The four best science documentaries of 2025

Human (BBC iPlayer/NOVA)

Ella al-Shamahi is the perfect guide for our ancient ancestors. In Human, she takes us on a tour of our past spanning 300,000 years, including our turbulent relationships with other hominids. The paleoanthropologist constructs a complex story in which we are not the only ones to have intelligence and creativity.

Highlights include a trip to Indonesia to see the remains of “hobbits” (Homo floresiensesour extinct one-meter-tall cousin), and some tiny shells that ancient humans transformed into jewelry.

The series includes fascinating scans of footprints in a dry lake, hinting at a mother’s hasty journey, and growth lines on Neanderthal teeth, suggesting a longer childhood than we thought.

Once upon a time in space (BBC iPlayer)

James Bleumer’s latest project is a must-see series, covering the history of space exploration from the late 1970s to the present day. He shares many personal anecdotes, such as NASA astronaut Anna Fisher (pictured) revealing the hatred directed at her as the first mother in space, and Michael Foale’s account of how the crew of the Russian Mir space station survived after a collision that caused the station to depressurize.

We also see Carl McNair watching footage of his father talking about how proud he was of Ronald, his brother and Carl’s uncle – one of the first black astronauts, who died in the Challenger disaster in 1986. “From slavery to space in four generations,” Carl says, overcome with joy and sorrow.

Kingdom (BBC iPlayer, broadcast on PBS from January 24, 2026)

Even before its broadcast, the latest gem from David Attenborough and the BBC’s Natural History Unit was aptly described as the Game of Thrones nature documentaries. The series is a blood-soaked Shakespearean drama that will devastate you from its first episode. It follows four factions – a family of leopards, a pack of wild dogs, a pride of lions and a clan of hyenas – to Nsefu in Zambia, a lush expanse of South Luangwa National Park.

Our story begins with the arrival of the wild dog Storm and his crew and a skirmish with the elegant leopard Olimba. Things escalate as rivals jostle for food and space, and shocking violence ensues.

That said, witnessing these lives is a privilege and you’re sure to fall in love with them, especially the various matriarchs of the family and Flint, a three-legged wild dog caught in a poacher’s trap. It’s breathtaking stuff. Have tissues handy.

Famous Last Words: Dr. Jane Goodall (Netflix)

Legendary primatologist Jane Goodall sadly passed away earlier this year. But she is one of the influential people interviewed about their lives for Famous Last. Wordsa new Netflix series adapted from a Danish format – which will be released after the death of its subjects.

Fittingly for a pioneering scientist, Goodall’s interview is the first to be published, and she is on fine form throughout. She arrives clutching Mr. H, a stuffed monkey, and sits down with a glass of whiskey – medicinal, she emphasizes, to prevent her voice from tiring during the long conversation ahead of her.

The rest of the episode is just as charming. And, fortunately for all of us, Goodall’s voice never wavered: she continued to fight to the end for a kinder, more sustainable world. The interview covers a multitude of topics, including her groundbreaking research, Shakespeare, animal grief, the supernatural, why she should never have married, and the story of MH. But it’s her warmth and wry humor that really makes this conversation so moving.