Blue Planet II

Blue Planet II is a landmark BBC One series, a daring cinematic experience that takes viewers on a magical adventure through the greatest but least explored places on our planet: our oceans.

Twenty years ago, a group of wildlife filmmakers from The Natural History Unit conceived of making a series about the world’s oceans, the scale and scope of which had not previously been known. The 2001 broadcast of the multi-award-winning Blue Planet, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, solidified NHU’s unparalleled reputation for underwater filmmaking. Now, a generation later, NHU has returned to those underwater worlds for Blue Planet II.

In recent years, our knowledge of what happens beneath the waves has changed. Blue Planet II uses cutting-edge science and technology to explore this wondrous new world. In more than four years of production, the Blue Planet II crew has conducted more than 125 expeditions, visited 39 countries and filmed on every continent and in every ocean. Crews have spent more than 6,000 hours diving underwater, filming everywhere from our familiar shores to the deepest seas.

Traveling from icy polar seas to bright blue coral atolls, the series reveals amazing creatures, otherworldly places and unusual new animal behaviors. Meet strange octopuses lurking in the depths of the Antarctic Ocean. Watch a giant trevally fish jump to catch birds in mid-air. And ride on the back of an attack hammerhead shark. This awe-inspiring and surprising series reveals surprising new places, new charismatic characters, and extraordinary new behavior. The season premiere garnered a total of 14.01 million views, making it the most-watched television program in the U.K. in 2017 and the most popular U.K. natural history show in 15 years.

“Blue Planet II” is a product of BBC Studios, produced by The Natural History Unit, in collaboration with BBC America, Tencent, WDR, France Télévisions and CCTV9; a BBC Open University partnership with series producer Mark Brownlow (“Hidden Realms”), executive producer James Honeybourne (“Wild Patagonia”), presented by Sir David Attenborough (“Planet Earth II,” “David Attenborough Natural Curiosities”).