planet earth

Beginning in 2006, Plant Earth provides stories from across the globe, focusing on the species that inhabit Earth, and the environments they live in.

The newly released trailer for Planet Earth III features Attenborough’s narration hinting at what’s to come in the eight-part series. Climate change and the human impact on the globe appears to be a theme, with Attenborough stating how the natural world is changing due to “a powerful force… us.” Other promotional material mentions the challenges that we face together, accompanied by video clips of forest fires.

First airing in 2006, the series has gone on to become the global gold standard in natural history filmmaking, winning multiple RTS Awards for its epic and intimate exploration of nature's splendour. Having presented every episode to date, Attenborough's voice has become inextricably linked.

"Planet Earth wouldn’t be Planet Earth without David," says Executive Producer Mike Gunton, "so I’m delighted he is presenting the third series.

The BBC said that it “aims to do for the wildlife of Britain and Ireland what the Planet series has done for the wildlife of the world.”

The Open University, the RSPB and WWF co-produced the series over three years, while Silverback Films used cutting-edge technology to capture the natural drama. From battling butterflies to killer whales, the series reveals a previously unseen wild side of the British Isles.

Like an entire generation of wildlife film-makers, Alastair Fothergill was drawn to television by David Attenborough. His 1979 series, Life on Earth, showed the young Fothergill that natural history programming was “a good way to be paid to be near animals”.

Fothergill, who was recently made a Fellow of the RTS, spent almost three decades at the BBC Natural History Unit (NHU). This included a five-year stint as head of department, when he landed several global hits, including The Blue Planet, Planet Earth and Frozen Planet.

Monday: A Lawful Killing: Mark Duggan

BBC One, 8.30pm

This is a one-off 90-minute documentary with dramatic reconstructions of the police shooting of Mark Duggan in Tottenham in August 2011.

It’s a rare that two thoroughgoing BBC men are seen smiling, let alone laughing, inside the precincts of the House of Commons. When senior BBC people visit Parliament, they are invariably greeted by sceptical MPs, keen to give them a rough time. 

The atmosphere could not have been more different when, last month, the RTS invited Andrew Marr and Sir David Attenborough to hold a conversation at the Commons.  

Monday

Dark Angel

ITV, 9pm

Speaking to the RTS All Party Parliamentary Group in the House of Commons the veteran natural history broadcaster said that today’s BBC commissioners were reluctant to back lengthy documentaries dealing with serious topics.

“One of the things which BBC Two did very well was to make serious programmes on serious subjects – 13 part series. That requires three years. There’s a great reluctance elsewhere to do those sorts of programmes…

“Today there is a tendency to do shorter series” He added to audience laughter: “’Today we present a new two-part series.’”

The six-part series comes ten years after Planet Earth redefined history filmmaking.

It will use state-of-the-art technology to help tell the story of our natural world, visiting jungles, deserts, grasslands and cities, and look at how animals survive within them.

Speaking about the new series, Attenborough, who this year celebrates his ninetieth birthday, said: “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.”