Blue Planet III made its highly anticipated debut on Sunday night, leaving viewers in tears as it offered an unflinching glimpse into life beneath the waves.
The acclaimed BBC series is the first instalment since 2017 and once again features David Attenborough as narrator, following his 100th birthday earlier this year.
After four years of filming, the opening episode explored tropical seas and followed the tragic journey of a humpback whale that travelled across the world in search of more favourable waters.
As the whale passed, fish gathered around it. By the next morning, its entire body had been consumed.
The episode also highlighted the continuing effects of climate change on the oceans, showing how rising temperatures can cause coral reefs to become toxic.
Fans described the opening on X as deeply emotional, while others welcomed the programme’s ‘beautiful and mesmerising’ return.
Blue Planet III made its highly anticipated debut on Sunday night, leaving viewers in tears as it offered an unflinching glimpse into life beneath the waves
The acclaimed BBC series is the first instalment since 2017 and once again features David Attenborough as narrator, following his 100th birthday earlier this year (pictured during the second series)
Our News Outlet’s TV critic Christopher Stevens also praised the ‘extraordinary’ opening episode. You can read his five-star review here.
One viewer wrote: ‘Oh FGS it’s WAY too early in the series for a Humpback to be dying! You could have broken us in gently at least!
‘The camera work, lighting and David Attenborough’s voice create the most beautiful television. How anyone can watch this and not think we must do everything possible and more to preserve our planet; That poor whale;’
‘Oh no I’m too hungover to deal with dying whales;’
‘This man is incredible;’
‘Absolutely mesmerising television. Welcome back… Sunday evening sorted.’
Sir David, who has presented natural history programmes for the BBC and other broadcasters since 1954, is no stranger to travelling the globe to document some of the natural world’s most remarkable moments.
Blue Planet first aired in 2001, with a second series following in 2017.
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Earlier this year, the veteran nature presenter looked back on his remarkable career while celebrating his 100th birthday in a one-off Netflix special.
After four years of filming, the series opened with an episode about tropical seas and the tragic story of a humpback whale that travelled across the world in search of better waters
Fish gathered around the whale as it passed, and by the following morning, its entire body had been eaten
Fans described Blue Planet III’s opening on X as emotional, while others praised the show’s ‘beautiful and mesmerising’ return
In 1978, the broadcaster travelled to Rwanda to film a segment for Life On Earth, where he encountered a group of gorillas, including a baby gorilla named Pablo.
Reading from his diary, David recalled the remarkable moment he came face to face with Pablo.
He explained that the encounter was never ‘supposed to happen’. The crew had originally gone to Rwanda to film a short feature about opposable thumbs, before learning they might be able to meet the gorillas.
David read: ‘We start the one-and-a-half-hour walk up the mountain. Slowly the nondescript bush transforms into the high altitude rainforest.
‘Long-branched trees loaded with cushions of epiphytes. Green ribbon-leaved ferns with wispy pallid Spanish moss everywhere.
‘We found a group of females and juveniles in a small clearing and to my astonishment, they allowed me to approach.’
Describing his first interaction with the animals, David continued: ‘I had to pause and exchange a deep-throated grunt. The reassurance noise meaning, “I’m here”.’
‘What I don’t say there is that this wasn’t supposed to be a film of meeting gorillas directly.
‘The function of the sequence was the importance of the thumb and forefinger, the opposable thumb and forefinger. We didn’t think we were going to be in touch with them.
‘I turned to look back at the camera, I felt a weight on my feet and I looked down, and there was little Pablo. I couldn’t talk about the evolution of the thumb and forefinger, I just sat back and let it happen.
‘Look at this lovely little creature. Absolutely engaging, you want to hug him. Just sheer bliss, really. Many people would think it was the most important sequence in that series, if not in my filmed life.’
‘I will never forget him or the impact he had on me,’ David concluded of Pablo.
