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Since 2006, Sir David Attenborough has been the voice of “Planet Earth,” the BBC’s landmark documentary series focusing on wild animals around the world and the habitats they live in. The British Broadcasting Corporation just announced that the biologist and presenter will be back to narrate “Planet Earth III,” the third installment of the series.
Attenborough, now 97 years old, is currently filming introductory scenes and recording narration for the program, which will air on BBC One this fall, The Guardian reports. “Planet Earth III” had originally been commissioned in 2019, but it was delayed by the pandemic.
“Planet Earth wouldn’t be Planet Earth without David, so I’m delighted he is presenting the third series,” Mike Gunton, the show’s executive producer, said in a statement, BBC reports. “As ever, he has brought his huge enthusiasm and wisdom, has been encouraging about our new perspective and has, I know, really enjoyed seeing the extraordinary new wonders brought to the screen.”
The BBC says that the intro of the series was filmed in the British countryside, in a location where Charles Darwin used to walk thinking over his ideas about evolution. This groundbreaking naturalist had a home in the county of Kent, which is in the southwest of England.
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“It seemed the perfect place for David to introduce Planet Earth III and remind us of both the wonders and the fragility of our planet … and for him, of course, the sun shined under blue skies one of the only days it did all summer,” Gunton said about the filming.
Attenborough’s voice has become synonymous with environmental action. In addition to “Planet Earth,” he has also narrated shows like “Blue Planet,” “A Life on Our Planet” and “Wild Isles.” He was present at the founding of the World Wildlife Fund, and he’s had various exploration vessels and even animal species named after him — the dragonfly “Attenborough’s pintail,” or Acisoma attenboroughi.
While initially skeptical of climate change, he has since become part of campaigns to support the cause, including one by the United Nations. He has long been an advocate of making positive change to save wildlife.
In this trailer for “Planet Earth: A Celebration” from 2020, his narration over some of the stunning images from the course of the series urges viewers to protect and nurture the natural world.
Attenborough considers narrating television series about the wonders of nature fairly simple work.
“The job of a narrator for natural history films … is a bit of a doddle. I mean, it’s … a piece of cake, how’s that? It’s really pretty easy. Because the animals are so fantastic,” he told Anderson Cooper in a 2021 interview on “60 Minutes.”
Attenborough’s programs can be found on many digital services, but “Planet Earth” and its 2017 follow-up, “Planet Earth II,” are streaming on Discovery+, Max and Amazon Prime (for a fee).
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