SAVE this post for later, to refer back to when Frozen Planet II airs

 

Image from bbc.co.uk

The BBC nature documentary series, Frozen Planet, took us to the ends of our world, back in 2011. Those sections of the series filmed in the Arctic focused on the struggles of polar bears and Arctic wolves, throughout the Arctic year and its changing seasons. Though other species and storylines about the Arctic are introduced. In the frozen south, Antarctica, the documentary's focus was on the penguin inhabitants but, again, other species and storylines were filmed and developed.

Following the success of the BBC's Planet Earth and Blue Planet, this documentary series about the nature and wildlife at the opposite ends of our planet aired with narration being supplied again by Sir David Attenborough. 

At ten years old, and with a follow up series, Frozen Planet II, on the way (though, I am not sure exactly when - but you can bet I am keeping my ears open for that date!), I settled in for a marathon re-watch of the original series at the tail end of the festive season. It is still a beautiful and enlightening watch. And, with Christmas a fading memory, all that snow and pretty ice felt somehow appropriate.

Any documentary series with Sir David attached is more likely than not to find its way on to my watch list. And this series, as with the Planet Earth and Blue Planet series before it, is beautifully shot and informative. 

With a growing awareness of climate change and environmental emergencies around the globe, I can imagine that any follow up to the original series would make comparisons between what filmmakers saw ten years ago and what they filmed a decade later. If so, I can't imagine that it will be a heartwarming and cheerful comparison.

For the original series, an episode was filmed that focused on climate change and its impact. As you can imagine, this drew sneers from some quarters. Particularly in America where a number of networks refused to air the episode because it was seen as politically sensitive and could cause controversy. 

Ten years later, one hopes that we are a little more ready to see what is right in front of us.

If you go back to this series before the follow up airs, watch out for the life and death battle between an Arctic wolf and a bison. It is one of the most beautiful, poignant, and raw moments from the series. It is one of the most memorable moments from any nature documentary series, in fact!

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