Blue Planet III Review – Attenborough’s New Series Shines as a “Corker”

Fresh Finds in Familiar Waters

Episode 1 drops viewers onto the sandy sea floor of Shark Bay, Western Australia, where researchers finally explain why dolphins are seen clutching sea sponges. The solution required the latest remote cameras, a careful approach to the dolphin, and a near‑miss for cameraman Alex, who almost became a tiger‑shark snack.

Further north, tawny sharks reveal a new hunting tactic: pretending to be asleep to avoid startling herring, then corralling the fish shoreward for a coordinated feast.

High‑Stakes Predator Drama

A classic Attenborough chase unfolds in Brazil, pitting a shark against a turtle. The turtle feeds on deep‑water seaweed, must surface for air, and in doing so alerts the shark. A drone and a turtle‑mounted camera capture the turtle’s desperate dash to shallow water and a sharp‑turn maneuver that leaves the shark’s teeth grazing the hard shell.

Comic Relief from the Reef

In Indonesia, a pair of harlequin shrimp—described as “two‑tone” and “jester‑costumed”—tumble over a starfish, pulling off an arm in a scene that is amusing for viewers but brutal for the starfish.

Brazilian mangroves host a fiddler‑crab dating arena: a lone male waves his oversized claw at potential mates, only to be outshone by hundreds of rivals. The crab’s distracted moment ends with a scarlet ibis snatching him up.

Climate‑Change Confrontation

The series shifts tone when a clownfish tends an anemone threatened by a heatwave. A before‑and‑after edit shows the reef’s vibrant colours melting into dead, blackish‑brown tones, underscoring the impact of climate breakdown.

Attenborough’s voice, now “weathered almost to a whisper,” delivers his familiar plea: These tiny fish helped to protect their home. Imagine what we could achieve if we all worked together to protect ours.

Availability

Blue Planet III can be streamed on BBC iPlayer in the UK; an Australian broadcast date has not yet been announced.