DVD Review: Africa BBC (+video)

There is no plot or special effect that can truly match the wonder of nature.

The six-part series Africa, presented and narrated by the great Sir David Attenborough, is quite simply spectacular and features episodes "Kalahari", "Savannah", "Congo, "Cape", "Sahara" and "The Future".

Traversing the continent, we are introduced to, and learn countless details about, the incredible creatures that inhabit this continent.

And if you think it is just another wildlife documentary, think again.

Using the latest filming technology, we get to see the lifestyle of some rarely seen creatures and the usually hidden behaviours of some of our favourites.

Africa is divided into the different regions that make up the continent.

We have the rainforest, the Kalahari desert, the savannah - Attenborough has spent a lifetime bringing animals to our screens and he still has the ability to inject enthusiasm and excitement into the stories being told and the vision being presented.

It is difficult not to be amazed as the animals exist in a constant environment of eat or be eaten.

From the smallest crickets that eat their own, to the giants of the land, survival is key.

And a little ingenuity never goes astray, either.

Watch the cunning birds that use meerkats to find their food, distract them with a warning of danger, then steal the food for themselves.

With all the inappropriate material available to children these days, you could do a lot worse than open them up to the incredible wonders of nature.

Africa (G)

BBC

Rating: 4 / 5