The irresistible call of nature. Planet Earth II beats talent shows

Nel Regno Unito la serie di documentari condotta da David Attenborough sta riscuotendo un successo maggiore dei talent show tra i più giovani.

Nature documentaries are evermore watched and appreciated by the youths, rather than by a few enthusiasts or older people exclusively. And so is Planet Earth II, a series of documentaries centred on wildlife produced by BBC and presented by Sir David Attenborough, one of the world’s icons for the dissemination of scientific knowledge and pioneer of documentaries.

Better than The X Factor

In the United Kingdom, young people (aged between 16 and 34) favour listening to the passionate narrating voice of Attenborough telling the lives of fascinating creatures to talent shows like The X Factor. This is what ITV’s data have shown, while registering a record of viewers during the second week of Planet Earth II: 1.8 million youths have watched it, while 1.4 million have opted for The X Factor.

The reasons behind its success

Along with the undeniable charm of 91-year-old David Attenborough, the series’ popularity is linked to the quality of images, nature sounds and soundtracks composed by Hans Zimmer. It is the first documentary that used a full UHD+HD resolution: “That pleases me enormously. The incredible popularity of the series is the result of other factors as well. The proximity to the animals brought about by the latest technology gives us a new and engrossing perspective on the struggles many of them endure to survive,” Attenborough said. Also, the series features some of the rarest and least known animals, including snow leopard populating Himalaya.

Sir David Attenborough
The Planet Earth II series has been launced 10 years after Planet Earth I and thanks to the advances in technology it allows observing wildlife as never before © Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Reconnecting with the Earth

David Attenborough has also talked about the series’ success in a more philosophical way, acknowledging that “the programme’s viewers are reconnecting with a planet whose beauty is blemished, whose health is failing, because they understand that our own wellbeing is inextricably linked to that of the planet”. Whatever the reasons behind the programme’s success are, the positive sign is that the youths prefer observing and learning about wildlife rather than watching wannabe singers in an artificial environment. Because to save the Planet and its dwellers, we need to respect them. And respect comes from knowledge.

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