English broadcaster, natural historian and environmentalist Sir David Attenborough will lend his weighty voice to a new series airing on BBC Earth from January 4.
While the title may seem slightly ironic given the times we live in, Attenborough explains how various forces of nature work to make the Earth a perfect planet, in terms of sustaining lives. This is at least true for the first four elements of the five-part series: volcanoes, sunlight, weather and oceans.
David Attenborough sets the record straight
Volcanoes, for instance, Attenborough calls “the architects of the planet”, responsible for “creating over 80 per cent of the Earth’s surface”. For weather, he explains how “annual patterns have been reliable for years, and it’s this reliability on which life depends”.
As for the fifth element, a statement by BBC Earth reveals: “The final episode looks at the dramatic impact of the world’s newest force of nature: humans – and what can be done to restore our planet’s balance.”
Or, as Attenborough puts it more bluntly: “Human activity is now so dominant that it’s disrupting the forces of nature and the vital habitats life needs to survive on Earth.”
A Perfect Planet airs from Monday, January 4, at 9pm UAE time on BBC Earth.
Recording amid Covid-19 restrictions
The post-production leg of the series fell prey to the coronavirus pandemic, especially as the UK went into lockdown. Series producer Huw Cordey says: "Sir David embraced new ways of recording his voiceover, and the music for the series had to be finished in Iceland, one of the few places we could gather a string orchestra and record them playing live. Covid restrictions prevented us doing the same with brass and woodwind instruments, so they had to be recorded separately in each of the musicians' living rooms."
The music of A Perfect Planet
A Perfect Planet also features an original score by British composer Ilan Eshkeri, of Stardust and Still Alice fame.
The BBC's natural history programmes are known for their catchy background scores. Award-winning composer Eshkeri follows in the footsteps of German film score composer Hans Zimmer (who is Christopher Nolan's go-to) and Oscar-winner Steven Price (of Gravity fame), who created the music for Ten Pieces and The Hunt respectively.
Eshkeri's oeuvre includes collaborations with Annie Lennox, David Gilmour, Sinead O'Connor and KT Tunstall. "A Perfect Planet celebrates the extraordinary world we are a part of, as well as showing the delicate balance of the systems that support life, and what we need to do to ensure its future stability. I hope my music can play a small part in helping to inspire change."
