BBC/Silverback Films/Aaron Sandhu
David Attenborough has given us another wonderful nature doc this year, Parenthood on BBC iPlayer. You might expect this five-parter to be soft and fuzzy, given the subject matter. While that can be true – the competition for cutest baby animal is fierce – there is plenty of horror, too. For example, did you know that a female African social spider will make the ultimate sacrifice by letting her offspring eat her alive?
The series doesn’t shy away from the effects of climate change and agriculture, either: we get bleak insights into the suffering of animal parents, from hippos to demoiselle cranes. Watch lionesses teach muddy cubs to cross the waterlogged savannah after a rare rainfall to hunt prey, with heartbreaking consequences. For light relief, discover unusual hacks, such as the “poo bags” scooped up by swamp canary parents.
And yes, dads may get involved too, including a Tom Cruise-esque dart frog and a zebra so noble you’ll wish he’d raised you.
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