Think you know how elephants got so big? How about why ostriches lay such enormous eggs? Or why bats eat so much, how dolphins developed such intelligence, and how horses became nature's ultimate athletes? Chris Packham's five-part docuseries promises to present new ideas that will challenge what you were once taught.
Here's how to watch “Evolution" online from anywhere with a VPN — and potentially for free.
"Evolution" premieres at 6 a.m. BST on Monday, July 13.
• WATCH FREE — BBC iPlayer (U.K.)
• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk free
Each episode is a deep-dive on one living creature. Using a mix of real-world footage and visual effects, and informed by the work of more than 600 scientists worldwide, "Evolution" sees Packham peel back the evolutionary breakthroughs that shaped them, tracing their stories right the way back to Luca — the last universal common ancestor.
"We've got new stories to tell you. We've got new ideas to present to you," Packham has promised. "I think that if you have an interest in natural sciences, tune in because we're going to update the ideas that you've had previously." For instance, is evolution contagious?
Luca, a hypothetical but essential concept, is the branch from which all modern life sprung, including that which remained oceanic, that which left water for land and air, and, in the case of marine mammals, that which went back again.
Read on as we explain how to watch "Evolution" online from anywhere, starting with free options.
How to watch 'Evolution' for FREE
You can watch "Evolution" free-of-charge on BBC iPlayer in the U.K.. All five episodes premiere online at 6 a.m. BST on Monday, July 13.
Alternatively, they air on BBC Two at 9 p.m. BST each Monday.
Abroad when it's on? Use a VPN to get around the geo-restrictions that will prevent your favorite streamer from working. Scroll down for all the details.
How to watch 'Evolution' from anywhere
Away from home at the moment and blocked from watching "Evolution" on your preferred service?
You can still tune in as normal thanks to the wonders of a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software allows your devices to appear as if they're back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. Ideal for viewers away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market:
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you want to watch the show free-of-charge on BBC iPlayer, choose 'United Kingdom' from the list.
3. Sit back and enjoy the show. Head to BBC iPlayer, sign in, and watch "Evolution" for free.
Can I watch ‘Evolution’ in the U.S., Australia, Canada or elsewhere?
At the time of publication, the overseas rights to "Evolution" have not yet been firmed up.
If you're currently in the U.S., Australia or Canada for work or on vacation from the U.K., you can still catch "Evolution" for free by using a VPN, such as NordVPN.
'Evolution' — Need to Know
'Evolution' trailer
'Evolution' episode guide
- Episode 1 — The Elephant: Chris Packham embarks on an extraordinary journey through deep time to uncover how a creature as vast, complex and charismatic as the elephant came to be. From a tiny cell over four billion years ago to one of the planet’s most iconic giants, this is the surprising story of life's most radical transformation.
- Episode 2 — The Ostrich: How did the ostrich come to lay the biggest egg on Earth? Chris Packham explores the way reproduction has shaped life on Earth and the surprising evolutionary origins of sex, eggs and birds. It's a four billion year journey contained within a shell.
- Episode 3 — The Bat: How did the bat get so hungry? Chris Packham sets out to answer a deceptively simple question: how the drive to find food shaped life on Earth and gave rise to one of nature’s most insatiable feeders. This is the story of the origin of bums, guts, jaws and super-hearing, and a 500-million-year chain of innovation, survival and hunger.
- Episode 4 — The Dolphin: How did the dolphin get so smart? Chris Packham dives into one of the biggest questions in nature - how intelligence itself evolved and how it arose in the extraordinary mind of the dolphin. Inside each one lies the result of a three-billion-year journey, from light-sensing cells to conscious thought.
- Episode 5 — The Horse: How did the horse become so fast? Chris Packham sets out on a slithering, swimming, sprinting odyssey that explores the evolutionary beginnings of animal movement and how it reached its peak in one of the most elegant and athletic animals on Earth: the horse.
What other shows can I watch on BBC iPlayer?
Lots of other nature documentaries, such as "Secret Garden", "Kingdom", "Making Life on Earth: Attenborough's Greatest Adventure" and "Asia".
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