Before Life, there was Planet Earth, an 11-part series filmed in 62 countries to tell the story of life on Earth. And in celebration of Earth Day’s 40th anniversary, BBC Earth is offering Planet Earth’s first episode — “Pole to Pole” — for free download on iTunes for two weeks, starting Monday.

 

Just go to the Planet Earth page on iTunes between April 12–26 to see that freebie — in SD or HD. If the first episode hooks you, you can download the whole series instantly on iTunes! A series pass costs $20.99 ($31.99 in HD) or $1.99 per episode ($2.99 in HD). Watch this clip of hydroplaning whales to whet your appetite for Planet Earth:

 

 

And if you still can’t get enough, watch the behind-the scenes Planet Earth Diaries — 11 episodes, each 10 minutes long, that catch the trials, tribulations, and triumphs that the crew experienced while capturing the series on film. Each episode costs 99 cents; the entire 11-episode set costs $4.99.