‘If we don’t sort out how we deal with the planet, we’re in big trouble’
Sir David Attenborough talks to Danielle de Wolfe about new BBC show A Perfect Planet
Sir David Attenborough is back on screens with a new five-part series, A Perfect Planet, on BBC1.
Shot across 31 countries over the space of four years, the landmark series takes a closer look at the forces of nature affecting the earth.
With each episode focusing on a different element, Volcano, The Sun, Weather, Oceans and Humans, it is no surprise that the BBC team travelled to the far corners of the globe in search of rarelyseen species and breathtaking filming locations.
Tackling a plethora of pertinent questions, the series shows both the positive and negative impact that humans and nature alike can have on the earth.
Ahead of the landmark series, we speak with Sir David Attenborough, 94, about what to expect from his latest endeavour.
You address the scale of human impact on the planet in this series…
“The first thing I keep reminding myself of, is that there are three times as many human beings on this planet as there were when I first made a television programme. It’s right now, it’s happening, and if we don’t sort out how we deal with the planet, we’re in big trouble.
Do you have a favourite scene from A Perfect Planet?
“I have to say, that flamingo sequence is one of the most memorable sequences I’ve seen on television. Shot under extraordinarily difficult circumstances… it’s impossible not to identify with these poor little chicks who have to make it from the middle of this appalling lake to the edge to get away from their nest in the centre.”
Can we expect more ground-breaking cinematography?
“It has been filmed so beautifully, the use of drones, that is to say cameras which can take you up into the sky, and see whatever you want to see, it’s so skilful. And the pictures are so indelibly planted on the mind, that’s what I think about actually on the whole series. My goodness, it’s extraordinary.”
Does climate change remain the biggest threat to the planet?
“If we warm the earth to such a degree that the Arctic melts, every city in the world – every big city in the world, very nearly, will be underwater. A high proportion of the important cities in the world are built around the coast because of their ports and if the ice – if the northern Arctic melts, the seas are going to rise and flood those cities.
What small change can people make that will have a big impact?
“Not waste. That’s what they can do – and that’s what they’ll be forced to do. It is extraordinary how much we do waste at Christmas, simply on wrapping paper – I’m as guilty as anybody. The chap who collects the refuse from this house would, I’m sure, say, ‘the amount of paper he throws away is awful’ – and that’s true. The sort of extravagance of Christmas, perhaps, is out of place at this moment.”
● A Perfect Planet begins on Sunday on BBC1 at 8pm