"Planet Earth" (2006) TV series 2006-

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

27 February 2006 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

Prepare to see it as never before.

Plot:

Emmy Award winning, 11-episodes, 5-years in the making, the most expensive nature documentary series ever commissioned by the BBC, and the first to be filmed in high definition.

Plot Keywords:

Planet Earth | Nature | Plant | Nature Earth | Animal

Awards:

Won 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 9 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

David Attenborough	...	Himself - Narrator (11 episodes, 2006)
Sigourney Weaver	...	Narrator - US Version (11 episodes, 2006)

Series Directed by
Alastair Fothergill		(11 episodes, 2006)

Series Writing credits
Gary Parker		(9 episodes, 2006)
David Attenborough		(5 episodes, 2006)

Series Produced by
Maureen Lemire	....	executive producer: for Discovery Channel / executive producer: Discovery Channel / ... (11 episodes, 2006)
Shannon C. Malone	....	producer: for Discovery Channel / producer: Discovery Channel / ... (11 episodes, 2006)
Kera Rennert	....	producer: promo (11 episodes, 2006)
Alastair Fothergill	....	series producer (9 episodes, 2006)
Vanessa Berlowitz	....	producer: Planet Earth Diary / producer (6 episodes, 2006)
Penny Allen	....	assistant producer / producer (3 episodes, 2006)
Huw Cordey	....	producer / producer: Planet Earth Diary (3 episodes, 2006)
Tom Hugh-Jones	....	assistant producer (3 episodes, 2006)
Kathryn Jeffs	....	assistant producer (3 episodes, 2006)
Jonathan Keeling	....	assistant producer / producer (3 episodes, 2006)
Mark Linfield	....	producer (3 episodes, 2006)
Mark Brownlow	....	producer (2 episodes, 2006)

Series Original Music by
George Fenton		(11 episodes, 2006)
Sam Watts		(6 episodes, 2006)

Series Cinematography by
Michael Kelem		(5 episodes, 2006)
Doug Anderson		(3 episodes, 2006)
Andrew Shillabeer		(3 episodes, 2006)
Peter Kragh		(2 episodes, 2006)
Paul Stewart		(2 episodes, 2006)
Mike Madden		(unknown episodes)

Series Film Editing by
Andy Netley		(3 episodes, 2006)
Stuart Napier		(2 episodes, 2006)
David Pearce		(2 episodes, 2006)

Series Production Management
Mandy Knight	....	production manager (11 episodes, 2006)

Series Sound Department
Frank Scheuring	....	post-production sound / sound post-production (11 episodes, 2006)
Kate Hopkins	....	sound editor (6 episodes, 2006)
Andrew Wilson	....	dubbing mixer (6 episodes, 2006)
Tim Owens	....	sound editor (5 episodes, 2006)
Graham Wild	....	dubbing mixer (5 episodes, 2006)
Ben Jones	....	foley artist (2 episodes, 2006)

Series Visual Effects by
Tim Brade	....	graphic designer (1 episode, 2006)
Nicholas Brooks	....	graphic designer (1 episode, 2006)
Steve Burrell	....	graphic designer (1 episode, 2006)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Richard Brooks Burton	....	aerial cinematographer (8 episodes, 2006)
Martyn Colbeck	....	photographer / camera operator / ... (7 episodes, 2006)
Barrie Britton	....	photography / photographer / ... (6 episodes, 2006)
Ted Giffords	....	camera operator / photography (5 episodes, 2006)
Justin Maguire	....	photographer / camera operator / ... (5 episodes, 2006)
Peter Scoones	....	camera operator / photographer / ... (5 episodes, 2006)
Warwick Sloss	....	camera operator / photography (5 episodes, 2006)
Rod Clarke	....	photographer / photography (4 episodes, 2006)
Michael Kelem	....	photography / camera operator / ... (4 episodes, 2006)
Shane Moore	....	photographer / camera operator (4 episodes, 2006)
Tim Shepherd	....	photography / photographer (4 episodes, 2006)
Paul Stewart	....	camera operator / photographer (4 episodes, 2006)
Doug Allen	....	photographer / photography (3 episodes, 2006)
Simon King	....	camera operator / photographer / ... (3 episodes, 2006)
Ian McCarthy	....	photographer / camera operator (3 episodes, 2006)
Toshihiro Muta	....	photographer (3 episodes, 2006)
Didier Noirot	....	camera operator / photographer (3 episodes, 2006)
Andrew Penniket	....	camera operator (3 episodes, 2006)
Mark Smith	....	photographer / photography (3 episodes, 2006)
Gavin Thurston	....	camera operator / photographer (3 episodes, 2006)
Paul Atkins	....	additional cinematographer (2 episodes, 2006)
Steve Downer	....	camera operator / photography (2 episodes, 2006)
Justine Evans	....	photographer (2 episodes, 2006)
Wade Fairley	....	photographer / photography (2 episodes, 2006)
Mike Holding	....	camera operator / photographer (2 episodes, 2006)
Alistair MacEwen	....	camera operator / photographer (2 episodes, 2006)
David McKay	....	photographer / photography (2 episodes, 2006)
Matt Norman	....	camera operator / camera operator: Second Unit (2 episodes, 2006)
Mark Payne-Gill	....	camera operator / photographer (2 episodes, 2006)
Andrew Shillabeer	....	photography (2 episodes, 2006)
Jeff Turner	....	photographer (2 episodes, 2006)
John Waters	....	photographer / photography (2 episodes, 2006)

Series Editorial Department
Luke Rainey	....	colorist (11 episodes, 2006)
Steve Olive	....	on-line editor (9 episodes, 2006)
Andrew Chastney	....	editor: Planet Earth Diary (8 episodes, 2006)
Steve March	....	additional editor (7 episodes, 2006)
Thom Sulek	....	additional editor (4 episodes, 2006)
Chas Francis	....	on-line editor (2 episodes, 2006)

Series Music Department
Steve Price	....	music engineer/mixer (11 episodes, 2006)
BBC Concert Orchestra	....	music performed by (10 episodes, 2006)
Robert Houston	....	score pro tools recordist (3 episodes, 2006)
Sam Watts	....	composer: Planet Earth Diary (3 episodes, 2006)

Series Other crew
Samantha Davis	....	production team assistant (11 episodes, 2006)
Chris Golding	....	production executive (11 episodes, 2006)
Tommesha Allen	....	production coordinator: for Discovery Channel / production coordinator: Discovery Channel / ... (9 episodes, 2006)
Tom Clarke	....	field assistant / researcher (5 episodes, 2006)
Conrad H. Maufe	....	researcher (4 episodes, 2006)
Susan Aartse-Tuyn	....	production coordinator (3 episodes, 2006)
James Aldred	....	field assistant (3 episodes, 2006)
Amanda Hutchinson	....	production coordinator (3 episodes, 2006)
Sarah Wade	....	production coordinator (3 episodes, 2006)
Jeff Wilson	....	researcher / field assistant (3 episodes, 2006)
Justin Anderson	....	researcher (2 episodes, 2006)
Lesley Bishop	....	production coordinator (2 episodes, 2006)
Dave Cox	....	post-production researcher (2 episodes, 2006)
Georgette Douwma	....	field assistant (2 episodes, 2006)
Chadden Hunter	....	field assistant (2 episodes, 2006)
Richard Jones	....	field assistant (2 episodes, 2006)
Frederique Olivier	....	field assistant (2 episodes, 2006)
Emma Peace	....	researcher (2 episodes, 2006)
Jason Roberts	....	field assistant / location manager (2 episodes, 2006)
Lisa Sibbald	....	production coordinator (2 episodes, 2006)
Graham Springer	....	field assistant (2 episodes, 2006)
Joanne Verity	....	production coordinator (2 episodes, 2006)
Martin Whatley	....	production finance coordinator (2 episodes, 2006)
Paul Zakora	....	field assistant (2 episodes, 2006)

Series Thanks
Dany Cleyet-Marrel	....	the BBC wishes to thank (3 episodes, 2006)
Gracie Atkins	....	the BBC wishes to thank (2 episodes, 2006)
Brady Doak	....	the BBC wishes to thank (2 episodes, 2006)
Dan Eatherley	....	the BBC wishes to thank (2 episodes, 2006)
Masahiro Hayakawa	....	the BBC wishes to thank / the producers wish to thank (2 episodes, 2006)
Toby Sinclair	....	the BBC wishes to thank / the producers wish to thank (2 episodes, 2006)

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR)
• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) (in association with)
• Discovery Channel (co-production)
• NHK (co-production)
• Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Distributors

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (2006) (UK) (TV) (original airing)
• Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (ARD) (2006) (Germany) (all media)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (2007) (Greece) (DVD)
• BBC Warner (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Discovery Channel (2007) (USA) (TV)
• FS Film Oy (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Hellenic Radio & Television (ERT) (2007) (Greece) (TV)
• M1 (2007) (Hungary) (TV)
• NHK (2006-2007) (Japan) (TV)
• Polyband (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2007) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• HeliNM  helicopter aerial sequence
• NPI Entertainment Payroll  crew payroll (as NPI Production Services)

Also Known As:

"Planet Earth Extremes" - USA (recut version)

Runtime:

Germany:44 min | 60 min (11 episodes)

Country:

UK | Germany | Canada | Japan | USA

Language:

German | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Australia:PG (some episodes) | Finland:K-3 (DVD) (2007) | Australia:G (some episodes) | UK:E (DVD rating) | Netherlands:6 (DVD rating) | USA:TV-G

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

For the air shots, a special airborne camera was used with a 400mm lens that was able to zoom into single animals from a kilometer away without disturbing them.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Rotten Tomatoes Show: 17 Again/State of Play/Crank High Voltage (#1.8)" (2009)

In A Word: Amazing

Thankfully, I caught a couple of these episodes on American television, which led me to this 11-part series on Blu-Ray DVDs and over five hours of outstanding entertaining and education. Looking back, I still shake my head in amazement at the things I saw on these discs.

Obviously, the incredible photography and sharpness/color (please see this on high-def, if you can) is the first thing that captures the viewer's eye, but as the series went on I appreciated the objectivity in here ("aw, cute" shots mixed in with the brutality of existence) and the lack of environmental propaganda, which one usually gets in boatloads in these "nature" films. Here, the writers and narrator David Attenborough just present the world as it is. Only at the very end do you get a short environmental message. It isn't needed: the beauty of this earth says it all, and the writers were smart enough to figure that out during this series.

After viewing 11 discs, you come to the obvious conclusions that in the Earth's world of animals, birds and fish come only a few objectives: where to find food, water, a mate, and escape being devoured by a predator. That's it, except for pets or zoo animals. On land or in water, it's simply a matter of survival, as this BBC series shows us.

What makes this so special is that, thanks to incredible work by cameramen, we are privy to many extraordinary sights we would never see, if left on our own, and never imagined existed on this planet. Much of this series is simply mind-boggling to view, especially all the overhead shots, which were stunning.

There are too many positive adjectives I could use to even begin, in recommending you watch this. Just give it a try - any of the 11 segments - and see if you don't want to then watch all of them.