David Attenborough's Life on BBC1

The hippo is one of the most dangerous animals in Africa, says Life executive producer Mike Gunton. "We shot this from quite a distance." Photograph: Andy Rouse/Getty Images

Leopard seals are also pretty fearsome. "They're 10 feet long and have got huge teeth as big as a lion," Gunton says. The team try not to get too close to the animals they are filming as a rule Photograph: Goran Ehlme

What happened here is that leopard seals are quite inquisitive and this one just got fascinated by the front of the camera," Gunton says, explaining how they got so close. "He kept seeing his reflection. Photograph: Goran Ehlme/Goran Ehlme

From huge animals to insects – here a male Darwins stag beetle, filmed in Chile, fights with a competing male. The team worked hard to "really get a sense of the insects being in their evironment," Gunton says Photograph: BBC

"When we decided to do an insect film we said we're going to film them as if they were lions or leopards," Gunton says. "Even though the are a millionth of the size." This picture shows a bombardier beetle Photograph: BBC

It took the team four years to make the series, including two years filming around the world. Here, a brown-tufted capuchin cracks nuts using a hammer stone in Brazil Photograph: Simon Blakeney

In order to capture this killer whale pod off the Antartic Peninsula, the team had to work with the Royal Navy. "This was probably the most ambitious, time-consuming shot in the entire series," says Gunton Photograph: Steven Kazlowski

David Attenborough was in his early sixties when Gunton first worked with him 20 years ago. "I think his narrations on Life are some of the best I've heard him do," Gunton says. What he will say about these African giant bullfrogs? Photograph: Tony Heald

Here, Gunton is in Mexico surrounded by Monarch butterflies. "It was amazing," he says. "The air is full of millions and millions of butterflies … they're like huge snowflakes." Photograph: Mike Gunton