Splash hit Blue Planet is top TV show
IT was up against fast-paced thrillers and big budget period dramas, but Blue Planet II has become the first natural history show to be crowned best TV programme of the year.
The BBC series, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, drew in the highest audiences of 2017, with 10.5million of us glued to our screens as we were transported to the depths of the ocean.
It was named No1 by Radio Times, based on its own critics’ reviews – succeeding last year’s winner, BBC spy thriller The Night Manager, starring Tom Hiddleston.
Blue Planet II drew almost double the number of viewers as this year’s runner-up – Line of Duty – which had an average audience of 5.7million for its fourth series.
US drama Big Little Lies, starring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon, came in third place.
The fast- changing landscape of viewer habits is reflected in the list, with streaming services continuing to compete with traditional broadcasters. Netflix has two shows in the top 20 – the same as ITV.
The Crown, telling the story of the Queen’s reign, was fourth while Netflix’s sci-fi drama Stranger Things was ranked number 18. Meanwhile, the final series of ITV’s Broadchurch grabbed seventh position and another of the broadcaster’s crime dramas, Unforgotten, was number 19.
BBC1’s Doctor Foster, which came second following its debut in 2015, dropped seven places with its second series.
And the first run of The Great British Bake Off since it moved to Channel 4 missed out on the top ten this year, dropping two places to 12th. As well as showing us stunning seascapes, Blue Planet II tack- led pressing issues such as the devastating amount of plastic in our oceans in its hourlong Sunday night slot.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove credited the series with inspiring him to tackle the problem. It was created from 6,000 hours of underwater footage, some of which was filmed miles below sea level, and took four years to produce. Earlier this year Sir David’s Planet Earth II, named the eighth best show of 2016 by Radio Times, was awarded TV Baftas for Specialist Factual and Must-See Moment – indicating that Blue Planet II may be in the running for more accolades next year.