David Attenborough on scene in Planet Earth that made him hold his breath
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Sir David Attenborough has previewed some breathtaking moments in Planet Earth III.
The documentarian is presenting eight new episodes of the nature series, taking viewers from the familiar British countryside to some of the most remote spots on the globe.
Speaking to the press ahead of Planet Earth's return, Sir David described one scene in particular that has stuck with him since filming ended.
"Well, I think, without any question, the thing that made me hold my breath was a leopard up in a tree," he explained. "Suddenly, an antelope appears down below, and the leopard jumps on it from 50 to 60 feet up.
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"I mean, that is the most extraordinary shot. I never thought a leopard would do that sort of thing. But it's also our relationship with the people on the ground who tell us these things.
"They do so because I think they believe perfectly truthfully, that we care for scientific accuracy and as long as that is the criterion, they will collaborate with us in the most generous way. And we couldn't do a lot of the stuff that we get without their help."
The filmmaker also offered praise for the BBC for recognising the urgency behind climate change action.
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"When I started back in the 1950s, I said things, I hope with some degree of passion and comprehension about changes to the planet but the audience thought it was a kind of oddball thing to say," he called. "They said, ‘okay so the temperatures are changing’, or ‘okay we're losing some parts of the wilderness, but it’s not really important’.
"Except for the people who had some real understanding of the ecological situation. It's become hugely more desperate but hugely better known, happily, than it was 50 years ago and I think the BBC can claim some sort of credit for that. I mean, because it is the one organisation that has recognised that it's an important issue but also, it's an issue which people are interested in, and which the constituents of it are in themselves full of drama and excitement and worth watching.
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"And the BBC has been faithful to that tradition. And to see that in our output, that no other broadcasting organisation that I know of has. So the BBC people sometimes say, ‘you had foresight in saying what you said’, but I was allowed to say by the BBC, and that was something which I think we can be pleased about."
Planet Earth III will premiere on Sunday (October 22) at 6.15pm on BBC One.
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