“Museum Alive with David Attenborough,” the CGI-fueled documentary presented by the legendary British naturalist, is landing on U.S. TV and streaming from Feb. 19.
The 64-minute feature film is set in London’s Natural History Museum, with special effects bringing its vast collection of extinct species back to life as Attenborough explores the museum and its array of skeletons and fossils.
Attenborough comes face to face with the Gigantophis garstini — an enormous snake species — as well as the giant saber-toothed Smilodon and Haast’s eagle (Hieraaetus moorei), among others.
The film was released in 2014 in the U.K., but on Wednesday (Feb. 19) it was launched in the U.S. for free on PBS.
Here’s how to watch “Museum Alive with David Attenborough” in the U.S., U.K., and elsewhere in the world.
Museum Alive with David Attenborough: TV and streaming in the U.S.
“Museum Alive with David Attenborough” premiered in the U.S on PBS on Wednesday Feb. 19, 2025 at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT.
You can watch PBS on television via most cable TV packages, but each region has its own local PBS network — check your local listings for details. In New York, it’s on channel Thirteen / WNET.
“Museum Alive with David Attenborough” will be available to watch on demand, although it is unclear if there’ll be free streaming. Episodes of the “Nature” series on the PBS streaming platform are sometimes reserved for PBS Passport holders. PBS Passport is a membership system for PBS donors, with access offered to those who donate at least $5 per month — check your local PBS station for details.
You can also live stream “Expedition Killer Whale” for free on the PBS website and app, which will provide a simulcast of your local PBS station broadcast. The app requires a registration, but the website browser player is just click-and-play.
Can I watch “David Attenborough’s Natural History Museum Alive” in the U.K.?
Unlike much of his output, “David Attenborough’s Natural History Museum Alive” is not available on the BBC’s streaming service, BBC iPlayer.
You can watch it on NowTV, where you’ll need the Entertainment Pass at £9.99 a month, or AppleTV users can buy the film for a one-off fee of £2.99.
Watch “Museum Alive with David Attenborough” from anywhere
If you’re traveling overseas you can watch the show from anywhere, thanks to a VPN.
Both PBS and NowTV are geo-restricted, meaning they usually work only in the U.S. and U.K., respectively. But a VPN — or virtual private network — enables you to alter your device’s IP address to make it appear to be back home.
Museum Alive with David Attenborough: Trailer
Museum Alive with David Attenborough: Synopsis
The following synopsis comes from a PBS press release.
A landmark documentary fulfills the long-held dreams of David Attenborough by bringing the incredible pantheon of the London Natural History Museum’s long-extinct creatures to life.
Using a groundbreaking collaboration of cutting-edge science and astounding CGI, Attenborough takes us on a magical after-hours journey through the museum to see the now-living exhibits as they looked when they roamed the planet.
One evening, David Attenborough slips past the security guards deep into London’s Natural History Museum. Now locked in, he witnesses something extraordinary: long-extinct creatures burst to life, turning from fossils to living, breathing and walking beasts. The historic museum building, with its romanesque columns, great arches and spiral towers, becomes the playground of these fascinating creatures.
This adventure takes Attenborough on an enchanting journey through time where he comes face-to-face with a sabre-toothed tiger, witnesses the terrifying descent of a giant predatory bird, escapes the coils of a colossal snake, and befriends a giant dinosaur, the Diplodocus.
Along the way he reveals the very latest scientific insights into these extinct creatures and how our understanding of them has changed over time.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
