One of the most successful species on earth is also one of the least documented. Miniaturised cameras reveal the snakes world for the first time from their point of view. Head-mounted cameras capture gripping images of the world's most dangerous snakes hunting and overcoming their prey. Using high-speed photography, x-ray imaging and state-of-the-art computer graphics, this is the most ambitious look at snakes attempted in television.

The leopard is the least known of all Africa's big cats. Until now, the leopard, an animal of the night, has been virtually impossible to observe. Using state-of-the-art camera equipment, this film ventures into the night, and follows the lives of two leopards in Zambia's Luangwa Valley, to reveal the night-time secrets of the cat that walks on its own.

Just the sight of a shark's fin breaking the surface spells terror, but is this Hollywood delivered image fair. Underwater filming of these awesome fish in their natural unabated environments exposes the Great White as a paradox: a shy and cautious creature existing within a highly structured social order, but also a terrific killing machine striking with total surprise and devastating speed from the murky depths.

Few birds have captured the human imagination as deeply as the eagle. Throughout the centuries this majestic bird of prey has been the symbol of strength and courage, such is the perfection of its design. There are 60 different kinds of eagle throughout the world, each type having adapted spectacularly to hunting different forms of prey. Remarkable aerial photography captures the dramatic life of eagles as never seen before.

Only one great reptile has survived the age of the dinosaur - the crocodile. Ancient they may be, but they are still the most successful of freshwater hunters. Only now, by exploring their complete world, above and below water, by day and night, can we fully appreciate just how sophisticated they are. In survival terms, the crocodile has every reason to smile.

Few sounds are more beautiful or moving than the underwater songs of the humpback whale. Male whales compete with their songs, which often last for 10 minutes at a time, and can be repeated for hours on end. Whales separated by thousands of miles of sea will sing almost identical songs. Researchers have found that the songs change throughout the breeding months, following a mysterious pattern repeated across the waves. Whales also use sound to hunt. To catch herring, humpback whales release a stream of bubbles to form a shimmering, circular fishing net. Emitting a repetitive loud scream, they scare the fish into a tight ball, then lunge out of the water to swallow the shoal whole. Now it seems that the long-held image of the gentle giant must change to one of a ferocious and opportunistic hunter.

THE WAR is the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four American towns. The war touched the lives of every family on every street in every town in America and demonstrated that in extraordinary times, there are no ordinary lives.