Due to the difficulty of sourcing colour films at the time, "The World About Us" started out with a broad remit of geography, anthropology and natural history as subject matter. Gradually, the contributions from the Travel and Exploration Unit diminished and the Natural History Unit's programmes grew in prominence. This was acknowledged by the BBC when the series was re-launched as "The Natural World" in 1983; the title subsequently shortened to its current form in 2003. The first episode under the new title was "Save the Panda", broadcast on 30 October 1983 in what would become a regular time slot on Sunday evenings (where Series Editor Peter Jones claimed audiences were "hungry for natural history"). "The World About Us" continued until 1986.