Planet stars in nature series with Chinese backing

Nature lovers have something exciting to look forward to after the BBC announced details of its latest major natural history documentary series, A Perfect Planet, which is being made in partnership with Tencent Penguin Pictures and China Media Group CCTV-9.

Rather than having animals or plants as the stars, the series of five one-hour episodes will focus on the forces of nature－oceans, sunlight, weather, and volcanoes－and also the human race, and how they provide the living conditions and ecosystem that allow the wonders of nature and life to thrive.

"People watch natural history programs and get drawn into the animal stories but appreciating how all these things interconnect gives you a greater understanding and makes stories more powerful, "said series producer Huw Cordey.

"When you have the Earth science content, that makes it all the more interesting."

Nick Jordan, one of the program makers, said: "So many series tell amazing intimate animal stories but this is about the planet, which is almost a living breathing thing that allows life to flourish.

"That's what's fresh and new here, the character of the Earth, and how that interacts with the life on it. That's not been done before. The Earth is the star."

Transmission details have not been confirmed yet, but the announcement of the new series, which the filmmakers have been working on for more than three years, comes just months after the success of Seven Worlds, One Planet, which was also co-produced by Tencent and CCTV-9.

China will feature in the new series and be given its own special treatment, with Cordey confirming that supplementary short films will be made specially for Chinese social media platforms.

"The main Chinese content to the storyline is in the sunlight episode," Jordan said. "We focus on how it affects the seasons, and in particular the impact on golden snub-nosed monkeys, and how they have to compete for the dwindling forest resources when autumn comes around."

As usual, the series will be fronted and scripted by British wildlife broadcasting legend David Attenborough, who, at the age of 93, still shows no signs of slowing down from a lifelong commitment to teaching people about the wonders of the natural world.

"I've worked with him for over 20 years, and even at 93 he still has his finger on the pulse and is as excited and enthusiastic about the topic as ever," Cordey said. "He's always been famous for his narration skills and even now he has great judgment, and will pick you up on things in the script and point out how they can be improved－and he'll be correct."

Although there are regular warnings about how humankind's activities are depleting the planet's natural resources, and the threat that this could pose, when it comes to looking at the natural world and its wonders, the good news for viewers is that the supply of stories seems to be endless.

"The natural world has so many stories and so much diversity and wonder, we'll still be filming new stories in decades to come," Jordan said.

"Fifteen years ago, we did a series called Planet Earth, and people thought 'that's it, it's all done,'" Cordey said. "But every time a new series comes along, we push things further, and that's what audiences love. I don't see a time we'll ever run out of new stories, or of new ways to tell a familiar one, and to excite a new audience."