At the TCA press tour in Pasadena last week, BBC America presented a panel on the upcomingBlue Planet II. NarratorSir David Attenborough, executive producerJames Honeyborne, series producerMark Brownlow, producerOrla Doherty, and composerHans Zimmerwere all on hand to discuss the latest installment of the fantastic series, and provided a lot of facts not only about what we can expect from the new episodes, but some of the incredible behind-the-scenes work that went into it. Filming forBlue Planet IItookover four years, as BBC America PresidentSarah Barnettexplained: “Teams mounted 125 expeditions, visited 39 countries, and filmed on every continent and across every ocean. So remarkable was the level of discovery in this series that no fewer than 12 scientific papers are being written as a result.”
When it comes to the new technology that the teams used, Honeyborne explained how that “allows us to go surfing with dolphins. It allows us to look a fish in the eye as it uses tools for the first time. It allows to us watch the incredible predatory antics of the giant trevally that launches itself out of the sea to grab a bird in midair. That’s just the first three sequences in the first program, but it gives you ‑‑ we haven’t seen that behavior before.”
I have peeked a few of the upcoming episodes, and can confirm that the newBlue Planetis, to put it scientifically, lit AF. To give you a sense of what is coming, here are 10 key facts and amazing behind-the-scenes stories we learned about the new series:
“We did have some large sharks start playing with one of our submarines, and they started pushing it around a bit, but I don’t think that was actually play. I think that was actually more territorial, sort of, dominance,” he added. “We were near a whale carcass they were feasting on, and they were trying to assert their position on the carcass.”
For more of these amazing adventures, check out the premiere ofBlue Planet IIon Saturday, January 20th on BBC America.
