Blue Planet 2: How to watch, what time, channel - everything you need to know about David Attenborough's BBC series

The major questions about the series answered

Considering how excellent last year’s Planet Earth II was, David Attenborough fans are exceedingly excited for Blue Planet II.

The BBC has already released a prequel, featuring clips from the upcoming episodes and an amazing reworking of a Radiohead song by Hans Zimmer.

With the series about to start, here’s everything you need to know about Blue Planet II, including when and where to watch and what to expect from the first episode.

When does Blue Planet II start? And what channel?

The upcoming series, once again narrated by national treasure David Attenborough, begins Sunday, 29 October, at 8pm on BBC One. After airing, the episode will be available on iPlayer.

How many episodes will there be?

There will be seven episodes in total. Their titles are, in broadcast order: ”One Ocean”, "The Deep”, "Coral Reefs”, "Big Blue”, "Green Seas”, “Coasts”, and "Our Blue Planet”.

What can we expect from the first episode?

“One Ocean” will feature the bird-catching giant trevally fish, bottlenose dolphins, orange dotted tuskfish, and walrus in the Arctic, among other wildlife.

Who composed the music?

Hans Zimmer has returned to soundtrack the entire series. Despite the producers wanting to keep things feeling fresh for the new series — and Zimmer having created the music for Planet Earth II — the composer managed to win over the BBC with an impassioned pitch.

Will there be a sequence like the snakes and iguanas from Planet Earth II?

Absolutely. According to the BBC, one sequence featuring the aforementioned giant trevally fish features as much drama as the acclaimed sequence from Planet Earth. You’ll never want to swim again.

Seriously?

Well, you’ll never want to swim in that specific location off the coast of New Zealand again. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the producers have teased “real-life Pixar stories” that will be shown throughout the series, hopefully diminishing your fears of the ocean.

How did they film all these amazing animals?

The Blue Planet team spent four years organising 125 expeditions in 39 countries, filming across every ocean and over 6,000 hours underwater to bring us some spectacular footage. As well as working hard on the shoot, the team had three weddings, four houses were bought, five babies were had, and two more are on the way.

Is there a classically grandiose opening from Attenborough?

Of course, including the line: ”Hidden beneath the waves, there are creatures beyond our imagination.”