National Geographic is teaming up with Tom Hiddleston for a new docuseries. The star, best known for his roles in The Night Manager (2016) and Loki (2021), narrates Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston (2026), tracing the final hours of Pompeii in a riveting dramatization of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
While fans may have been surprised to see the Marvel Cinematic Universe star headlining a historical docuseries, Hiddleston is far from the only big name to go the documentary route. Use our guide to find out where to watch Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddlestonand 8 other great documentaries headlined by celebrities.
March of the Penguins is an Academy Award-winning documentary that captures the yearly migration of the emperor penguins. Every autumn, all emperor penguins of breeding age leave their home in the ocean, traveling dozens of miles inland to breed. After breeding, the parents must make the journey back and forth from the ocean to feed the chick and ensure its survival. In the English version of the film, The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and Million Dollar Baby (2004) star Morgan Freeman is the sole narrator of the documentary.
Freeman is an excellent host for March of the Penguins. His calm, commanding tone pairs perfectly with the documentary, though it’s sparse enough to allow the majestic nature of the emperor penguins to shine through. The documentary captures the extraordinary journey of the penguins, conveying themes of parenthood that viewers will find surprisingly relatable.
Headlined by The Umbrella Academy (2019) and The Odyssey (2026) star Elliot Page, Vanishing of the Bees tackles a lesser-known but potentially devastating phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder (CCD) among bee populations. The sobering documentary explores the disappearance of honeybees around the globe, caused by abnormal bee behavior in which bees suddenly abandon a hive, leaving behind the queen and food. There’s no definitive known cause for the behavior, though the documentary hypothesizes on its potential link to pesticides.
Vanishing of the Bees is an excellent documentary if you’re looking to learn something new. Its focus on such a poorly understood topic makes it quite intriguing. However, it is also a little alarming as it delves into the serious ecological and economic impact of CCD. Page does an excellent job conveying a difficult-to-understand topic in an engaging, warm tone while still conveying the urgency of the message.
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South Pacific is a docuseries that explores the natural history of the South Pacific region. The expansive series details how people, plants, and animals came to inhabit the remote region, which consists mostly of water. South Pacific pairs its jaw-droppingly gorgeous and vibrant nature explorations with narration from Benedict Cumberbatch. Given his experience voice-acting in films like The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013), he’s an excellent choice for a narrator.
Cumberbatch’s soothing, authoritative tone goes well with the intimate exploration of nature, which lets you see spectacular sights like a shark coming up to feed or an underwater volcano. Additionally, you may be amused by Cumberbatch’s difficulty pronouncing “penguins,” which sparked a viral internet meme and demonstrates the comical side of celebrity-led documentaries.
Inside Job is a docuseries that takes on the 2008 United States financial crisis. If you were intrigued by The Big Short (2015), you’ll love this more informative approach to the topic. The Odyssey star Matt Damon narrates the five-part series, which explores the systemic corruption that contributed to the financial disaster. Damon deftly and authoritatively navigates viewers through a complex web of deregulation and financial and political players to paint quite a thrilling narrative.
It’s easy to think of documentaries as straightforward, educational works. However, Inside Jobdemonstrates how some documentaries can play out almost like a thriller movie. Fast-paced, inquisitive, and sharp, Inside Job offers a bold, riveting stance on the financial crisis that will leave you bursting with intrigue and indignation.
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If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to be a bird flying high in the sky, Earthflight will give you just that experience. Narrated by Doctor Who (2005) star David Tennant, Earthflight takes you across six continents from the perspective of birds. Each episode features a different continent and bird species, tracking their long, arduous, and sometimes dangerous flights and migrations. Tennant’s narration shifts between calming and soothing to excitable, encompassing the peaceful, majestic nature of a bird’s flight as well as the thrills interspersed throughout.
Earthflight is a docuseries unlike any other. To capture its stunning views, filmmakers used a variety of techniques, from strapping cameras onto the backs of birds to literally becoming part of a flock while flying in a helicopter. The result is a stunning docuseries that allows viewers to live out their wildest dreams of flying like a bird.
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Food Chains is a documentary similar to Vanishing of the Bees in that it’s both riveting and sobering. Narrated by The Last King of Scotland (2006) star Forest Whitaker, the documentary follows migrant farmworkers in Immokalee, Florida, who seek to improve their poor working conditions by going on a hunger strike. Food Chains is informative and disheartening, but vital in revealing the truth about where the food we buy in supermarkets really comes from.
Whitaker isn’t the only big name attached to Food Chains, as it is also executive produced by Flamin’ Hot (2023) director Eva Longoria. While Whitaker’s narration is informative, the documentary does an excellent job centering the perspective of migrant workers and conveying the realities of their working situation. If you enjoy documentaries that tackle hard, perplexing truths and push for reform, Food Chains is a must-see.
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Five Came Back is a three-part docuseries narrated by Meryl Streep that tells the stories of five Hollywood film directors who spent time on the front lines to document World War II. It examines the lives and work of John Ford, William Wyler, John Huston, Frank Capra, and George Stevens. The docuseries also taps five modern directors, Paul Greengrass, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Guillermo del Toro, and Lawrence Kasdan, as they each analyze the works of one of the five earlier directors.
Streep is the perfect narrator for this documentary, conveying a mix of warmth, authority, reason, and calm as she discusses the lives and impact of five film directors. Five Came Back is part informative and part thrilling, beautifully conveying both art and humanity. If you love classic World War II films like They Were Expendable (1945) or The Wings of Eagles (1957), you’ll love learning the story behind works like these in Five Came Back.
Animal is the only docuseries on this list narrated by multiple big stars. Each of the eight episodes is narrated by a different actor: Rashida Jones, Bryan Cranston, Rebel Wilson, Pedro Pascal, Andy Serkis, Anthony Mackie, David Harbour, and Uzo Aduba. It’s a wholesome nature documentary with a whole lot of star power.
Animal captures both the majestic and the mundane about a variety of animals, allowing viewers to get up close and personal with nature. The documentary is educational and visually stunning, demonstrating how various animals live, learn, survive, and love. Animal offers an excellent opportunity to compare and contrast multiple celebrities’ style and approach to narration.
Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddlestonstands out in that it’s not a straightforward history lesson. Many films and shows centered on Pompeii explore the destruction of Mount Vesuvius and the lost city of Pompeii. However, Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston takes a more hopeful approach, examining the possibility that several people may have survived the volcanic eruption. In particular, it traces the lives of three individuals in the roughly 24 hours of the eruption.
Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston switches between the past and present, pairing present-day archeological finds with dramatizations of the past. Hiddleston is quite the interactive host, pausing, recapping, and rewinding the dramatizations for evidence and analysis. Passionate, hopeful, and sincere, Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston is a rare documentary that’s bursting with heart in addition to information.
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