Frozen Planet II – Watch the trailer
A decade after they wowed TV audiences with scenes of snowy landscapes and hardy creatures surviving in sub-zero conditions, Sir David Attenborough and the BBC’s Natural History Unit are back with six-part series Frozen Planet II, launching on BBC One on September 11.
Although it took four and a half years to gather shots in some of the world’s most remote locations, it is possible for travellers inspired by the footage to have a polar adventure of their own. As the expedition industry grows and an appetite for bucket list adventures continues, destinations such as Svalbard and South Georgia are becoming more accessible.
It’s always expected that David Attenborough documentaries produce images of such majesty, such precision, and such incredible reality. But even after several decades, his programmes still wield power in the unpredictable: shocking, enticing and flirting with your feelings.
This first episode opens with Attenborough staring up at a tall projection of the Earth. He looks wise and godlike, yet the planet almost engulfs him – he’s omniscient, but not omnipotent. Following suit, the messages about global warming loom over the stories of these frozen worlds like a dark omen that can’t be ignored.
As well as using evocative visuals of precarious islands of ice, crumbling glaciers and endangered wildlife, the series unambiguously stamps on your brain that ‘our frozen wildernesses are disappearing at faster rates than ever before’. The issue is more urgent now than 11 years ago, when the original Frozen Planet aired.
Like any great ensemble drama, Frozen Planet II balances the doom and gloom of nature with its innate comedy.
Frozen Planet II launches on BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday, 11th September at 8pm. – will you be tuning in?
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