Sir David Attenborough Is Back With The Much Awaited ‘Planet Earth 2’

Sir David Attenborough and his much loved, highly acclaimed series Planet Earth are back. It has been 10 years since the ground breaking release of the original Planet Earth (2006) and an 89-year-old Attenborough could not be more excited.

“I am very excited to once again be working with the Natural History Unit on its latest landmark series and am especially looking forward to getting out on location in the next month or so.”

The BBC will air Planet Earth 2 later in the year with Sir David Attenborough presenting the six one-hour programs. According to the BBC the series took three years to film and is quite different from the first in the way of filming technology.

Charlotte Moore, controller of BBC TV channels and the iPlayer said Planet Earth 2, or One Planet as the working title suggests, uses ultra-high definition filming, drones and remote recording to gain footage. This will allow viewers to experience nature up close and personal like never before whilst enjoying the nostalgic voice of Sir David Attenborough and his famous narrations.

“A decade on from Sir David Attenborough’s Planet Earth, this new series promises to be an extraordinary experience for our audience,” she said.

The original 11-part series Planet Earth was the most expensive nature documentary ever commissioned by the BBC at the time and took five years to make. Each 50-minute episode provided millions of viewers with an overview of parts of the earth they would never otherwise see. Each themed episode was followed by a 10-minute behind-the-scenes featurette that looked at the challenges of filming each episode.

“Ten years on from Planet Earth, it feels like the perfect moment to bring our audience a series of such ambition, which will change the way we see the natural world,” said Tom McDonald, head of commissioning, natural history and special factual formats at the BBC. The BBC has not disclosed whether the new Sir David Attenborough series will follow the same format or what habitats will be covered.

Planet Earth episodes:

1. From Pole to Pole
2. Mountains
3. Fresh Water
4. Caves
5. Deserts
6. Ice Worlds
7. Great Plains
8. Jungles
9. Shallow Seas
10. Seasonal Forests
11. Ocean Deep

The six new episodes of Planet Earth 2 narrated by Sir David Attenborough will have similarities to the ground-breaking decade-old first series. Planet Earth 2 will explore earth’s habitats and the animals, plants and creatures that survive in them.

The world was first captured by David Attenborough and Planet Earth ten years ago. Audiences were drawn to the close encounters with animal in the wild and by the beauty of the shots and environments Sir David Attenborough was able to go to and film in. Planet Earth 2 promises some of most spectacular nature footage ever filmed. Planet Earth 2 Executive producer Mike Gunton has told audiences to prepare themselves for something truly special.

“The epic scale and ambition of this series is second to none…It will be a truly immersive experience, providing audiences with a unique perspective on the most extraordinary places and animals on our planet.”

Sir David Attenborough joined the BBC in 1950 as a radio presenter. He is is now one of the most recognized presenters in the world, has achieved a life time of awards and is considered a national treasure in Britain. Sir David Attenborough is the only person to have won BAFTAs for programmes in each of black and white, color, HD, and 3D and is recognized for his work in bringing to light the detrimental affects humans have on the natural world.

[Photo by Larry French/Getty Images]