The documentary will be presented by Stephen Fry and is produced in partnership with Warner Bros. and The Natural History Museum.

The history of the magical creatures will be explored and the connections they have with the animals on earth today.

Viewers will be taken from the hidden corridors of the Natural History Museum to the frozen steppes of Siberia and secret caves of Madagascar.

The parallels between creatures in the real world and those from mythology and literature will be uncovered, through captivating stories and fascinating science.

Examining centaurs to nifflers, birds of paradise to the phoenix, 11,000-year-old woolly rhinos to the erumpent and giant squid to the zouwu.

The special will feature Natural History Museum’s exhibition Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder Of Nature, which is set to open in spring 2020 and will combine the creativity of film, TV, literature and science.

The captivating secrets and riveting truths of beasts both real and imagined will be exposed using footage from the BBC Natural History Unit’s extensive archive content and scenes from the Fantastic Beasts films.

Stephen Fry, who also narrates the Harry Potter audio books, said: “I could not be more delighted to be a part of this magnificent opportunity for us muggles to show the wizarding world that the fantastic beasts in our world are more than a match for theirs.”

He added that he hopes the collaboration between the BBC Natural History Unit and the Natural History Museum will connect viewers with “the most spectacular and extraordinary creatures ever seen.”

Charlotte Moore, BBC director of content commented: “The BBC is world-renowned for its amazing natural history programming and it is a delight to bring the natural world and wizarding world together on BBC One.”