The brand new nature series ‘Planet Earth 2’ debuted last night, wowing an impressive 9.2million viewers with its astonishing camerawork revealing the inner lives of some of the world’s most enigmatic creatures.
The state-of-the-art filming and technology has enabled unprecedented access to the animal kingdom, with last night’s debut episode, the first of six, concentrating on island life.
Last night’s debut scared viewers with footage of racer snakes chasing baby iguanas on one of the Galapagos islands in South America. Some managed to get away, while others weren’t so fortunate.
The viewers who were horrified by the footage - with many taking to social media to express their distress - will be relieved to know the producers made the decision not to air footage of dying penguins in the same episode.
The Daily Mail quotes a source close to the show explaining that special care had been taken with “anthropomorphic animals” and penguins had been considered to resemble “little people… like little men dressed up in dinner jackets”.
Filming of the show has taken three years and over a hundred location shoots, with Sir David Attenborough once again inspiring viewers with his awestruck but authoritative narrative. He appeared in last night’s episode in a hot air balloon, supporting his contention that, in his 91st year, he has no intention of giving up and staying home.
‘Planet Earth 2’ continues on BBC One.