A brand-new series narrated by legendary English broadcaster and natural historian Sir David Attenborough is set to air in the MENA region. The five-part series called “A Perfect Planet” will be available for regional viewers from January 4 on BBC Earth. The exciting series explores the great forces of nature that support, propel and facilitate life on earth.
And it features breath-taking scenery, whether from lands inundated by the Indian Monsoon, the slopes of fiery Hawaiian volcanoes, the tidal islands of the Bahamas or the frozen wildernesses of Ellesmere Island. In all, “A Perfect Planet,” which took four years to make, was filmed in 31 countries on six continents. As if the astounding views aren’t enough, they are complemented with an original score by award-winning composer Ilan Eshkeri. The musical maestro’s body of work includes collaborations with Annie Lennox, David Gilmour, Sinead O’Connor and KT Tunstall. Plus, of course, there’s Attenborough’s distinctive, soothing voice, which is loved by so many.
The first four episodes explore the power of volcanoes, sunlight, weather and oceans. Meanwhile, the final episode in “A Perfect Planet” looks at humans, the world’s newest force of nature. As well as our intense impact, the episode highlights what can be done to restore our planet’s perfect balance.
“This year perhaps more than ever, people are finding comfort and solace in the natural world,” Attenborough said while commenting on the prequel. “Whilst we may not be able to travel, we can take a few moments to enjoy our wonderful and diverse planet in this incredible footage.”
Series Producer Huw Cordey revealed how lockdown forced the nature lover who has seen more of the natural world than most others to adopt new ways of recording his voiceover. Cordey also said the music for the series had to be finished in Iceland, one of the few places where it was possible to unite a string orchestra for a live recording. Additionally, the brass and woodwind musicians had to play separately from their homes.
Eshkeri, joining the likes of Hans Zimmer and Steven Price, have also created scores for other BBC natural history creations, said he took an alternative music path for the series.
“Composing the music for “A Perfect Planet” has also been enormously challenging - not least because of the unprecedented logistical issues of trying to record an orchestra during the lockdown,” he said.
“A Perfect Planet” is produced by Silverback Films for BBC One and Discovery, and co-produced with Tencent Penguin Pictures, ZDF German Television, China Media Group CCTV9, France Télévisions and The Open University.
A prequel to the series can be viewed here.
