04: Atmosphere | Earth

Duration: 58'31''

Synopsis

When the Earth first formed from clouds of dust and gas, it was devoid of an atmosphere. But as the young planet is pummelled by asteroids, a period of extraordinary upheaval begins.

Further Information

More clips from Earth

01: Inferno | Earth

01: Inferno | Earth

BBC Two | 2023 | 58'25''

Chris Packham explores one of the darkest periods in Earth’s history: the worst mass extinction the planet has ever seen, when as much as 90% of all spec...

02: Snowball | Earth

02: Snowball | Earth

BBC Two | 2023 | 58'48''

A look at how the giant supercontinent Rodinia broke up 800 million years ago. Earth’s tectonic forces ripped the land apart, kicking off a series of ev...

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.

05: Human | Earth

05: Human | Earth

BBC Two | 2023 | 59'08''

How dramatic twists in Earth’s story enabled humans to go from being part of nature to controlling it, and what can be learnt from this tale before it’s to...

01: Inferno | Earth

01: Inferno | Earth

BBC Two | 2023 | 58'25''

Chris Packham explores one of the darkest periods in Earth’s history: the worst mass extinction the planet has ever seen, when as much as 90% of all spec...

02: Snowball | Earth

02: Snowball | Earth

BBC Two | 2023 | 58'48''

A look at how the giant supercontinent Rodinia broke up 800 million years ago. Earth’s tectonic forces ripped the land apart, kicking off a series of ev...

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.

05: Human | Earth

05: Human | Earth

BBC Two | 2023 | 59'08''

How dramatic twists in Earth’s story enabled humans to go from being part of nature to controlling it, and what can be learnt from this tale before it’s to...

More resources about Weather and Climate

Climate Change: The Facts

Climate Change: The Facts

BBC One | 2019 | 57'33''

After one of the hottest years on record, Sir David Attenborough looks at the science of climate change and potential solutions to this global threat.

2020 | Britain's Wildest Weather

2020 | Britain's Wildest Weather

Channel 4 | 2020 | 46'49''

Footage of the most extreme weather conditions in the UK over the past year, from the worst floods in a decade and a freak landslide in Fife...

01: The Solomon Islands and Australia | Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline

01: The Solomon Islands and Australia | Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline

BBC Two | 2021 | 58'53''

Ade Adepitan sees the damage that climate change is causing, and finds out how we can fight it -...

02: Bangladesh and Bhutan | Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline

02: Bangladesh and Bhutan | Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline

BBC Two | 2021 | 59'10''

In Bangladesh and Bhutan, Ade Adepitan sees the damage that climate change is causing and finds out how we c...

S08E06: Flooding | Bang Goes the Theory

S08E06: Flooding | Bang Goes the Theory

BBC One | 2014 | 29'01''

Did global warming play a part in the recent floods, or is it the extreme end of the natural cycle? Maggie Philbin investigates the t...

Britain's Wild Weather | Panorama

Britain's Wild Weather | Panorama

BBC One | 2020 | 58'03''

Justin Rowlatt visits communities around Britain battered by this year's extreme weather - unprecedented rainfall, sunshine and sustained h...

Episode 1 | Orbit: Earth's Extraordinary Journey

Episode 1 | Orbit: Earth's Extraordinary Journey

BBC Two | 2012 | 58'23''

Kate Humble and Dr Helen Czerski follow the Earth's voyage around the sun for one complete orbit, travelling first from July...

02: Atmosphere | Earth: The Power of the Planet

02: Atmosphere | Earth: The Power of the Planet

BBC Two | 2007 | 59'03''

Dr Iain Stewart reveals the natural forces that shaped the earth. He traces the history of the atmosphere, from the ozone lay...

The Day Los Angeles Burned | Panorama

The Day Los Angeles Burned | Panorama

BBC One | 2025 | 29'03''

On 7 January 2025, wildfires engulfed parts of Los Angeles. Panorama examines how climate change and claims of underfunding for public ...

Hurricane Melissa: The Storm That Hit Jamaica | BBC News

Hurricane Melissa: The Storm That Hit Jamaica | BBC News

BBC News | 2025 | 24'47''

One of the most intense Atlantic hurricanes on record made landfall in Jamaica with 185mph winds. Category 5 Hurrica...

The Year Britain Flooded

The Year Britain Flooded

Channel 4 | 2013 | 46'20''

It was England's wettest year since records began; this documentary explores why 2012's relentless floods happened and tells the personal stories of...

Somerset: After the Floods

Somerset: After the Floods

BBC Two | 2015 | 59'05''

The Somerset Levels faced a natural disaster in the winter of 2013. The village of Moorland was entirely engulfed by the floods. This follows thos...

Climate Change: What Can We Do? | Panorama

Climate Change: What Can We Do? | Panorama

BBC One | 2019 | 28'54''

To meet the government's emissions reductions targets, we'll need to make big changes to the way we live, travel and eat. But how ...

01: Wind | Wild Weather

01: Wind | Wild Weather

BBC One | 2002 | 58'27''

Series in which Donal Macintyre goes in search of the world's wildest weather. This edition uses 3-D graphics to illustrate how wind and weather syst...

Coastal erosion | Panorama

Coastal erosion | Panorama

BBC One | 2020 | 4'27''

The erosion of the coastline and destruction of homes by storms.

Typhoon Haiyan | Review

Typhoon Haiyan | Review

BBC News | 2013 | 2'07''

Features the chaos and suffering caused by Typhoon Haiyan.

01: Wind: The Invisible Force | Wild Weather with Richard Hammond

01: Wind: The Invisible Force | Wild Weather with Richard Hammond

BBC One | 2014 | 57'58''

Richard Hammond investigates how wind actually starts. He walks into the centre of a man-made tornado and v...

03: Scandinavia | Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline

03: Scandinavia | Climate Change: Ade on the Frontline

BBC Two | 2021 | 58'51''

In the final episode, Ade Adepitan heads to Scandinavia. As he travels across the region, he learns about winter tempe...

Climate Change by Numbers

Climate Change by Numbers

BBC Four | 2015 | 1'14'46''

A look at three key numbers that clarify the important questions on climate change, giving a unique perspective on what we know about the past, pre...

Drought in the Sahel | Curriculum Bites

Drought in the Sahel | Curriculum Bites

BBC Two | 2007 | 3'19''

Drought in the Sahel and the expansion of the Sahara desert.

More from Chris Packham

Chris Packham: Is It Time to Break the Law?

Chris Packham: Is It Time to Break the Law?

Channel 4 | 2023 | 46'52''

Chris Packham goes on a personal journey to decide for himself if it's ethically acceptable to break the law to protest against g...

02: Snowball | Earth

02: Snowball | Earth

BBC Two | 2023 | 58'48''

A look at how the giant supercontinent Rodinia broke up 800 million years ago. Earth’s tectonic forces ripped the land apart, kicking off a series of ev...

S01E01 | Our Changing Planet

S01E01 | Our Changing Planet

BBC One | 2022 | 58'05''

Steve Backshall, Chris Packham and Ella Al-Shamahi visit the Maldives, Iceland and Cambodia, charting the fight to save the planet’s most endang...

Chris Packham: The Walk That Made Me

Chris Packham: The Walk That Made Me

BBC One South | 2021 | 58'58''

Chris Packham explores his past as he walks a familiar path in the Hampshire countryside. Chris cut his teeth as a naturalist in this be...

Episode 1 | Great British Photography Challenge

Episode 1 | Great British Photography Challenge

BBC Four | 2021 | 59'04''

The search for Britain's best amateur photographer begins with a blustery Brighton seafront, a nature assignment in the New F...

Chris Packham: 7.7 Billion People and Counting | Horizon

Chris Packham: 7.7 Billion People and Counting | Horizon

BBC One | 2020 | 59'01''

Naturalist Chris Packham investigates the impact a growing human population is having on the planet, asking whether ...

Chris Packham: In Search of the Lost Girl

Chris Packham: In Search of the Lost Girl

BBC Two | 2018 | 58'58''

Chris Packham returns to Sumatra to search for a girl from a nomadic tribe he photographed 20 years ago to discover what has happen...

Chris Packham: Asperger's and Me

Chris Packham: Asperger's and Me

BBC Two | 2017 | 59'10''

Chris Packham invites us inside his autistic world to try to show what it is like being him. Chris explores the question of whether Asperger...