# Trials of Life (1990)

> David Attenborough narrates twelve episodes tracing the stages of animal life from birth to reproduction.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/8857

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 12
- Episode runtime: 49 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: documentary
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: David Attenborough
- TMDB rating: 8.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133318/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: wondrous, warm, authoritative, contemplative, awe-inspiring

## Synopsis

Trials of Life (1990) is a British nature documentary series created for BBC One, produced by the BBC Studios Natural History Unit and narrated by David Attenborough. Across twelve roughly 50-minute episodes, Attenborough follows the wild animals of the world through each stage of the journey from birth to adulthood and on to reproduction, so that each episode isolates a different stage of the life cycle. Rather than a single protagonist, the series follows animal families and individual creatures as they face hunger, predators, harsh weather, and the struggle to raise young. Its engine is observation: patient filming captures behaviour in the field and the narration explains why each animal acts as it does. The series is a single complete season of twelve episodes, structured as a survey rather than a continuing story, so episodes can be watched in any order. Its tone is warm, authoritative, and wondrous, with a sense of awe at the natural world. Fans of Planet Earth, The Blue Planet, and The Life of Mammals will find the same blend of spectacle and patient natural history here.

## Shows like Trials of Life

- [The Living Planet (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/8856)
- [A Perfect Planet (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/95990)
- [Nature's Great Events (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/18234)
- [The Life of Birds (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/8859)
- [Planet Earth III (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/96739)
- [Life on Earth (1979)](https://ember.film/tv/14092)
- [Seven Worlds, One Planet (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/76945)
- [The Hunt (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/56925)
- [Life (2009)](https://ember.film/tv/15741)
- [Life Story (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/55128)

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