The Secret Life of Trees

The Secret Life of Trees (2025- )

RunningDocumentary showNature

Narrated by Michael Palin, this fascinating series follows the incredible lives of trees - from their beginning as tiny seeds through to magnificent giants and into old age, revealing the secrets of how they communicate, how they drink and even how some of the three trillion trees on our planet are as old as the pyramids.

Even the mightiest oak must start life as a tiny acorn. In the first film, we explore the secret lives of young trees – discovering how they magically transform from minute seeds into mature adults. But with fewer than one in a thousand seeds reaching adulthood, a tree's early years are the most treacherous of its life.

Network
Scheduleevery Friday at 21:00 (60 min)

Last Episode

Old Age
Season 1Episode 360 min

Old Age

The concluding episode reveals how trees can extend their lives by 'walking' across the land and planting new roots. Plus, how they can 'learn' from trauma, and how a decaying tree has the miraculous ability to nurture new life. In Scotland, Tony Kirkham explores a magical collection of Yews - the UK's longest living trees. He also explores a grove of Monkey Puzzle trees, and explains that the unusual, scale-like leaves of this prickly species are an adaptation to protect it from hungry dinosaurs.

Aug 7, 2025

Recent Episodes

EpisodeNameAirdate
S01E03Old AgeAug 7, 2025
S01E02AdulthoodAug 1, 2025
S01E01The Early YearsJul 25, 2025
View all episodesView all seasons

Cast

Michael Palin

Michael Palin

voices himself
View all cast

Characters

Narrator

Narrator

voiced by Michael Palin
View all characters

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