Blue Planet II Review: David Attenborough’s Sequel Earns Its 9.7/10

The ocean has been hiding a lot from us. Blue Planet II, the 2017 sequel to the 2001 series, makes the case that the sea is the most powerful, unforgiving, beautiful and compelling place on the planet. It is a seven-episode, 12-week run on BBC One, and it asks viewers to sit through some of the most patient, precise nature cinematography ever put on television.

It works.

Trailer, via BBC.

The Numbers Behind Blue Planet II

Blue Planet II was a co-production between the BBC Natural History Unit, BBC America, Tencent, WDR, France Télévisions and CCTV-9. It was made in partnership with The Open University. It is a successor to The Blue Planet (2001), and it brought back Sir David Attenborough as the narrator, reprising the role he held in the original. The series aired from October 29, 2017, through December 10, 2017.

The show’s reach went beyond the UK. It had the highest viewing figures of any television programme in the UK in 2017. In China, it was so widely watched that it reportedly caused internet problems. The documentary is credited with increasing public and political interest in issues affecting marine life, in particular marine plastic pollution, which was dubbed “the Blue Planet effect”.

Seven Episodes, One Ocean

The series is structured around seven episodes, each focusing on a different aspect of marine life. The episodes are:

1. One World, One Ocean
2. The Deep
3. Big Fish, Big World
4. Coral Reefs
5. Coasts
6. The Open Ocean
7. Our Blue Planet

Each episode is a self-contained exploration of its subject, and the series moves from the shallowest waters to the deepest trenches. The first episode, “One World, One Ocean,” sets the stage. It is a survey of the entire marine ecosystem, from the surface to the seafloor, and it establishes the scale of what the series is trying to capture.

The second episode, “The Deep,” is where the show truly starts to earn its reputation. It follows a team of divers and submersibles into the abyss, where light barely reaches and pressure is immense. The footage of bioluminescent creatures and deep-sea fish is genuinely new, and it feels like exploring a planet that humans have barely visited.

The third episode, “Big Fish, Big World,” focuses on the largest marine creatures. It includes a sequence on sperm whales that is widely regarded as one of the best pieces of wildlife cinematography ever shot. The fourth episode, “Coral Reefs,” explores the reefs that are under threat from climate change. The fifth episode, “Coasts,” looks at the intertidal zone — the place where land and sea meet. The sixth episode, “The Open Ocean,” covers the pelagic zone. The seventh episode, “Our Blue Planet,” serves as a conclusion, summarising the series’ findings and raising the alarm about plastic pollution and climate change.

David Attenborough’s Return

Attenborough’s narration does what narration is supposed to do: it connects the images to the science. He explains the biology without oversimplifying it, and he discusses the environmental threats without hysteria. His voice is calm, measured and respectful, and it carries weight because he has been doing this for decades.

The show builds on the structure of the 2001 series, but it is not a retread. The technology has improved, and the team behind the series has spent years developing new ways to capture marine life in the wild. The use of custom-built submersibles, drones and camera systems is evident in every frame. The result is footage that looks like it was shot on another planet.

The Blue Planet Effect

The show’s influence went beyond its immediate viewership. The “Blue Planet effect” refers to the increase in public and political interest in marine plastic pollution, which the series highlighted through its reporting on the degradation of coral reefs and the accumulation of plastic in marine ecosystems. The show did not just document the problem; it made the problem visible to a mass audience. The internet problems in China were a symptom of a global audience tuning in, and the environmental movement gained new momentum as a result of the series’ reach.

The Verdict on Blue Planet II

Blue Planet II is a landmark of nature documentary filmmaking. It is not just beautiful; it is also informative and urgent. The series succeeds because it balances the awe of the ocean with the reality of what humans are doing to it. It does not lecture, but it does not let the viewer off the hook either.

The show’s 2017 UK viewing figures were the highest of any programme that year, and its international impact was felt across multiple markets. It was so widely watched in China that it reportedly caused internet problems. Those figures are not just statistics; they speak to the power of the series to engage audiences across borders and cultures.

Blue Planet II is a deeply personal response to the ocean. It is a love letter to a place that most people will never visit. It is also a call to action, a reminder that the ocean is not a distant abstraction but the life support system for the planet. The series is not perfect — no documentary is — but its ambition and execution are as close to flawless as modern television gets.

The Schedule

The series aired on BBC One over 12 weeks, from October 29, 2017, to December 10, 2017.

Blue Planet II is a deeply personal response to the ocean. It is a love letter to a place that most people will never visit. It is also a call to action, a reminder that the ocean is not a distant abstraction but the life support system for the planet. The series is not perfect — no documentary is — but its ambition and execution are as close to flawless as modern television gets.

Attenborough · BBC · Blue Planet II · nature documentary · ocean conservation