Airdate: Blue Planet II

Acclaimed UK nature series Blue Planet II is coming to Saturdays on Nine from next week.

The sequel to the original 2001 series, it is again narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

This screened in the UK in October where it drew stellar ratings for the BBC.

The ocean is tempestuous and serene, exquisitely beautiful yet bleakly forbidding. Although it covers over 70 per cent of the Earth’s surface it is still the least known part of our planet. However, in recent years our knowledge of what exactly goes on beneath the waves has been transformed.

Blue Planet II uses breakthroughs in marine science and revolutionary technology that has modernised the way we explore new worlds under the sea and reveal the very latest discoveries.

This breathtaking series gives viewers a first look at fish that live almost exclusively on land; giant trevally that snatch seabirds out of mid-air; a fish that enlists the help of octopus to hunt smaller fish hiding among coral branches; and other incredible sea life.

As well as being home to some of nature’s most spectacular events and fascinating creatures, the oceans are essential to all life, generating about half of the planet’s oxygen. Throughout Blue Planet II, viewers will explore the health of the oceans, which are under great threat from environmental stresses such as coral bleaching. Never has there been a more important time to understand what is happening in the seas that may hold the key to the future our planet and our rising population.

Blue Planet II has been in production over four years, visiting 39 countries and filming across every continent and ocean. It took more than 6,000 hours of underwater diving and filming to produce, everywhere from our familiar shores to the depths of the deepest seas, bringing us closer than ever before to the captivating world of the oceans and their extraordinary creatures large and small.

Saturday, February 17, at 7.00pm on Nine.