Fly On The Wall

David Attenborough with a bird-eating spider

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The multifaceted eye

Find the trials and triumphs of capturing Life In The Undergrowth programme by programme in our fly guides.

Life In The Undergrowth is this Autumn's natural history blockbuster from BBC ONE, as David Attenborough takes us on a fantastic journey to discover the life that thrives out of sight in every garden, park or patch of wasteland in the country. As you'd expect, there's some breathtaking photography of these miniature worlds. But how do you set about making a TV programme where the stars are sometimes just millimetres across?

In Fly On The Wall, David Attenborough takes us behind the scenes for a look at some of the challenges faced whilst making the series. Never before has such an ambitious portrait of the microworld of the invertebrates been attempted and for good reason: it’s not only technically difficult to film but a world that is relatively unknown to science.

From encounters with giant bees at the tops of rainforest trees to the dramas unfolding in your back garden, we journey round the world to some surprising locations where we meet the experts, understand the technology and live the ups and downs of making this landmark natural history production. You'll discover why the story of how the team makes the programme is as astonishing as some of the shots they get.

Content last updated: 18/10/2005