Earth: Over 4 Billion Years in the Making

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Many of the most fascinating parts of the natural world are beyond reach. This beautiful, informative book brings them up-close and within our grasp. Combines the natural history of programmes such as David Attenborough’s Planet Earth with the planetary focus of Brian Cox’s Universe’ Guardian Some 252 million years ago, the greatest mass extinction in history occurred when around 90% of life was wiped out by volcanic activity, which caused devastating lava flow, the release of toxic gases and global warming. But a period of prolonged rainfall saw life return. Did fellow students think he was a freak? “Yeah.” Did he think he was a freak? “Yeah I did, and I didn’t want to be a freak, and it made me really angry.” With himself or others? “Both. I didn’t have a lot of time for my peers at that point. There was a lot of aggression.” Was he tough? “I wasn’t particularly tough, but I wouldn’t take bullying. I wasn’t good at controlling my temper. I subsequently learned to control it. When you’re a kid and it seems it’s you versus the world, you tend to lash out.”

The Science of the Earth: The Secrets of Our Planet Revealed

Caren will happily sit down and watch any kind of telly (well, maybe not sci-fi!), but she particularly loves period dramas like Call the Midwife, Downton Abbey and The Crown and she’s also a big fan of juicy crime thrillers from Line of Duty to Poirot. Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the “Settings & Account” section. What happens at the end of my trial? Over the years, she has spent many a day in a muddy field or an on-set catering bus chatting to numerous stars on location including the likes of Olivia Colman, David Tennant, Suranne Jones, Jamie Dornan, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Derek Jacobi as well as Hollywood actors such as Glenn Close and Kiefer Sutherland. It was never going to be a wildlife series but we were drawing parallels with previous life. On a cliff in Chile, there were Andean condors, and one pooed on me – I was elated to be pooed on by such a magnificent animal! We also went to a Mexican cenote [cave-like sinkhole] inhabited by millions of bats. They created a vortex as they spiralled out, it was like they turned on the air conditioning.” What locations did you visit? Actually, he says, planning the future is pointless, because he can’t envisage it. Sure, his diary is full for the next few months, but beyond that he finds it impossible to make long-term plans. “Charlotte says I’m like an alien because I don’t generate an imagined future. But expectations are one of the most dangerous things you can have in life. If you have expectations of people, they will fail you. If you have expectations of yourself, you’ll fail yourself. Whenever I’ve been foolish enough to generate any expectation, I’ve always failed myself.” I don’t like looking at myself. I don’t watch myself on TV. I don’t like myself mentally, let alone physically. I can just about look in the mirror to shaveIt was life affirming, it was perspective shifting. It was beautifully made' Fearne Cotton, The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, Radio 2 You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many user’s needs. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here. The most epic moments from the Earth’s history … Crammed with loads of interesting trivia” - Closer We talk about the recent libel case. I ask how important the victory was. “It’s not finished. Part of the case won’t be heard till November. That’s about the accusation that I wrote a death threat letter to myself, posted it to myself, wasted an enormous amount of police time and terrified my family. They’ve made films about it. This is a different group of people called Fieldsports Channel.”

Earth by Chris Packham, Andrew Cohen (9780008507206/Hardback Earth by Chris Packham, Andrew Cohen (9780008507206/Hardback

If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month.What’s difficult to grasp is how somebody so withdrawn from the human world could make such a successful career for himself in television. In his early 20s, he worked as a camera assistant on nature documentaries such as The Living Planet. By his mid-20s, he was on The Really Wild Show. He looked so cool and confident – a peroxide-haired punk who seemed totally at ease with the world. “When I started TV, somebody said to me, ‘You can either be confident or not give a shit,’ so I think it’s not giving a shit. If we’re doing something like Springwatch, it’s not brain surgery; nobody ever dies because you messed something up on television. You’ve got to keep things in perspective. I try to do my job well, I try to maximise my professionalism. I work very hard at that. But I don’t take the overall thing seriously.” In the first episode Inferno Chris explored the worst mass extinction event in the planet's history Credit: BBC Studios/BBC An onlooker replied: "I so agree if only we could at the very least turn the volume of the music down."

Earth by DK, Chris Packham | Waterstones The Science of the Earth by DK, Chris Packham | Waterstones

We went to Iceland to see volcanic regions, that was spectacular. I also liked the historical nature of a temple complex in Mexico, which was in a biosphere reserve with brilliant wildlife. Then in Chile, it's incredibly hot, dry and high and it parallels early hostile environments where species didn't only survive, they prospered.” Are there any similarities between Earth’s previous challenges and the ones we are facing now?

The most epic moments from the Earth's history ... Crammed with loads of interesting trivia' Closer