Planet Earth II
| Planet Earth II | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Nature documentary |
| Presented by | Sir David Attenborough |
| Composer(s) |
|
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Vanessa Berlowitz, Mike Gunton, James Brickell, Tom Hugh-Jones |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | |
| Release | |
| Original network | |
| Picture format | |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 6 November 2016 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Planet Earth |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Planet Earth II is a 2016 British nature documentary series produced by the BBC as a sequel to Planet Earth, which was broadcast in 2006.[1] The series is presented and narrated by Sir David Attenborough with the main theme music composed by Hans Zimmer.[2][3]
The first trailer was released on 9 October 2016, and the series premiered on 6 November 2016 in the United Kingdom on BBC One and BBC One HD.[4] Planet Earth II is the first television series produced by the BBC in Ultra-high-definition (4K).[5][6]
Production
The series was announced by the BBC in 2013 with the working title One Planet, but the title was later changed to Planet Earth II.[7][8][9]
The BBC trailer for the series used the same music featured in the trailer for the original Planet Earth, "Hoppípolla" by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós.[10]
The original Planet Earth, airing in 2006, was one of the first natural documentary series to be made in high definition (HD) and Planet Earth II utilised new technologies developed since the first series, including ultra high definition (4K), improved camera stabilisation, remote recording and aerial drone technology.[9]
Broadcast
British television
Planet Earth II debuted on British television on 6 November 2016 8pm to 9pm (UK time), being broadcast on BBC One and BBC One HD, and consists of six episodes.
International
The series will broadcast internationally on BBC Earth, while there will be a few exceptions for some countries.
The series will be aired in the United States each Saturday, starting from January 28, 2017 on BBC America.[11]
Episodes
Official episode viewing figures are from BARB.[12] The first episode gained 12.26 million viewers, the highest under the current system of viewing figures for a nature documentary.[13]
| No. | Title | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Islands" | 6 November 2016 | 12.26 |
| Remote islands offer sanctuary for some of the planet's strangest and rarest creatures. The rare pygmy three-toed sloth enjoys a peaceful existence on an idyllic Caribbean island, while nesting albatross thrive in predator-free isolation. But island life always comes at a cost. On the Galapagos Islands, young marine iguana must escape an onslaught of deadly racer snakes the moment they hatch from the sand. On the sub-Antarctic island of Zavodovski, life gets more extreme still. Every day, one and a half million penguins risk being battered against the rocks by fierce waves as they try to get on and off the island. | |||
| 2 | "Mountains" | 13 November 2016 | 13.14 |
| The great mountain ranges are some of the planet's most spectacular landscapes, but they are unforgiving places to live in, and only a few animals have what it takes to live at extreme altitude. Mountain animals are amongst the most elusive in the world, and this film provides unique and intimate glimpses into their secretive lives. Witness the moment four snow leopards come together when a mother and cub become trapped between two rival males. Join grizzly bears as they dance against trees to rub off their winter fur and soar with golden eagles hunting amongst Europe's snow-capped peaks. | |||
| 3 | "Jungles" | 20 November 2016 | 11.60 |
| Jungles provide the richest habitats on the planet - mysterious worlds of high drama where extraordinary animals attempt to survive in the most competitive place on earth. Flooded forests are home to caiman-hunting jaguars and strange dolphins that swim amongst the tree tops, while in the dense underworld, ninja frogs fight off wasps and flying dragons soar between trees. Acrobatic indri leap through the forests of Madagascar, while the jungle night conceals strange fungi and glow-in-the-dark creatures never filmed before. | |||
| 4 | "Deserts" | 27 November 2016 | TBD |
| The world's deserts are lands of extremes that force animals to come up with ingenious ways of coping with hostile conditions, giving rise to the most incredible survival stories on earth. A pride of desert lions are so hungry they risk hunting a giraffe several times their size, while male sandgrouse fly 120 miles each day to the nearest waterhole and dice with death to collect water for their chicks. Filmed for the first time, a tiny bat does battle with one of the world's deadliest scorpions, and in Madagascar, a locust swarm of biblical proportions is seen as never before. | |||
| 5 | "Grasslands" | 4 December 2016[14] | TBD |
| Grasslands cover one quarter of all land and support the vast gatherings of wildlife, but to survive here animals must endure the most hostile seasonal changes on the planet. From Asia's bizarre-looking saiga antelope to the giant anteaters of Brazil, grassland animals have adapted in extraordinary ways to cope with these extremes. In the flooded Okavango, lions take on formidable buffalo in epic battles, on the savannah bee-eaters take advantage of elephants to help catch insects and, on the freezing northern tundra, caribou embark on great migrations shadowed by hungry Arctic wolves. | |||
| 6 | "Cities" | 11 December 2016[15] | TBD |
| Cities are growing at a faster rate than any other habitat on Earth. They may seem an unlikely place for animals to thrive, but they can be a world of surprising opportunity. Leopards prowl the streets of Mumbai, peregrine falcons hunt amongst New York's skyscrapers, and a million starlings perform spectacular aerial dances over Rome. In Jodhpur, langurs are revered as religious deities and in Harar, locals live in harmony with wild hyenas. Many animals, however, are struggling to cope in the urban jungle. As the architects of this environment, can humans choose to build cities that are homes for both them and wildlife? | |||
Merchandise
DVD and Blu-ray
The series will be released in the UK as Region 2, two-disc DVD[16][17] and Blu-ray box sets[18][19][20] by 2 Entertain on 5 December 2016.
Books
In the United Kingdom, an accompanying hardback book was written by Steven Moss with a foreword by David Attenborough. It was released on 6 October 2016 and published by BBC Books (ISBN 978-1-849-90965-5).[21]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was released with a compilation of the incidental music specially commissioned for Planet Earth II. It was composed by Hans Zimmer, with the original music for each episode composed by Jacob Shea and Jasha Klebe for Bleeding Fingers Music.[22] A digital soundtrack was released worldwide on 11 November 2016,[23][24] while a two-disc soundtrack will be available on 2 December 2016 in the UK.[25]
See also
References
- ↑ Hurley, Laura (22 February 2016). "Planet Earth 2 Is Happening, Here's What We Know". CinemaBlend.com. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
- ↑ Barra, Leo (22 February 2016). "David Attenborough to Narrate BBC Documentary Series 'Planet Earth II'". Variety. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
- ↑ "'Planet Earth II' Soundtrack Details". Retrieved 2016-11-13.
- ↑ "Planet Earth II – Islands". BBC Media Centre.
- ↑ "BBC captures nature in 4K for 'Planet Earth II'". engadget.co.uk. 23 February 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- ↑ "Planet Earth 2 from BBC will debut in 2016 in beautiful 4K UHD video quality". 4k.com. 24 February 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2016.
- ↑ "BBC commissions Blue Planet follow up". BBC News.
- ↑ "MIPTV '14: ZDF to coproduce BBC series 'One Planet'". Realscreen.
- 1 2 "Sir David Attenborough to present brand new landmark natural history series for BBC One". BBC Media Centre.
- ↑ "Sigur Rós rework Hoppipolla for the BBC's Planet Earth II trailer". BBC Media Centre. Retrieved 11 October 2016.
- ↑ "Announcing: 'Planet Earth II' Premieres Saturday, January 28 on BBC America". BBC America. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- ↑ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
- ↑ "David Attenborough's Planet Earth II becomes most-watched nature show". The Daily Telegraph. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
- ↑ "Planet Earth II – Grasslands". BBC Media Centre. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- ↑ "Planet Earth II – Cities". BBC Media Centre. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
- ↑ "Planet Earth II (DVD)". Amazon.co.uk.
- ↑ "Planet Earth II (DVD)". Zoom.co.uk.
- ↑ "Planet Earth II (Blu-Ray)". Amazon.co.uk.
- ↑ "Planet Earth II (Blu-Ray)". Zoom.co.uk.
- ↑ "Planet Earth II (Blu-Ray)". Blu-ray.com.
- ↑ "Planet Earth II (Hardback)". Amazon.co.uk.
- ↑ "'Planet Earth II' Soundtrack Details". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- ↑ "Planet Earth II (Digital Music Soundtrack)". Amazon.co.uk.
- ↑ "Planet Earth II (Original Television Soundtrack) by Hans Zimmer". iTunes Store US.
- ↑ "Planet Earth II (Soundtrack)". Amazon.co.uk.
External links
- Planet Earth II at BBC Programmes
- Planet Earth II at BBC Earth
- Planet Earth II at the Internet Movie Database
- Planet Earth II – Conservation on Film via Conjour (Conservation Journal)
