There have been a plethora of TV shows over the years that many have claimed to be "must-see", but you'll usually find at least one person who didn't like them. That's not the case with Blue Planet, the 2001 British nature documentary that explored the ocean. Described as "the first ever comprehensive series on the natural history of the world's oceans", each episode delved into a different part of marine life, using groundbreaking underwater photography to film creatures and phenomena that had never been seen before. Now, 16 years later, we are lucky enough to get a sequel. Apparently this new series, titled Blue Planet II, took several years to complete, and uses new technology to capture even more detailed shots of marine wildlife. David Attenborough, the legendary British broadcaster and naturalist, will be narrating the project as he did with the original. Speaking to the press at a VIP launch for the new show, he said: "My responsibility was the words but I've seen marvellous pictures. I hope those are great stories and important stories which will be a joy to watch." "I think the things that really astounded me were when we go down deeper into the oceans than ever before and see sights that are really mind-blowing" Producer of the show Mark Brownlow is hyping up the series even more. In an interview with Newsbeat, he said that Blue Planet II will be like watching a "real life Pixar" movie: "You're meeting little tusk fish that can pick up shells and smash them; you've got an octopus that can disguise itself from a shark attack." "The level of characterisation we're getting from our animals, they are almost like real life Pixar stories." "We have an incredible story of these massive fish, giant trevally, that rush out of the water and catch birds in mid-air. I defy anyone not to be excited by that." Before the release of the new series, the BBC have released an extended trailer titled "Blue Planet II: The Prequel", which is bound to get fans of the old series intrigued. As well as looking beautiful, the soundtrack is excellent too, with a new version of the Radiohead song Bloom being used. This new version is a collaboration between the band and film score composer Hans Zimmer. The trailer supposedly contains some footage that won't even appear in the show, so you'll be kicking yourself if you miss out on it. You can watch the five-minute prequel video below: The band's frontman, Thom Yorke, also revealed that the first Blue Planet actually inspired the original version of the song. "Bloom was inspired by the original Blue Planet series so it's great to be able to come full circle with the song and reimagine it for this incredible landmark's sequel," Yorke said earlier this month. "Hans is a prodigious composer who effortlessly straddles several musical genres so it was liberating for us all to work with such a talent and see how he wove the sound of the series and Bloom together." Blue Planet II doesn't have a premiere date in the US, but will air sometime in early 2018 after it's released in the UK later this year.

David Attenborough is something of a national treasure in the UK.

In the past, he's brought us amazing wildlife series such as Blue Planet, Life on Earth, and Planet Earth, as well as dozens of other TV programmes and commentaries on nature and the wonders of the world around us. Even now, at the ripe old age of 92, it seems that the broadcasting legend still has plenty more to show us.

Today, BBC Earth shared the first trailer for Dynasties: a new show in which Attenborough follows five animal "families", documenting their struggles and successes as they fight to survive in the natural world.

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Throughout the series, Attenborough will be tracking the lives of tigers, lions, hunting dogs, emperor penguins and chimpanzees in order to give viewers a glimpse of what family means in the animal kingdom. As with all of Attenborough's work, though, the filmmaker does not sugarcoat any of the gritty realness of the wild - so viewers should watch at their own risk.

According to the BBC, the new series will be "an intense portrayal of the lives of these animals as they unfold, day-by-day, hour-by-hour, where the tiniest incident may end up having a huge consequence on their future.

"Their chances of success depend on their own strength of character, their choices and on luck. But these animals do not operate alone – their success or failure will also hinge on how they work with, or against, their own families."

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The series has reportedly taken four years to make - but it's still not got a confirmed air date.

Still, that hasn't stopped the people behind the production from hyping it up already.

"After making Planet Earth II, it’s very exciting to now have the chance to show another, and I think even more intense and gripping, perspective on the lives of our planet’s most impressive yet vulnerable creatures," said Executive Producer, Mike Gunton.

"The wonderful David Attenborough will inspire audiences once again when he brings the natural world to life on BBC One with Dynasty," added the BBC’s director of Content, Charlotte Moore, in a statement. "Four years in the making, capturing extraordinary family dynamics and behaviour, I hope these intimate animal dramas will connect with audiences just as Blue Planet II and Planet Earth II did."

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Everyone on Twitter seems pretty excited about the new show, too - but they're a little impatient to hear about the release date.

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For now, it looks like we might have to wait a tiiiiiny bit longer for the show to hit our screens, but I'm sure it'll be worth the wait.

There's no doubt that the nature documentaries of Sir David Attenborough are among some of the best and most informative ever made, drawing millions of viewers from around the world. For many people, Attenborough is the voice of nature documentaries, and only he does it right.

Which is why the news of his latest project will be so exciting to anyone who loves the natural world in all its lush abundance. Attenborough is about to release a brand-new series, entitled: Seven Worlds, One Planet.

The seven-part series will air on Sunday, October 27, and each episode will examine the various different species and creatures living on the seven continents of the planet Earth, with the first episode being set in Antartica.
Check out the trailer for Seven Worlds, One Planet below:

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A press release from the BBC reads: "The series will celebrate the diversity of life on each of these continents, but also feature the many challenges faced by animals in a modern world dominated by humanity."

"By telling unknown, unseen and unexpected wildlife stories, we will uncover the fundamental truth about what makes each one of our seven worlds unique."

Commenting on the upcoming TV event in a recent statement, head of the BBC's natural history unit Julian Hector stated: "Seven Worlds, One Planet takes our viewers on a journey to the seven continents on Earth, discovering what makes each one so special."

Watch Sir David Attenborough warn world leaders about climate change: 

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He added: "I promise new animal behaviour and new perspectives of our natural world including the threats upon it and how some species are adapting to a changing world."

The series took four years to film, and the creators collected 2,000 hours of footage altogether, which they trimmed down to just seven. If you fancy checking out what I'm sure will be an awesome series, then just tune into BBC One on Sunday 27 October at 6.15pm, or login to iPlayer shortly thereafter. 

People have been bowled over by Sir David Attenborough's emotional final plea to help the environment.

The 96-year-old broadcaster has spent his life teaching people about the natural world. In recent years, he has turned his attention to the devastating impact humans and climate change are having on animals and nature.

To mark the end of his most recent BBC documentary series Frozen Planet II, Attenborough delivered an impassioned final plea to audiences, asking them to do something to ensure a future for our planet.

Watch Sir David Attenborough's emotional plea here:

During the episode - which aired on BBC One last Sunday (October 16) - viewers were confronted with heartbreaking footage of polar bears and penguins struggling to survive. They were also shown the brutal toll that receding sea ice is taking on wildlife around the world.

At the end of the episode, iconic broadcast Sir David spoke directly to the camera, begging audiences: "If we can do something about it, then do it."

Sir David Attenborough at the premiere of Blue Planet II (2017). Credit: Alistair Heap / Alamy

"We can do it. We must do it. Then there will be a future for the planet," he said.

Attenborough's words clearly moved viewers. Many took to Twitter to discuss the episode, calling on policymakers to heed his warning and saying that it should be "compulsory viewing".

Sir David Attenborough at COP26 (2021). Credit: PA Images / Alamy

"Just wept watching #FrozenPlanet2 - heartbreaking. Should be compulsory viewing for every single politician, leader and policy maker. As Sir David Attenborough said 'We CAN do it. We MUST do it'. For the sake of our beautiful planet, we have to act NOW and all do our bit," one person wrote.

"Watching #FrozenPlanet2 tonight was tough. If David Attenborough can't convince people of the #ClimateEmergency then who can? This should be made compulsory viewing for global policymakers," added another.

"All climate change deniers need to watch tonight’s episode of #FrozenPlanet2 and then try to deny that there’s no climate change - simply frightening stuff," a third commented.

"Jesus, but #FrozenPlanet2 tonight was one of the most extraordinary and powerful pieces of telly I’ve ever seen. These programs are always brilliant, but seeing the effects of climate change so tangibly was a jarring watch. It should be compulsory viewing," a fourth tweeted.

Featured Image Credit:  Jeff Gilbert / Alamy

Mother Nature is truly the most beautiful thing that humans will ever encounter. From the intense feeling of joy one can experience by looking over a vast rainforest or up at a colossal waterfall, to a parent simply seeing their child smile for the first time - it is nature that makes us truly humble in this beautiful world we live in.

Mother Nature can also be a total b***h and not give a single damn about your feelings.

Case in point, viewers of the BBC's Blue Planet Live were left stunned after a seagull was shown swooping in and eating a baby turtle literally SECONDS after it was released into the wild by the show's presenter Liz Bonnin.

This is the moment viewers discovered that life doesn't always go the way you may want it to: 

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In the video, Bonnin explains: "They have no mothers to look after them, they are left to their own devices, to the elements, to the predators that await them and also to ever-increasing man-made threats."

The moment was made even more painful as Liz can be seen using her finger to gently nudge the baby turtles in the right direction towards the sea, saying to the nearby expert: "I hope I was allowed to help it there".

Sadly, the presenter's good intentions were quickly thwarted by the opportunistic seagull, who can be seen walking over to the release and seizing one of the turtles for its dinner.

But Bonnin was either completely oblivious to what had just happened or trying her best to divert the viewers' attention away from the greedy gull, as she continued: "These hatchlings are going to spend at least 100 years in our oceans if all goes well, surely it is our responsibility to safeguard their future.

"This is our blue planet to fiercely protect through our actions and through making our voices heard."

Naturally, heartbroken viewers flooded to Twitter to comment on the shocking scene, with some going as far as to blame Bonnin for not stepping in and protecting the baby turtles:

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In response to the unsettling scene, a BBC spokesperson released a very honest statement as to why Bonnin could not have intervened:

"We’ve been working with scientists from the Heron Island Research Station to explore their lives, from hatching to returning to the beaches to nest. Green sea turtle populations, like sea turtles across the world, are in trouble so the work being done here is crucial to the future survival of the species.

"As part of their ongoing studies, researchers on Heron Island check nests for any hatchlings left behind, 48 hours after the others naturally emerge. Those turtles still alive are carried out at either dawn or dusk for release, as we saw last night on #BluePlanetLive. 

"They can’t be released directly into the ocean as the turtles need to “imprint” the beach by walking across the sand to the water.

"In this case, as with the turtles that emerge naturally, some opportunistic predation occurs by other species either looking to feed themselves or their own young. If this happens we are unable to intervene and have to let nature take its course.

"The survival rates of turtles are extremely low, as explained in the first episode of Blue Planet Live last Sunday, with only roughly 1 in 1000 turtles making it to adulthood. Making it safely into the depths of the ocean is a tough, but crucial, first test for these captivating creatures if those that survive to adulthood are going to return to breed on these beaches."

Sir David Attenborough might be edging ever closer to 100 years old but he's showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

The legendary broadcaster, 97, has revealed that he has a new series due to hit screens later this year - meaning we have more of his dulcet tones to look forward to.

Sir David has been on screens for almost 70 years straight, having begun his broadcasting career in 1954 as the host of Zoo Quest.

And now, just three years shy of his 100th birthday, Sir David has been confirmed as the presenter Planet Earth III for the BBC.

The broadcasting icon is not slowing down anytime soon. Credit: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Apple

The new series comes 17 years after Sir David first narrated the original Planet Earth series in 2006, as well as its sequel in 2016.

A third series had originally been commissioned in 2019 but faced setbacks due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting shutdowns within the industry.

Now, according to new reports, Sir David has filmed his introductory scenes and will be recording the narration for the popular nature series.

According to The Mirror, executive producer Mike Gunton said: "Planet Earth wouldn’t be Planet Earth without David, so I’m delighted he is presenting the third series.

"As ever, he has brought his huge enthusiasm and wisdom, has been encouraging about our new perspective and has, I know, really enjoyed seeing the extraordinary new wonders brought to the screen."

Gunton revealed that the opening scenes of the series had been filmed "in the beautiful British countryside in exactly the location where Charles Darwin used to walk whilst thinking over his Earth-shaking ideas about evolution."

He added: "It seemed the perfect place for David to introduce Planet Earth III and remind us of both the wonders and the fragility of our planet. For him, of course, the sun shone under blue skies …one of the only days it did all summer!"

The third series will consist of eight episodes, with the first seven showing the behavior of animals across the world, from the spirit bear of Canada to tropical Mobula rays, and African Jacana birds.

It will showcase the strategies these animals have evolved over the years as well as the new challenges they face in the modern world.

The final episode in the series will honor the human "heroes" who dedicate their lives to saving certain species from going extinct.

It's no wonder Sir David is keen to continue his career on screen as he previously joked in 2013: "If I was earning my money by hewing coal I would be very glad indeed to stop. But I'm not. I'm swanning round the world looking at the most fabulously interesting things. Such good fortune."

And given we all love the shows he presents, long may he continue to do it.

Featured image credit: John Phillips/Getty Images