Planet Earth to return... but third series will be the last

IT is the hit show that pulled in millions of viewers with scenes of flying frogs and snakes chasing an iguana.

So it is no surprise that the BBC has commissioned the third series of Planet Earth – which it has billed as its ‘most ambitious natural history landmark’ ever.

The eight-part series – which will air in 2022 – will be the last in the Planet Earth set, the British broadcaster announced.

BBC insiders hinted that David Attenborough will return to front the show, saying: ‘Why would we ask anybody else?’

The show is billed as combining the ‘awe and wonder’ of previous series but promises to take the ‘experience to new heights’.

Crews will spend longer in the field than ever before and use new technology to awaken viewers to the ‘intense struggles of some of our planet’s most amazing animals’.

The announcement comes after the BBC last week revealed the launch of Green Planet – a follow-up show focusing on plants – while a second series of Frozen Planet is also set to return in 2021.

Director of content Charlotte Moore said: ‘The BBC is world famous for its natural history programming and these new series will raise the bar even higher.’

The first Planet Earth was filmed over four years across 64 different countries.