The Trials of Life

The Trials of Life
source
Name	The Trials of Life
Author	David Attenborough
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Subject	Natural history
Publisher	BBC Books
Pub date	1990
Media type	Print, television series
Pages	240
Isbn	0-563-36260-9

The Trials of Life is a natural history book and television series created and presented by David Attenborough. The work formed part of a sequence of landmark BBC natural history projects and was completed after Life on Earth and The Living Planet. The series and companion volume survey animal behaviour across ecosystems and were released during a period of accelerating public interest in conservation and wildlife filmmaking.

Overview

The project was produced by the BBC Natural History Unit and fronted by David Attenborough, involving fieldwork in locations such as the Amazon Rainforest, Serengeti, Galápagos Islands, Borneo, Antarctica, Sahara, and Great Barrier Reef. Key collaborators included producers and cameramen associated with Alastair Fothergill, Michael Gunton, Humphrey Jennings, and editors from BBC Books. The series premiered on BBC One and received broadcasts on PBS in the United States, NHK in Japan, and other networks in France, Germany, and Australia.

Publication and Editions

The companion book was published by BBC Books and later issued in paperback and special illustrated editions distributed by publishers such as HarperCollins and Penguin Books. Translations appeared in Spanish language editions for Spain and Latin America, French language editions for France and Canada, and editions in German language markets including Germany and Austria. Special editions featured photography printed by houses linked to National Geographic and images licensed to outlets including The Guardian, The Times, and The New York Times. Libraries and institutions such as the British Library and the Library of Congress hold archival copies and production materials.

Content and Structure

The series and book are organized into thematic episodes and chapters that trace stages of animal life: birth, growth, survival, mating, competition, predation, and parental care. Camera teams captured behaviour from taxa including Homo sapiens observers, Panthera leo on the Serengeti, Balaenoptera musculus in pelagic zones, Struthio camelus in savannahs, Aptenodytes forsteri in Antarctica, Chelonia mydas on nesting beaches, and invertebrates such as Goliath birdeater encounters and complex displays by Caridina multidentata. Chapters juxtapose footage of species like African elephant, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, Gorilla gorilla, Pan troglodytes, Canis lupus, Ursus maritimus, Delphinus delphis, Pavo cristatus, Aye-aye, Komodo dragon, Carcharodon carcharias, Octopus vulgaris, Apis mellifera, Anopheles gambiae, and Dendrobates tinctorius to illustrate convergent strategies.

Themes and Scientific Contributions

The work emphasized behavioural ecology, evolutionary strategies, and life-history theory, drawing on research from figures affiliated with institutions such as University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, London, Stanford University, and Harvard University. It highlighted phenomena documented by scientists including Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, George Schaller, E. O. Wilson, Konrad Lorenz, Niko Tinbergen, Richard Dawkins, and David Lack. Topics integrated findings from studies related to island biogeography by Robert MacArthur and Edward O. Wilson and behavioural frameworks from Nikolaas Tinbergen and Konrad Lorenz. Photographic breakthroughs supported observations on mimicry, camouflage, parental investment, territoriality, and symbiosis in organisms ranging from Felidae to Cetacea.

Reception and Impact

Critics and reviewers in outlets such as The Times, The Guardian, The New York Times, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Washington Post praised the series for cinematography and storytelling. Awards and nominations from institutions like the BAFTA, Emmy Awards, and Royal Television Society recognized production and camera work. Conservation organizations including World Wildlife Fund, Conservation International, IUCN, BirdLife International, and TRAFFIC leveraged publicity from the series to support campaigns. Universities and museums used the book and footage in curricula at University College London, Yale University, Columbia University, and the University of California, Berkeley.

Adaptations and Media

Beyond the television broadcasts, material from the production was adapted into narrated clips for PBS specials, educational programmes for Channel 4, museum exhibits at institutions like the Natural History Museum, London and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and segments for National Geographic Channel and Discovery Channel. Photographs and sequences were included in retrospectives at festivals such as the Wildscreen Festival and in multimedia installations curated for TED Conferences and events hosted by Royal Geographic Society.

Legacy and Influence on Natural History Studies

The project influenced a generation of filmmakers and naturalists including Alastair Fothergill, Chris Packham, Steve Backshall, Paul Rose, Mark Linfield, and researchers at institutions like ZSL and Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. It contributed to public engagement strategies employed by organizations such as BBC Studios and informed methodologies in camera trapping, remote filming, and long-lens macro work used by teams from NHM and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. The visual and narrative techniques pioneered in the series resonate in later productions by Silverback Films, Wildstar Films, Attenborough Studios, and streaming commissions on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Category:Books about animals Category:BBC television series