legendary islands to examine the unique biospheres that exist there, before examining Earth’s tiniest of beasties in the six-part series Micro Monsters. Then in 2014 he brought extinct species back to life with the magic of CGI in the documentary special Sir David Attenborough’s Natural History Museum Alive.
Finally, Sir David returned his focus to the skies for the 2015 series David Attenborough’s Conquest of the Skies, examining the world of birds, bats and flying creatures, before making a very welcome return for Secret World of Sound. All of these series are still available to watch exclusively on Sky.
Where can I watch Secret World of Sound in the UK?
Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough is available exclusively on Sky Nature, Sky Showcase and NOW in the UK. The series is not available to watch on Netflix or the BBC and can only be watched on Sky in the UK.
When will it be on TV?
Secret World of Sound with David Attenborough is available now on Sky Nature, Sky Showcase and NOW. All three episodes are available to watch on demand.