The BBC Darwin Season is a series of television and radio programmes commissioned by the BBC in 2009 to celebrate the bicentenary of the great naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882) and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his revolutionary book, On the Origin of Species in November, 1859. In partnership with the Open University, the BBC produced a special documentary, Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life, narrated by David Attenborough, and three major series. Other presenters involved are Andrew Marr, Melvyn Bragg and Jimmy Doherty. The overall commissioning editor for the season is Martin Davidson, the BBC's commissioning editor for specialist factual (in-house). Contributing units of the BBC are BBC Science, the Natural History Unit, the Religion and Ethics department and the children's channel, CBBC.

Highlights

Radio

Events in the Darwin season are broadcast on the broadcaster's flagship voice programming channel, Radio 4 and its arts and culture channel, Radio 3. Darwin is also the subject of special editions of the programmes Night Waves and Words and Music.

Television