He never disappoints does he? Sir David Attenborough’s got his thermals on and he’s off to the poles in the name of nature exploration. Cor, almost makes you chilly just thinking about it.
Reading the title Frozen Planet, you know exactly what you’re in for – a series of action packed natural marvels, voiced by arguably the softest and most instantly recognisable voice on the planet, and shot more cinematically than most films you’ve seen. This isn’t our first David Attenborough doc, and we’re absolutely ready for another.
You’ll need your woolly socks and dressing gown for this one, as Sir David takes us to the furthest points on the planet to explore all things frozen. Whilst we shiver just looking at the snow, this series’ subjects are pros – we’ve got penguins leaping in and out of sub-zero water, polar bears getting into fisticuffs over potential mates, and a pack of wolves outsmarting a heard of bison.
In this seemingly desolate, brutal landscape, nature thrives. And blimey is it beautiful.
According to The Telegraph’s Tom Chivers this series is “a masterpiece,” commenting “it was when the cameras shot south, to the Antarctic, that Frozen Planet reached new, astonishing heights.” And Sam Wollaston in The Guardian couldn’t agree more, he says it “is fabulous, beautiful, sumptuous,” whilst David Attenborough “provides the passion, and a lovely dignity to it all.” When it aired in the States the following year, Mike Hale of The New York Times said “these images will stick with you,” but complained about the “aestheticized, sentimentalized,” portrayal of our planet. Luckily for him, we now have Extinction: The Facts, and A Life on Our Planet to kick us up our eco backsides.
First shown December 2011.
