The Living Planet
| The Living Planet | |
|---|---|
Region 2 DVD cover
|
|
| Genre | Nature documentary |
| Presented by | David Attenborough |
| Composer(s) | Elizabeth Parker |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Richard Brock |
| Running time | 55 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
BBC Natural History Unit Time-Life |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC1 |
| Picture format | 4:3 (PAL) |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | 19 January – 12 April 1984 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Life on Earth |
| Followed by | The Trials of Life |
The Living Planet: A Portrait of the Earth is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 19 January 1984.
The sequel to his pioneering Life on Earth, it is a study of the ways in which living organisms, including humans, adapt to their surroundings. Each of the twelve 55-minute episodes (one fewer than his previous series) featured a different environment. The executive producer was Richard Brock and the music was composed by Elizabeth Parker of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
Part of David Attenborough's 'Life' series, it was followed by The Trials of Life (1990). However, before the latter, Attenborough wrote and presented two shorter series: The First Eden (1987), about man's relationship with the natural habitats of the Mediterranean, and Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives (1989), concerning the discovery of fossils.
The programmes were just as ambitious to produce as those in the previous series, each featuring a variety of locations from around the world.
Among the most difficult places, in terms of logistics, was the Sudan, where the crew had to be flown in — despite there being no runways or indeed roads. Conversely, areas such as the Himalayas permitted no transportation at all, so the only option was to walk. In South America, a shortage of boats led to one cameraman having to push his equipment in a rubber dinghy, while he himself swam behind it.
Some subjects proved even more challenging: the production team had to wait two years for news to arrive of an erupting volcano, and had to suspend all other filming in the hope that it would still be alight when they reached it. Elsewhere, cameraman Hugh Miles had to put himself 25 yards (23 m) away from a polar bear in order to film it in close-up.
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