Planet Earth II premiered on BBC One in November 2016, a full decade after the original series redefined wildlife filmmaking. Produced by Mike Gunton and narrated by David Attenborough, the sequel had the considerable challenge of following what many considered the greatest nature documentary ever made. It met that challenge and, by most accounts, surpassed it. The premiere drew 12.26 million viewers in the United Kingdom, making it the most-watched natural history program in the country in over 15 years and the most-watched BBC program of 2016.
Community response has been almost uniformly rapturous. Viewers who loved the original found that the sequel addressed their few complaints while amplifying everything that worked. The consensus holds that Planet Earth II represents the pinnacle of what nature documentary filmmaking can achieve, combining technical innovation, emotional storytelling, and environmental awareness in a package that feels both entertaining and important.
The New Standard for Wildlife Footage
The technological advances between 2006 and 2016 transformed what the production team could capture. Stabilized camera rigs, ultra-high-definition sensors, drone photography, and remote camera traps allowed footage that would have been physically impossible a decade earlier. The result is a series where the viewer feels closer to the animals than ever before. Ground-level tracking shots follow creatures through their habitats at eye level, creating an intimacy that the original series, for all its beauty, couldn’t quite achieve.
The iguana hatchling sequence from the “Islands” episode became a global sensation, viewed hundreds of millions of times online. A newly hatched marine iguana sprints across a beach while dozens of racer snakes emerge from the rocks to pursue it. The sequence plays like an action film, and the tension is extraordinary. What makes it remarkable isn’t just the footage itself but the editing and sound design that transform animal behavior into cinematic narrative. The production team spent weeks filming on Fernandina Island in the Galapagos to capture those few minutes of footage, and the investment pays off completely.
That sequence is the most famous, but the series maintains that level throughout. Snow leopards filmed by remote cameras in the mountains of Pakistan, a bobcat navigating traffic in the “Cities” episode, the synchronized movements of millions of locusts across Madagascar. Each episode builds its segments around specific behavioral events, and the patience required to capture these moments is visible in every frame. The footage regularly achieves things that feel impossible.
David Attenborough was 90 years old when the series aired, and his narration shows no diminishment. If anything, the added weight of age gives his delivery a gravity that enhances the material. His voice remains the definitive sound of nature documentary, and his ability to convey wonder, concern, and scientific precision in a single sentence is unmatched. The scripts give him room to be emotional where the original series kept him more measured, and those moments of open feeling land with real impact.
Where Even the Best Falls Short
At six episodes, the series is significantly shorter than the original’s eleven. Some viewers feel this creates gaps in coverage, with certain habitats and biomes receiving less attention than they deserve. The tighter format means the series makes choices about what to include and exclude, and those choices inevitably disappoint viewers who wanted more coverage of oceans, polar regions, or specific ecosystems. The quality-over-quantity argument is sound, but the reduced scope is a legitimate trade-off.
The final episode, “Cities,” is the most polarizing installment. The decision to dedicate an entire episode to animals adapting to urban environments was praised as timely and innovative by some viewers but felt less visually spectacular to others who came to the series for wilderness footage. The environmental message of the episode is clear, showing how human expansion forces wildlife into new behaviors and habitats, but the aesthetic shift from pristine landscapes to city streets divides opinion.
Some viewers also note that the series’ emotional storytelling techniques occasionally tip into manipulation. Music cues, editing choices, and narrative framing sometimes push the viewer toward specific emotional responses in ways that feel more produced than observed. The predator-prey sequences in particular use thriller-film techniques that, while effective, raise questions about how much the “drama” is inherent in the footage versus constructed in post-production. This is a criticism that applies to modern nature documentaries broadly, but Planet Earth II’s high profile makes it a frequent target.
The Emotional Contract With the Natural World
Planet Earth II’s most significant evolution from the original is its willingness to confront what’s at stake. The environmental messaging that the first series handled gently is more direct here, particularly in the “Cities” episode and in Attenborough’s closing narration. The series doesn’t lecture, but it makes clear that the extraordinary world it documents is under threat. This shift reflects both changes in the scientific consensus and changes in what audiences expect from nature programming. The beauty isn’t diminished by the urgency. If anything, the knowledge that these ecosystems are fragile makes the footage more powerful.
Should You Watch Planet Earth II?
If you watch one nature documentary in your life, this should be it. The footage is the most spectacular ever captured, Attenborough’s narration is warm and authoritative, and the emotional storytelling elevates the material beyond pure spectacle. It works for viewers of all ages and requires no prior knowledge. Even if you’ve seen the original Planet Earth, the sequel offers enough new territory in technique and tone to feel fresh. Skip it only if nature documentaries are a format you know you don’t connect with, though this series has converted many skeptics.
The Verdict on Planet Earth II
Planet Earth II is the gold standard for nature documentary filmmaking. The footage surpasses its legendary predecessor, the storytelling is more emotionally engaging, and the environmental awareness gives the series a purpose beyond pure spectacle. Six episodes feels too few, and the “Cities” installment divides opinion, but these are minor complaints against a body of work that represents the absolute best of what the format can achieve. David Attenborough and the BBC Natural History Unit created something that captures the beauty and fragility of the natural world with unmatched craft and feeling.