10 / 10
Planet Earth II is the BBC natural history television series narrated by David Attenborough. The series was produced by the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol with Mike Gunton as the executive producer and Tom Hugh-Jones as the series producer. The series originally aired on BBC One between November and December 2016. The six-episode series provides thorough documentation of the planet’s major habitats using technical approaches developed in the decade since the original Planet Earth (2006). Each episode runs approximately fifty minutes. The six episodes are: “Islands,” “Mountains,” “Jungles,” “Deserts,” “Grasslands,” and “Cities.” The series covers approximately one hundred species across more than forty countries. The score was composed by Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea, and Jasha Klebe.
The series was produced over four years and used technical advances that had become available since Planet Earth’s 2006 production. The Planet Earth II is consistently cited among the major natural history productions of the 2010s. The series’s specific approach combined the thorough habitat-based framework of the original Planet Earth with substantially improved cinematography, audio recording, and storytelling techniques. The introduction of “Cities” as the final episode represented the first major Attenborough series to dedicate an episode to urban environments and the wildlife that has adapted to them. The series became the most-watched natural history production in BBC history at its release and shifted natural history programming’s specific approach to character-driven sequence construction.
The Technical Generation
The series deployed technical approaches that had not been available during Planet Earth’s 2006 production. Camera stabilization had advanced substantially. The Movi gimbal stabilization systems (which became available around 2013) allowed handheld filming with image quality previously available only from large vehicle-mounted equipment. Drone cinematography had become technically practical and aesthetically acceptable for major productions. Low-light camera sensitivity had improved through several generations of digital sensor development. Audio recording technology had advanced to support more specific species identification.
The technical improvements shaped what content the series could effectively capture. The mountain goat sequence in episode two follows specific animals through specific terrain at image quality and stability that previous handheld cinematography could not have provided. The pygmy three-toed sloth sequence in episode one documents a critically endangered species with image quality that supports conservation communication. The flamingo flock sequence in episode five uses aerial cinematography that the original Planet Earth’s helicopter work could not have achieved. The technique demonstrates how each technical generation in documentary production enables specific new content. The improvements compound over time. Planet Earth II’s specific contribution is the thorough deployment of the decade’s technical advances in service of natural history documentation.
For Writers
Each technical generation in documentary production enables specific new content. Planet Earth II deployed approximately a decade of technical advances. The lesson applies to nonfiction work generally. Stay alert to methodological developments in your field. New research databases, new analytical techniques, new access methods all open content that previous approaches could not effectively address. Adopt strategically when new capabilities serve your specific work. The compound improvements over multiple generations open material that the earlier generation alone could not have documented.
The Character-Driven Sequences
The series’s most-discussed structural innovation was its specific commitment to following individual animals through extended narrative sequences. Previous Attenborough series had typically presented species-level information illustrated through individual examples. Planet Earth II committed to extended sequences following specific named or implied individuals across multi-stage narrative arcs.
The iguana-and-snakes sequence in episode one (“Islands”) is the most-cited example. The sequence follows a specific newly-hatched marine iguana attempting to reach the ocean across a beach inhabited by racer snakes. The sequence stages multiple snake-iguana interactions, multiple escape attempts, and the eventual outcome across approximately five minutes. The audience reads the sequence as a specific individual’s story rather than as generic species behavior. The technique extends what natural history storytelling can accomplish by deploying narrative structures that drama uses. The sequence’s specific success produced extensive cultural conversation in 2016 and demonstrated that natural history programming could compete with scripted entertainment for audience attention. Subsequent BBC natural history productions have continued to develop the character-driven approach.
For Writers
Narrative structures that fiction uses can substantially expand what nonfiction can accomplish. Planet Earth II’s character-driven sequences treat individual animals as protagonists. The audience engages with the sequences as stories rather than as illustrations. The lesson applies to nonfiction at all levels. Specific individuals carry stakes that group-level discussion does not generate. Pick individual subjects within your larger material. Build narrative arcs around them. The reader will engage with specific stories more deeply than with generic discussion of the same content.
The Cities Episode
The series’s sixth episode (“Cities”) covers urban wildlife and the specific ways animals have adapted to human-built environments. The episode represents the first major Attenborough series to dedicate an episode to urban ecology. The content includes leopards in Mumbai, peregrine falcons in New York City, hyenas in Harar Ethiopia, langurs in Jodhpur, and starlings over Rome.
The episode’s specific argument extends the Attenborough corpus into territory the series had not previously covered comprehensively. Urban environments are now significant wildlife habitats. Multiple species have adapted to human-built conditions. Some species (peregrine falcons among them) have recovered from previous population declines partly through urban habitat use. Some species (urban leopards) maintain populations adjacent to human settlements through specific behavioral adaptations. The episode demonstrates that contemporary natural history must include urban ecology as a major subject area. The technique demonstrates how documentary subject matter expands as the actual conditions change. The world that earlier Attenborough series documented included relatively limited urban wildlife. The world of 2016 included substantially more urban wildlife. The documentary response to actual conditions is appropriate adaptation rather than refusal to address new subjects.
For Writers
Documentary subject matter expands as actual conditions change. Planet Earth II’s “Cities” episode addresses urban ecology that was not significant enough to warrant equivalent coverage in earlier Attenborough series. The lesson is that the relevant subject matter in any field shifts over time. Stay current with what your field actually requires. Refusing to address new subjects because they were not previously included produces work that fails to document actual contemporary conditions. The willingness to expand into new material is part of responsible nonfiction practice.
Craft Note
The snow leopard sequence in episode two (“Mountains”) demonstrates the series’s specific approach to extending earlier landmark coverage. Planet Earth (2006) had included the first thorough snow leopard footage in natural history television. Planet Earth II returned to snow leopards with substantially improved access and technology. The 2016 sequence documents three specific snow leopards (a mother, her young cub, and a male attempting to mate with the mother). The sequence includes the first thorough natural history footage of snow leopard social interaction (including specific territorial scent-marking behaviors and a male-male competitive encounter). The technical and access improvements between 2006 and 2016 allowed coverage that the original series could not have provided. The sequence demonstrates how subsequent productions can substantially extend earlier landmark coverage when the technical generation has advanced sufficiently. The 2016 snow leopard material does not invalidate the 2006 footage. The 2016 material adds content that the 2006 production could not have included.
The Verdict
10/10. One of the major BBC natural history productions of the 2010s and the demonstration that subsequent landmark productions can substantially extend the work of earlier landmark series. The technical generation deployment, the character-driven sequence approach, the Cities episode innovation, and the snow leopard documentation all earn the series’s standing. Watch the complete six-episode series. Planet Earth II operates as the explicit successor to the 2006 original and as evidence that natural history programming continues to develop substantively across multiple production generations.
FAQ
How many episodes?
Six episodes covering different habitat types plus the Cities episode. Each episode runs approximately fifty minutes.
How does it compare to the original Planet Earth?
The original (2006) established the template. Planet Earth II (2016) used a decade of subsequent technical advances and storytelling development. Both series have merit. The original is foundational. The sequel extends.
Is the character-driven approach really new?
For major Attenborough series at this scale, substantially yes. The commitment to following specific individuals across extended narrative arcs was more developed than previous productions had attempted.
Is the iguana sequence really that famous?
Yes. The marine iguana versus racer snakes sequence in episode one became one of the most-discussed natural history passages of 2016 and shifted broader cultural conversation about natural history programming.
How accurate is the urban ecology material?
The basic content remains current. Urban wildlife adaptation has continued to develop since 2016. The series’s specific examples continue to align with urban ecology research.
Who composed the score?
Hans Zimmer with Jacob Shea and Jasha Klebe. The orchestral score represented a shift from George Fenton’s earlier Attenborough series work.
Should I watch this?
Yes. Planet Earth II is required viewing for contemporary natural history programming and for understanding how landmark productions extend across multiple technical generations.