Here’s some good news to give this Monday morning a much needed lift.
BBC America has given the green light to Blue Planet II, a new seven-part series which will be presented by Sir David Attenborough. The series is a sequel to the 2001 documentary series The Blue Planet, which was “the first ever comprehensive series on the natural history of the world's oceans.”
Attenborough said: “I am truly thrilled to be joining this new exploration of the underwater worlds which cover most of our planet, yet are still its least known.”
The announcement comes after Planet Earth II premiered on BBCA. When the series aired on BBC in the UK last winter, it was met with huge acclaim and drew in millions of viewers.
Blue Planet II will include footage of newly discovered and never-before filmed creatures and their behaviour. Highlights include reef octopus using sophisticated hunting techniques, the giant trevally fish that catches birds while in flight, snub fin dolphins that spit water through the air, and a dive with a sperm whale and her calf.
Similar to how technology improved between Planet Earth series, filming innovations have helped the crew behind Blue Planet II capture exciting new footage that wouldn’t have previously been possible. The BBC team spent four years creating the programme, filming off every continent and investigating all the planet’s oceans.
The BBC hope the new series will highlight recent scientific discoveries, such as a new species of crab with a hairy chest, nicknamed the "Hoff crab” after Baywatch’s David Hasselhoff.
Blue Planet II will be broadcast on BBC One this autumn.