Giant's Causeway to feature on Sir David Attenborough's new BBC show

Author: Emma DicksonPublished 7th Mar 2023

Sir David Attenborough's landmark series The Wild Isles will debut next Sunday, which visits the north coast of Northern Ireland.

Filmed over the course of three years, the five-part series aims to shine a light on the challenges affecting the British Isles and celebrate nature that exists on our doorsteps.

Broadcaster and naturalist Sir David, 96, helps explain why Britain and Ireland are critical for the survival of species across the globe.

The first episode features new behaviour from killer whales hunting seals, golden eagles scavenging in mountains, puffins chased by greedy gulls and sinister plants holding unsuspecting insects’ hostage.

Capturing the first ever complete sequence of hunting white-tailed eagles, formerly extinct in the British Isles, took more than 70 days and saw wildlife cameraman and 2022 Strictly Come Dancing champion Hamza Yassin on the job.

The introductory episode will also highlight Britain and Ireland's diverse geology from the chalk formations of southern England to the limestone pavements of Yorkshire, as well as the volcanic basalt of the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland.

The Wild Isles crew filmed in 145 locations and 96 species which took 1,631 days to film.

Despite Britain and Ireland's rich and varied habitats, Sir David will highlight that it is among the most-depleted in the world and asks how we can restore our wild isles for future generations.

Series producer and bafta award-winning filmmaker Hilary Jeffkins said: "I hope that after watching this series our audience will be wowed by the wildlife and spectacular places in Britain and Ireland but also that they get a strong sense of how fragmented and fragile they are.

"I want the audience to come away with a sense of pride and hope for the future too. I think that people will be surprised by the wildlife on their own doorsteps and amazed by the behaviour.”

Series producer Alastair Fothergill said: "Ever since I worked on the original Blue Planet, Planet Earth and Frozen Planet series, I have always wanted to cover the British Isles and our natural history with a similarly ambitious and epic approach.”

When will The Wild Isles start?

Episode one of The Wild Isles will air on BBC One and iPlayer on Sunday 12th March 7pm.

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