The BBC has outlined a raft of programmes to celebrate the life and work of Charles Darwin, featuring Sir David Attenborough and Andrew Marr.
February 12, 2009 is the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth, in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and November 24 next year marks 150 years since On The Origin Of Species was published.
The programmes will feature during the BBC’s winter season 08/09.
BBC1 will kick off the season with a one-off special from Sir David and the Natural History Unit in Bristol.
With the working title Tree Of Life, Sir David will make the case for the importance of the science of evolution in the one-hour programme.
Marr will front a three-part series for BBC2, exploring the radical impact of Darwin’s theory, with the working title Andrew Marr On Darwin’s Legacy.
BBC4 will present two specially commissioned one-off documentaries - What Darwin Didn’t Know and Darwin: In His Own Words.
The latter programme will use newly-released documents from Cambridge University on Darwin’s thoughts before he made his theory public.
BBC Radio 4 and 3 will also be marking the anniversaries.
