''Deadly...'' is a strand of British wildlife documentary programming aimed principally at children and young people, which is broadcast on CBBC on BBC One and Two and on the

CBBC Channel CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 7–16 ...

. It is presented by Steve Backshall, with Naomi Wilkinson as co-host on ''Live 'n Deadly'', and Barney Harwood as co-host on ''Natural Born Hunters''. The strand began with a single series known as ''Deadly 60'', and has subsequently expanded into a number of spin-offs, re-edits and follow-up versions.

''Deadly 60''

Each series shows Backshall and his camera crew travelling the world in an attempt to find another 60 of the "most deadly" animals in the world. In each episode, Backshall tracks several animals in its habitat, and giving details of what makes the animal notable, with particular emphasis on its impact on the wider ecosystem and the manner of its predatory behaviour; thus, why it is "deadly". ''Deadly 60'' is distributed by

BBC Worldwide BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetises BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...

to many other countries, including in the US on

NatGeo Wild National Geographic Wild is a Canadian English-language Category B specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment and National Geographic Global Networks. The channel airs programming devoted to wildlife, nature, and animals. History In April 201 ...

from August 2011.

''Live 'n Deadly''

''Live 'n Deadly'' is a spin-off series to ''Deadly 60'', with 10 live shows and 3 non-live specials. This series is a live magazine program hosted by Steve Backshall and Naomi Wilkinson, which features a range of magazine content, features and games relating to animals and wildlife, and also uses its live broadcast to encourage interactivity with the viewing audience. The program was a touring series, with episodes filmed live on location from areas around the UK. The first series of ''Live 'n Deadly'' aired on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

(simulcast with

) on Saturday mornings at 9:00 am in between September and December 2010. In addition to the live Saturday show, a public roadshow event was also held the following day in the general area that the program had visited that week (though never in exactly the same location). These roadshows were run by BBC Learning and featured a number of hands-on wildlife-related activities for children and families, and footage from the roadshow events was broadcast the following Saturday as part of the following live programme. Series 2 of ''Live 'n' Deadly'' aired between September and December 2011.

''Deadly 60 Bites''

This is a series of short filler programmes consisting of individual animals' segments of ''Deadly 60'' cut down into a 5- to 10-minute standalone segment; this is often used as a filler between programmes on the CBBC channel.

''Deadly Art''

In 2011 a spin-off show was broadcast called ''Deadly Art'', which airs as a short filler programme on weekdays.

Series 1

Alligator snapping turtle The alligator snapping turtle (''Macrochelys temminckii'') is a large species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The species is native to freshwater habitats in the United States. ''M. temminckii'' is one of the heaviest freshwater turtles in ...

, piranha, saltwater crocodile, brown bear, wolves,

African killer bees The Africanized bee, also known as the Africanized honey bee and known colloquially as the "killer bee", is a hybrid of the western honey bee (''Apis mellifera''), produced originally by crossbreeding of the East African lowland honey bee (''A.& ...

, hippos, African fish eagle, king cobra, shark,

lynx A lynx is a type of wild cat. Lynx may also refer to: Astronomy * Lynx (constellation) * Lynx (Chinese astronomy) * Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory Places Canada * Lynx, Ontar ...

, mountain gorilla, tuna,

rattlesnake Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera ''Crotalus'' and ''Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small anim ...

, tiger, ghost bat,

tarsier Tarsiers ( ) are haplorhine primates of the family Tarsiidae, which is itself the lone extant family within the infraorder Tarsiiformes. Although the group was once more widespread, all of its species living today are found in Maritime Southeast ...

, wolverine, red back spider,

chameleon Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...

, praying mantis,

peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...

donkey The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a ...

, vulture,

pangolin Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, are mammals of the order Pholidota (, from Ancient Greek ϕολιδωτός – "clad in scales"). The one extant family, the Manidae, has three genera: '' Manis'', '' Phataginus'', and '' Smut ...

Tasmanian devil The Tasmanian devil (''Sarcophilus harrisii'') (palawa kani: purinina) is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae. Until recently, it was only found on the island state of Tasmania, but it has been reintroduced to New South Wales in ...

The Final Selection

Series 2

Goliath birdeater, snow leopard, tokay gecko, aye aye,

squid True squid are molluscs with an elongated soft body, large eyes, eight arms, and two tentacles in the superorder Decapodiformes, though many other molluscs within the broader Neocoleoidea are also called squid despite not strictly fitting t ...

, scorpion, scutigera centipede,

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

, wrinkle-lipped bats, barracuda, black eagle,

chimpanzee The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative th ...

, dolphin, Nile crocodile,

pit viper The Crotalinae, commonly known as pit vipers,Mehrtens JM (1987). ''Living Snakes of the World in Color''. New York: Sterling Publishers. 480 pp. . crotaline snakes (from grc, κρόταλον ''krotalon'' castanet), or pit adders, are a subfa ...

, hornet, lionfish, reticulated python, giant anteater,

black tip reef shark The blacktip reef shark (''Carcharhinus melanopterus'') is a species of requiem shark, in the family Carcharhinidae, which can be easily identified by the prominent black tips on its fins (especially on the first dorsal fin and its caudal fi ...

, African hunting dog,

monitor lizard Monitor lizards are lizards in the genus ''Varanus,'' the only extant genus in the family Varanidae. They are native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, and one species is also found in the Americas as an invasive species. About 80 species are recogn ...

, gannet, giant octopus, crown of thorns starfish,

polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the largest extant bear specie ...

Series 3

Series 3 aired May 2012.

Banded sand snake There are two species of snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapp ...

African bush elephant The African bush elephant (''Loxodonta africana'') is one of two extant African elephant species and one of three extant elephant species. It is the largest living terrestrial animal, with bulls reaching a shoulder height of up to and a body ...

, golden eagle,

fossa Fossa may refer to: Animals * Fossa (animal), the common name of a carnivoran mammal of genus ''Cryptoprocta'' endemic to Madagascar * ''Fossa'', the Latin genus name of the Malagasy civet, a related but smaller mammal endemic to Madagascar Pla ...

, tiger shark, harpy eagle, rinkhals, warthog,

wolf eel The wolf eel (''Anarrhichthys ocellatus'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Anarhichadidae, the wolf fishes. It is found in the North Pacific Ocean. Despite its common name and resemblance, it is not a true eel. It ...

poison dart frog Poison dart frog (also known as dart-poison frog, poison frog or formerly known as poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to tropical Central and South America. These species are ...

spoor spider ''Seothyra'', commonly known as the buckspoor spiders, buck spoor spiders or just spoor spiders, belong to a sand-dwelling, burrowing genus of araneomorph spiders in the family Eresidae. The 13 species are endemic to the arid, sandy flats and s ...

giraffe The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, ''Giraffa camelopardalis ...

pink river dolphin The Amazon river dolphin (''Inia geoffrensis''), also known as the boto, bufeo or pink river dolphin, is a species of toothed whale classified in the family Iniidae. Three subspecies are currently recognized: ''I. g. geoffrensis'' (Amazon river ...

, burrowing owl, Arctic fox, millipede, vervet monkey, musk ox, kangaroo, army ant,

clouded leopard The clouded leopard (''Neofelis nebulosa''), also called the mainland clouded leopard, is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests from the foothills of the Himalayas through mainland Southeast Asia into South China. In the early 19th century, a cl ...

, kingfisher, hammerhead shark,

solifuge Solifugae is an Order (biology), order of animals in the Class (biology), class Arachnida known variously as camel spiders, wind scorpions, sun spiders, or solifuges. The order includes more than 1,000 described species in about 147 genus, gener ...

, killer whale, black rhinoceros

''Deadly Top 10s''

The CBBC Channel has started airing ''Steve Backshall's Deadly Top 10s'', which essentially is a 30-minute clip show featuring a collection of material previously seen in ''Deadly 60''.

''Deadly Top 10s'' - Series 1 (2009)

1 - Fastest: (10)

Black mamba The black mamba (''Dendroaspis polylepis'') is a species of highly venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. It is native to parts of sub-Saharan Africa. First formally described by Albert Günther in 1864, it is the second-longest ...

, (9) Star-nosed mole, (8)

Mantis shrimp Mantis shrimp, or stomatopods, are carnivorous marine crustaceans of the order Stomatopoda (). Stomatopods branched off from other members of the class Malacostraca around 340 million years ago. Mantis shrimp typically grow to around in lengt ...

, (7) Dragonfly nymph Vs. dragonfly adult (Winner: dragonfly adult), (6)

Chameleon Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...

, (5)

Eyelash pit viper ''Bothriechis schlegelii'', known commonly as the eyelash viper, is a species of venomous pit viper in the family Viperidae. The species is native to Central and South America. Small and arboreal, this species is characterized by a wide array of ...

, (4) Tuna, (3)

Peregrine falcon The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (Bird of prey, raptor) in the family (biology), family Falco ...

, (2) Cheetah, (1) Gannet. 2 - Lethal Weapons: (10) African fish eagle, (9) Hippo Vs. elephant (winner: elephant), (8) Queen snake, (7) Aye-aye, (6) Bullet ant, (5) Sundew Vs. Venus fly trap (winner: Venus fly trap), (4) Great grey owl, (3) Reticulated python, (2)

Grizzly bear The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...

, (1) Praying mantis 3 - Killer Tactics: (10) Harris hawk, (9) African hunting dog, (8) Leaf-tailed gecko, (7) Death adder Vs. garter snake (winner: garter snake), (6)

Chimpanzee The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative th ...

, (5) Stoat, (4) Corolla spider Vs. gladiator spider (winner: gladiator spider), (3)

, (2)

Leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...

, (1) Humpback whale 4 - Toxic: (10)

Fat-tailed scorpion Fattail scorpion or fat-tailed scorpion is the common name given to scorpions of the genus ''Androctonus'', one of the most dangerous groups of scorpion species in the world.Hendrixson, B. E. 2006. Buthid scorpions of Saudi Arabia, with not ...

, (9) Sydney funnel-web spider, (8) Sea kreat, (7)

Skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginge ...

, (6) Cone shell, (5) Water monitor Vs. Komodo dragon (winner: Komodo dragon), (4) Paralysis tick, (3) Scutigera centipede Vs. giant centipede (winner: giant centipede), (2) King cobra, (1)

Poison dart frog Poison dart frog (also known as dart-poison frog, poison frog or formerly known as poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to tropical Central and South America. These species are ...

5 - Fiercest: (10) Tiger, (9)

Polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the largest extant bear specie ...

, (8) Tiger shark, (7) Honey badger Vs. wolverine (winner: honey badger), (6) - Humboldt squid, (5)

Japanese hornet ''Vespa simillima'', the yellow hornet, including the color form known as the , is a common hornet species in the Eastern Hemisphere. The typical mainland color form ( Japanese:ケブカスズメバチ, Korean: 털보말벌, "hairy wasp") is d ...

, (4) Leopard seal, (3)

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

, (2) Saltwater crocodile, (1) Great white shark

''Deadly Top 10s'' - Series 2 (2010)

1 - Defenders: (10) Goliath bird-eating spider, (9)

Adder Adder may refer to: * AA-12 Adder, a Russian air-to-air missile * Adder (electronics), an electronic circuit designed to do addition * Adder Technology, a manufacturing company * Armstrong Siddeley Adder, a late 1940s British turbojet engine * ''B ...

, (8) Mountain gorilla, (7)

Porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethizont ...

, (6) Moth butterfly caterpillar, (5) Cassowary, (4) Jack jumping ant, (3) Rhino Vs. buffalo (winner: buffalo), (2) Rinkhals spitting cobra, (1)

Bombardier beetle Bombardier beetles are ground beetles (Carabidae) in the tribes Brachinini, Paussini, Ozaenini, or Metriini—more than 500 species altogether—which are most notable for the defense mechanism that gives them their name: when disturbed, they e ...

2 - Super-Senses: (10) Giant anteater, (9)

Pink river dolphin The Amazon river dolphin (''Inia geoffrensis''), also known as the boto, bufeo or pink river dolphin, is a species of toothed whale classified in the family Iniidae. Three subspecies are currently recognized: ''I. g. geoffrensis'' (Amazon river ...

, (8) Raccoon Vs.

yapok The water opossum (''Chironectes minimus''), also locally known as the yapok (), is a marsupial of the family Didelphidae.* It is the only living member of its genus, ''Chironectes''. This semiaquatic creature is found in and near freshwater ...

(winner: raccoon), (7)

Duck billed platypus The platypus (''Ornithorhynchus anatinus''), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal Endemic (ecology), endemic to Eastern states of Australia, eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypu ...

, (6) Vampire bat, (5) Sand-swimmer snake, (4) Bat eared fox Vs. brown long-eared bat (winner: bat eared fox), (3)

Tarsier Tarsiers ( ) are haplorhine primates of the family Tarsiidae, which is itself the lone extant family within the infraorder Tarsiiformes. Although the group was once more widespread, all of its species living today are found in Maritime Southeast ...

, (2) Nile crocodile, (1)

Cuttlefish Cuttlefish or cuttles are marine molluscs of the order Sepiida. They belong to the class Cephalopoda which also includes squid, octopuses, and nautiluses. Cuttlefish have a unique internal shell, the cuttlebone, which is used for control of ...

3 - Extreme: (10) Snow leopard, (9)

Thorny devil The thorny devil (''Moloch horridus''), also known commonly as the mountain devil, thorny lizard, thorny dragon, and moloch, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Australia. It is the sole species in the ...

, (8) Pitcher plant, (7) Lungfish, (6) Fungus gnat glow worm, (5) Arctic fox Vs. fennec fox (winner: Arctic fox), (4)

Spoor spider ''Seothyra'', commonly known as the buckspoor spiders, buck spoor spiders or just spoor spiders, belong to a sand-dwelling, burrowing genus of araneomorph spiders in the family Eresidae. The 13 species are endemic to the arid, sandy flats and s ...

, (3)

Emperor penguin The emperor penguin (''Aptenodytes forsteri'') is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching in length and weighing from . Feathers of th ...

, (2)

Sperm whale The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the sperm whale famil ...

, (1) Wood frog 4 - Mass Attacks: (10)

Blacktip shark The blacktip shark (''Carcharhinus limbatus'') is a species of requiem shark, and part of the family Carcharhinidae. It is common to coastal tropical and subtropical waters around the world, including brackish habitats. Genetic analyses have re ...

, (9) Blue footed booby, (8) Coati, (7)

Spotted hyena The spotted hyena (''Crocuta crocuta''), also known as the laughing hyena, is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus ''Crocuta'', native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the IUC ...

, (6) Desert locust, (5) South American sociable spider Vs. black lace-weaver spider (winner: South American sociable spider), (4) Grey wolf, (3) Honey bee, (2)

Bottlenose dolphin Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus ''Tursiops.'' They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the common ...

, (1) Army ant 5 - Airborne: (10) Pied kingfisher, (9)

Robber fly The Asilidae are the robber fly family, also called assassin flies. They are powerfully built, bristly flies with a short, stout proboscis enclosing the sharp, sucking hypopharynx. The name "robber flies" reflects their notoriously aggressive pre ...

, (8)

Draco lizard ''Draco'' is a genus of agamidae, agamid lizards that are also known as flying lizards, flying dragons or gliding lizards. These lizards are capable of gliding flight via membranes that may be extended to create wings (patagium, patagia), formed ...

, (7) Himalayan jumping spider, (6) Magnificent frigatebird (5) Goshawk, (4)

Tarantula hawk wasp A tarantula hawk is a spider wasp (Pompilidae) that preys on tarantulas. Tarantula hawks belong to any of the many species in the genera ''Pepsis'' and ''Hemipepsis.'' They are one of the largest parasitoid wasps, using their sting to paralyze the ...

, (3) Natterer's bat Vs. greater bulldog bat (winner: Natterer's bat), (2) Lammergeier, (1) Kestrel

''Deadly 60 on a Mission''

In 2011, a compilation series called ''Deadly 60 on a Mission'' began airing on Sunday evenings on BBC One; this took the place of '' Horrible Histories with Stephen Fry'' in the BBC One schedule, and, like the ''Horrible Histories'' spinoff, was designed to utilise content from the associated CBBC programme in a family-aimed mid-evening slot. As with ''Deadly Top 10s'', much of the material in this strand had previously appeared in the main ''Deadly 60'' series.

''Deadly 360''

A studio-based format show mixing BBC natural history archive displayed in ''

Minority Report Minority Report may refer to: * Minority report (Poor Law), published by the UK Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress 1905–09 * "Minority Report", a 1949 science fiction short story by Theodore Sturgeon * "The Minority Report ...

'' style, presented again by Steve Backshall - The show was broadcast on CBBC between September and December 2011.

''Deadly Nightmares of Nature''

A series presented by Naomi Wilkinson, in which she travels around the world, looking for smaller potentially dangerous creatures, e.g. scorpions, spiders, poisonous insects, but also crocodiles or venomous snakes. It aired for the first time in 2012.

''Deadly Pole to Pole''

In the series, which premiered in October, 2013, Steve Backshall travels pole to pole through the Americas while looking for dangerous animals.

''Backshall's Deadly Adventures''

A series where Steve Backshall goes on deadly adventures.

''Natural Born Hunters''

A series in which

Bob Brisbane Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places * Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname ...

narrate various clips (mostly from ''Deadly 60'') about predators and how they hunt. This series could be considered a combination of the ''Deadly'' series and the series.

''Deadly 60 Games''

Several ''Deadly 60'' Flash games have also been produced for CBBC. ''Deadly Dash'' (released September 2010) was one of the most popular games on the channel that year. ''Deadly Planet'' and ''Deadly Scramble'' were subsequently released in September 2012 to coincide with series 2 of ''Live 'n' Deadly''.

''Deadly Dinosaurs''

In 2018, it was announced that Backshall would be doing a new ''Deadly'' series, this time about dinosaurs. The series started in June 2018 and had 10 episodes, broadcast every Wednesday. Each dinosaur is shown as a computer generated figure (mostly using footage from '' Planet Dinosaur''), supposedly the most realistic version yet. Each dinosaur is then given a deadly scale, based on weapons, size and speed. Though the only thing to get 100% deadly was the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs off in the 9th episode dubbed "Deadlier Than the Dinosaurs".

''Deadly Predators''

In October 2021, it was announced that a new 7 part series called ''Deadly Predators'' had begun filming in the UK and would be aired on CBBC in early 2022. This series will combine the face-to-face animal encounters of Deadly 60 with the epic stunts and CGI to showcase the power of predatory animals.

References

External links

CBBC Deadly 60CBBC Live 'n' DeadlyCBBC Deadly 360NatGeo Wild Deadly 60Amazon bookCBBC Deadly Planet GameCBBC Deadly Scramble GameCBBC Deadly Dash Game''Deadly Dinosaurs''
{{British Saturday morning television CBBC shows BBC children's television shows 2009 British television series debuts 2000s British children's television series 2000s British documentary television series 2010s British children's television series 2010s British documentary television series 2020s British children's television series 2020s British documentary television series BBC television documentaries Television franchises Nature educational television series Television series by BBC Studios Television series about animals English-language television shows