3: The Challenger | How To Grow A Planet

Duration: 58'16''

Synopsis

Professor Iain Stewart explains how grass fought its enemy, the forests, how it transformed ocean life and how it triggered human civilisation.

Further Information

More clips from How to Grow a Planet

1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet

1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet

BBC One | 2012 | 59'29''

How plants have driven the greatest changes to the Earth. Prof Iain Stewart shows how they first harnessed light from the sun and c...

2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet

2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet

BBC One | 2012 | 59'05''

In the second episode, Iain discovers how flowers have transformed our planet. He journeys to the remote islands of the South ...

1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet

1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet

BBC One | 2012 | 59'29''

How plants have driven the greatest changes to the Earth. Prof Iain Stewart shows how they first harnessed light from the sun and c...

2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet

2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet

BBC One | 2012 | 59'05''

In the second episode, Iain discovers how flowers have transformed our planet. He journeys to the remote islands of the South ...

1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet

1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet

BBC One | 2012 | 59'29''

How plants have driven the greatest changes to the Earth. Prof Iain Stewart shows how they first harnessed light from the sun and c...

2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet

2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet

BBC One | 2012 | 59'05''

In the second episode, Iain discovers how flowers have transformed our planet. He journeys to the remote islands of the South ...

1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet

1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet

BBC One | 2012 | 59'29''

How plants have driven the greatest changes to the Earth. Prof Iain Stewart shows how they first harnessed light from the sun and c...

2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet

2: The Power Of Flowers | How To Grow A Planet

BBC One | 2012 | 59'05''

In the second episode, Iain discovers how flowers have transformed our planet. He journeys to the remote islands of the South ...

More resources about Ecosystems and Biomes

01: Frozen Worlds | Frozen Planet II

01: Frozen Worlds | Frozen Planet II

BBC One | 2022 | 57'53''

From the poles to the highest mountain peaks, there are surprising frozen worlds found on every continent, and each is home to unique an...

01: Nepal | Kate Humble: Living with Nomads

01: Nepal | Kate Humble: Living with Nomads

BBC Two | 2015 | 59'01''

In a demanding and emotional journey, Kate Humble travels with the Raute, Nepal's very last nomadic community of just 140 hunter-...

02: Frozen Ocean | Frozen Planet II

02: Frozen Ocean | Frozen Planet II

BBC One | 2022 | 58'05''

At the top of our planet lies the Arctic Ocean - a shape-shifting world of ice and water, home to unique animals like polar bears, harp s...

02: Siberia | Kate Humble: Living with Nomads

02: Siberia | Kate Humble: Living with Nomads

BBC Two | 2015 | 59'09''

Kate Humble continues her travels with the Nenets reindeer herders deep in the Siberian tundra, but plummeting temperatures jeo...

03: Frozen Peaks | Frozen Planet II

03: Frozen Peaks | Frozen Planet II

BBC One | 2022 | 58'12''

A look at how mountains create unique frozen worlds, home to extraordinary animals that must overcome the crushing conditions of the cold.

03: Green | Earth

03: Green | Earth

BBC Two | 2023 | 58'12''

Chris Packham tells the miraculous story of how plant life turned the Earth from a barren rock into a vibrant green world.

03: Mongolia | Kate Humble: Living with Nomads

03: Mongolia | Kate Humble: Living with Nomads

BBC Two | 2015 | 59'10''

In her final journey of the series, Kate Humble travels deep into the Gobi Desert to live with an extended family of cashmere ...

04: Frozen South | Frozen Planet II

04: Frozen South | Frozen Planet II

BBC One | 2022 | 58'02''

Antarctica is the most hostile of earth’s frozen worlds. Yet even here, life finds a way not just to survive, but thrive.

05: Frozen Lands | Frozen Planet II

05: Frozen Lands | Frozen Planet II

BBC One | 2022 | 58'00''

In the far north of our planet lie vast frozen lands of snow-covered forest and open tundra. These are lands of extremes that push animal...

06: Our Frozen Planet | Frozen Planet II

06: Our Frozen Planet | Frozen Planet II

BBC One | 2022 | 58'19''

Our frozen planet is changing. We meet the scientists dedicating their lives to understanding what these changes mean for animals, p...

07: Worlds of Wonder | Frozen Planet II

07: Worlds of Wonder | Frozen Planet II

BBC One | 2023 | 58'06''

A journey through the world’s coldest realms with the most-loved animals from the series, including emperor penguins and one of the l...

1: Africa | Equator from the Air

1: Africa | Equator from the Air

BBC Two | 2020 | 59'05''

In Africa, Gordon takes to the skies to see how a growing human population is affecting wildlife, from flamingos and elephants in Kenya to h...

1: Arctic Part 1 | Undiscovered Worlds with Steve Backshall

1: Arctic Part 1 | Undiscovered Worlds with Steve Backshall

BBC Two | 2019 | 58'45''

Steve Backshall visits unexplored parts of the world. This time his team is kayaking in the Arctic - they face pe...

1: Congo | Wilderness with Simon Reeve

1: Congo | Wilderness with Simon Reeve

BBC Two | 2024 | 58'42''

Simon Reeve battles his way across the Congo, braving thick jungle and tropical swamps in search of the people and the wildlife who ma...

1: Galapagos | Nature's Microworlds

1: Galapagos | Nature's Microworlds

BBC Four | 2012 | 29'02''

The Galapagos is home to a myriad of bizarre and unique creatures endemic to these islands, but how did they get here and what is the key...

1: Heart of the Dragon | Wild China

1: Heart of the Dragon | Wild China

BBC Two | 2008 | 59'01''

The hills of Guilin and the fishermen of the Li River form the heart of this exploration of the rice-growing cultures and strange creatur...

1: Land | Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom

1: Land | Australia: Earth's Magical Kingdom

BBC Two | 2019 | 58'55''

A look at one of the most magical lands on the planet. Its unique wildlife includes tree-dwelling kangaroos, spiders that surviv...

1: Nature's Miracle | Great Barrier Reef

1: Nature's Miracle | Great Barrier Reef

BBC HD | 2012 | 59'05''

Monty Halls explores Australia's Great Barrier Reef, examining the vast, complex structure of the coral reef itself and the wildlife...

1: North by Northwest | Himalaya with Michael Palin

1: North by Northwest | Himalaya with Michael Palin

BBC One | 2004 | 59'05''

Michael Palin sets off on an epic journey through the rugged terrain of the Himalayas. First, he follows the Khyber Pass ...

1: Ocean of Islands | South Pacific

1: Ocean of Islands | South Pacific

BBC Two | 2009 | 58'54''

Documentary looking at the remote South Pacific islands, which are inhabited by some of the most curious and precarious examples of life ...

More from Iain Stewart

1: Deep Earth | How Earth Made Us

1: Deep Earth | How Earth Made Us

BBC Two | 2010 | 59'24''

Series telling the story of how the development of civilisation was influenced by planetary forces. Professor Iain Stewart explores the rol...

5: Rare Earth | Earth: The Power of the Planet

5: Rare Earth | Earth: The Power of the Planet

BBC Two | 2007 | 58'54''

Life on Earth prospers because it enjoys the right amount of heat from the sun, and the atmosphere prevents meteorite bombardm...

Episode 1 | Planet Oil: The Treasure That Conquered The World

Episode 1 | Planet Oil: The Treasure That Conquered The World

BBC Four | 2017 | 59'16''

From the moment we first drilled for oil, we opened a Pandora's box that changed the world forever. It transfor...

Eurasia | Rise of the Continents

Eurasia | Rise of the Continents

BBC Two | 2013 | 59'04''

Professor Iain Stewart shows that where the south of Eurasia is today there was once an ocean and how, in 250 million years, all of the cont...

Iceland Erupts: A Volcano Live Special | Volcano Live

Iceland Erupts: A Volcano Live Special | Volcano Live

BBC Two | 2012 | 59'03''

Kate Humble heads to Iceland and meets the scientists monitoring the country's most dangerous volcanoes. She also inves...

1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet

1: Life From Light | How to Grow a Planet

BBC One | 2012 | 59'29''

How plants have driven the greatest changes to the Earth. Prof Iain Stewart shows how they first harnessed light from the sun and c...

1: Scotland's Trees | Making Scotland's Landscape

1: Scotland's Trees | Making Scotland's Landscape

BBC One | 2010 | 59'30''

Professor Iain Stewart reveals how Scotland's unique landscape was shaped. Here, he uncovers the devastating impact of mank...

2: Moving Mountains | Men of Rock

2: Moving Mountains | Men of Rock

BBC Two | 2010 | 58'54''

Iain Stewart finds out how gung-ho geologist Edward Bailey discovered that Scotland was once home to super volcanoes. Plus the story of uns...

1: Tsunamis | 10 Things You Didn't Know About...

1: Tsunamis | 10 Things You Didn't Know About...

BBC Four | 2008 | 58'56''

Iain Stewart journeys across the oceans to explore stories about the most powerful giant waves in history, including how one...

1: Indonesia | Journeys into the Ring of Fire

1: Indonesia | Journeys into the Ring of Fire

BBC One | 2006 | 59'16''

Iain Stewart tours the Pacific rim to discover how the rocks beneath our feet have shaped human history. He visits the world's ...