Planet Earth (2006 TV series)

***Planet Earth*** is a British television series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit and Discovery Channel. The series has eleven episodes, each of which features a global overview of a biome or habitat on Earth. It was narrated by David Attenborough and originally aired in the United Kingdom in 2006, before subsequently airing in North America on the Discovery Channel in 2007. It was the most expensive nature documentary series produced by the BBC and also the first to be filmed in high definition.

The series proved to be a huge success, spawning a franchise including a feature film, *Earth*, which was released in 2007, and a sequel series, *Planet Earth II*, in 2016; the latter was made without Discovery's involvement. A third series, *Planet Earth III*, is scheduled for release in 2023.

## Broadcast

*Planet Earth* first premiered in the United Kingdom in 2006. Each episode is an hour in length, comprising the main program and a 10-minute featurette called *Planet Earth Diaries*, which details the filming of a particular event. The series was presented in two parts, broadcasting in spring and autumn 2006.

The series began airing in the United States on the Discovery Channel and Discovery HD Theater on March 25, 2007. There were a number of revisions made to the original British program. Actress and conservationist Sigourney Weaver was brought in to replace David Attenborough as narrator, as it was thought her familiarity to American audiences would attract more viewers. The Discovery programs also used a slightly different script to the British original. The series was broadcast on Sundays in one three-hour block followed by four two-hour blocks. The *Planet Earth Diaries* segments were not shown immediately after each episode, but collectively in a single two-hour special entitled *Planet Earth: The Filmmakers' Story*, which was broadcast after the series had finished its initial network run. Edited versions were later broadcast on the Science Channel, Animal Planet, and Planet Green.

## Episodes

"A hundred years ago, there were one and a half billion people on Earth. Now, over six billion crowd our fragile planet. But even so, there are still places barely touched by humanity. This series will take you to the last wildernesses and show you the planet and its wildlife as you have never seen it before." - David Attenborough's opening narration.

"Our planet is still full of wonders. As we explore them, so we gain not only understanding, but power. It's not just the future of the whale that today lies in our hands: it's the survival of the natural world in all parts of the living planet. We can now destroy, or we can cherish. The choice is ours." - David Attenborough, in closing.

## Reception

*Planet Earth* received critical acclaim. The series has an approval rating of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 22 reviews, with an average of 9/10. The consensus reads: "Planet Earth weaves innovative camera techniques and patient observation to deliver viewers an astounding glimpse of the world's perils and wonders, capturing jaw-dropping scenery and animals on both epic and intimate scale".

In 2019, *Planet Earth* and its sequel ranked 72nd on *The Guardian*'s list of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century.

### Audience response

The credentials of the filmmakers, the size of the production, a high-profile marketing campaign and a primetime BBC One timeslot all resulted in *Planet Earth* attracting large audiences when it debuted in the UK in 2006. The first episode, "From Pole to Pole", was watched by more people than any other natural history program since Attenborough's previous series, *The Blue Planet*, in 2001. The first five episodes drew an average of 11.4 million viewers, including the early evening repeats, outperforming even *The Blue Planet*. The final six episodes attracted an average audience of 6.8 million viewers, appreciably lower than the spring episodes, but still higher than BBC One's average for the timeslot.

In the United States, *Planet Earth*'s Discovery Channel premiere drew equally impressive ratings. The first three episodes (screened back-to-back) averaged 5.72 million viewers with a peak of 6.07 million viewers, giving the network its third highest audience ever. It was also the most-watched Discovery program since *The Flight That Fought Back* in 2005. The series overall attracted 65 million US viewers, becoming cable's highest-rated natural history program.

### Merchandise

The worldwide popularity of *Planet Earth* translated into strong merchandise sales. In the United States, it became the fastest and bestselling documentary DVD in Discovery Channel's history, and the high-definition (HD) discs generated $3.2 million in sales in just two months. By the end of 2007, U.S. sales had topped 3 million units, making it the highest-grossing HD title and one of the year's top ten DVD titles.

In addition, the brand was licensed to other companies to produce books, calendars, a board game, jigsaws, stationary, cards, and more.