‘Blue Planet III’ Brings the Pitiless Sea Back to Our Shores
Sea lions, tiger sharks, and blue whales, oh my!
There’s an old hymn that goes, “I was drifting away on life’s pitiless sea/And the angry waves threatened my ruin to be;” and it runs through my head every time we get a new installment of Blue Planet. The 2001 series heralded the arrival of Sir David Attenborough’s second major franchise hit after the success of his Life series; cemented by the arrival of the flagship series, Planet Earth, in 2006, followed by 2011’s Frozen Planet, and 2022’s more recent Green Planet. Planet Earth released its third installment, Planet Earth III, in 2025. Now comes Blue Planet III, where the BBC returns to deep-dive into the world’s oceans.
As part of the global premiere in London, Attenborough, now in his 100th year, shared a specially recorded message with guests, reflecting on his long association with the Blue Planet series and the discoveries revealed in this latest chapter.
“Twenty-five years ago, when I narrated the first Blue Planet series, it didn’t occur to me that I would be narrating a third series in my centennial year,” said Attenborough. “The ocean is an endlessly fascinating place. In these new programs we uncover a further wonderful array of underwater life, which is more surprising, more sophisticated and even more important than we ever realized. I am proud and delighted to be associated with Blue Planet III.”
The star-studded premiere included both the trailer and footage from the series played over the giant screens in Piccadilly Circus. (For those who aren’t familiar, Piccadilly is London’s version of Times Square, except instead of being a diagonal cross street, it’s a roundabout.) Captivating passers-by in the heart of the capital, the famous screens became a window into the ocean, bringing some of the most remarkable moments from the new series to life in one of the world's busiest and most famous public spaces.
Here’s the series’ synopsis:
The original The Blue Planet transformed audiences’ understanding of life beneath the waves. Narrated once again by Sir David Attenborough, Blue Planet III marks the return of one of the world's most iconic natural history franchises.
As always, Sir David Attenborough narrates the series. He is also accompanied once again by an original score from Hans Zimmer, with the trailer featuring an original song, “Into The Deep (Seas Cry),” penned especially for the new series by British artist Jade, formerly of Little Mix.
For the first time, Attenborough is not credited as an executive producer; instead, that honor is held by Elizabeth White, with Lara Bickerton and James Brickell as series producers. The series is BBC Studios Natural History Production co-produced with BBC America, ZDF, and France Télévisions, in association with Skai Greece, and in partnership with The Open University for BBC.
Blue Planet III will debut on BBC One and iPlayer in the U.K. before the end of 2026. It will then air on BBC America and stream on AMC+ in the U.S. in early 2027.
Sign up for full access to Telly Visions' recaps and reviews!
Planet Earth I-III, Frozen Planet I & II, and Blue Planet I & II are streaming on AMC+. Green Planet I is available on PBS Passport. Frozen Planet III and Green Planet II are both currently in production.
