The BBC lines up Planet Earth III for 2022
The new series will be “the most ambitious natural history landmark ever undertaken by the BBC” and joins a raft of new commissions
The BBC has commissioned a third series of its landmark natural history programme Planet Earth, describing the commission as “the most ambitious natural history landmark ever undertaken by the BBC”.
Work has already begun on the new series which follows the hugely successful Planet Earth II in 2016 and the original Planet Earth series which aired in 2006.
Fronted by Sir David Attenborough, the second series was memorable for a number of ground-breaking sequences including the breathtaking moment a lone iguana sought to escape scores of predatory Racer Snakes.
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Planet Earth III will air in 2022, the BBC said, adding in a statement: “Combining the awe and wonder of the original Planet Earth, the new science and discoveries of Blue Planet II and Planet Earth II, and the immersive character-led storytelling of Dynasties, the series will take the ‘Planet Earth’ experience to new heights."
The eight-part series “will have a truly global scale” according to the Corporation and will deploy the latest technology.
“Crews will spend longer in the field than ever before, and using the latest technology, including robotic cameras, stabilised rigs and deep submersibles, will take viewers from the highest mountains to the deepest oceans, from the darkest caves to the hottest deserts.”
The BBC has also commissioned Perfect Planet, a five-part series which aims to show how the forces of nature – weather, ocean currents, solar energy and volcanoes – drive and shape life on earth. It will be broadcast in 2020.
In addition, the BBC has given the go ahead to Frozen Planet II which follows on from the 2011 series Frozen Planet and will take audiences back to the wildernesses of the Arctic and Antarctica. It will air in 2021.
No presenters have been assigned to the shows, though typically for large-scale natural history series the voice over work happens right at the end of the production process once all the editing is done.
Charlotte Moore, BBC Director of Content, said: “The BBC is world famous for its natural history programming and these new series will raise the bar even higher. We know that audiences want shows that bring them the richest narratives, the best camerawork and the highest quality production values and they look to us to deliver this. Viewers around the globe have been captivated by the incredible stories that the Planets series have told and now new technology allows us to explore even more of the natural world than ever before.
“We’re also announcing three new series that will look in depth at specific aspects of the natural world, giving revealing and sometimes surprising insights to animals and the habitats they live in. It’s our biggest ever commitment to natural history and one we are proud of.”
