A natural history of Antarctica, presented by David Attenborough. With winter temperatures of minus 70 degrees centigrade and winds of 100mph, only a few hundred people live in this inhospitable environment. The wildlife, however, is abundant - millions of penguins, thousands of whales and half the world's seals somehow survive the hardest conditions on the planet.

In the spring, the thaw begins and animals like the humpback whale and the crabeater seal follow the retreating ice.

It's summer in Antarctica, and with 24-hour daylight the race to breed is on, as two million fur seals crowd the beaches of South Georgia. When the pups are born, ferocious bulls attack any intruders who challenge their females. Meanwhile, Chinstrap penguins cross glacial streams and climb near vertical cliffs to feed their chicks as formidable leopard seals lurk.

Sir David Attenborough's frost-bitten history of Antarctica moves on to autumn where harsh seas batter the islands, leaving penguins to struggle ashore to feed their young. Amidst the wild landscape, leopard seals pounce at unsuspecting fledglings, fur seal pups take their first swim, and young wandering albatrosses rehearse their amazing courtship dance.

Sir David Attenborough continues his natural history of Earth's most unforgiving continent - Antarctica. During the winter, conditions are so extreme that most animal life deserts the region. The few exceptions include emperor penguins which huddle together as storms rage and Weddell seals, which maintain holes in the ice for access to an underwater world where fish survive by having natural antifreeze in their blood.

A recollection of the epic journeys that have been made in the quest to explore Antarctica. From Captain Scott's hut, David Attenborough relates the history of the struggles to be the first to reach the South Pole. Incredibly, progress has been such that some people now live there permanently - scientists and support staff work in temperatures of minus 70 and live through weeks of total darkness.