Wildlife after dark
Join Tom Hiddleston for an exploration of nocturnal species.
EARTH AT NIGHT IN COLOR APPLE TV PLUS, FROM 4 DECEMBER
With the latest camera technology being used by wildlife documentary filmmakers, we have become accustomed to some incredible sights and scenes finding their way into our homes via our TV screens. But now these series can promise something truly extraordinary – enabling us to see in the dark.
Following in the footsteps of Night on Earth (released on Netflix in January), this new Apple TV Plus series offers another thrilling dive into unseen nocturnal worlds. While night-time cameras might once have shown us grainy pictures in monotone colours, Earth at Night in Color makes use of powerful low-light cameras, which are 100 times more sensitive than the human eye, creating clear colour footage filmed by moonlight.
Spanning six episodes, the series sets out to explore six continents – all in darkness. Narrator Tom Hiddleston’s soothing tones lead us into the twilight world, where tiny tarsiers prime their ears before the hunt, and fireflies perform in hypnotic displays. We follow Europe’s brown bears – forced to occupy the night-time by human persecution – and watch Brazilian jaguars bonding beneath the light produced by click beetle larvae.
As well as showing us some littlefilmed nocturnal species, the series captures unusual behaviour from creatures that are more well-known. Episode one opens with a pride of African lions, and takes us on a thrilling night-time hunt with a solo lioness.
The show also includes the now typical ‘making of’ section that follows the main event. This, too, is a treat – watching brave film-makers scaling rainforest trees in the dark, skiing through the night, and wielding cameras so powerful they are usually used to capture the galaxy.
The deep, dusky colours and the stars glistening above give this series a hushed, ethereal quality. It creates the sense of peering into a hidden world. Released in early December, it’s just in time to bring you a bit of Christmas magic.
Emma Pocklington Nature writer