One million species now stand at risk of disappearing, and Extinction: The Facts asks what that number means for the people who share the planet with them. Presented by David Attenborough and directed by Charlotte Lathane, this 2020 British documentary runs a compact 54 minutes and treats the loss of biodiversity as a practical, present-day problem instead of a distant one.
What is Extinction: The Facts about?
The programme sets out its case in stages. It opens with the scale of the decline: a million species under threat. From there it follows the consequences outward, toward human life. Attenborough links vanishing wildlife to the security of food and water supplies, to a weakened ability to keep the climate under control, and to a higher chance of pandemic disease reaching people. The argument is that these are not separate worries but parts of one crisis, and that whatever happens to the natural world comes back to the societies that depend on it.
About the cast
David Attenborough is the only on-screen name in the credits, and the documentary is built around his voice and presence. Charlotte Lathane directs. With a single presenter guiding the material, the film keeps one steady, explanatory voice from start to finish, moving from evidence to consequence without handing over to other hosts.
Context & significance
Nature documentaries often concentrate on the beauty of animals and landscapes. This one, as its title signals, is concerned with facts: how many species are in danger and why that matters beyond the species themselves. Made in the United Kingdom and released in 2020, it belongs to the strand of documentary that treats the environment as a question of public health, food and water. The short running time makes it suited to a single sitting, and to households that want a clear summary of the biodiversity crisis without committing to a long series. The subject is serious, so expect a sober tone. Parents watching with younger children may want to be ready to talk through the themes of loss and risk that the documentary raises.
Watching Extinction: The Facts on Ktime
Extinction: The Facts is available on K-Time with a Persian dub, so the narration can be followed in Farsi. Reading this page is open to everyone; playing the documentary requires logging in to a K-Time account. K-Time is a Persian-focused streaming service built for the Iranian diaspora, with a Farsi interface that makes browsing documentaries simple for the whole household.