David Attenborough could narrate your neighbor’s recycling bin and make it majestic—here he tackles Earth’s seven continents like it’s a new “Game of Thrones”.
Trailer for “Seven Worlds, One Planet”
You Can’t Make This Sh*t Up
- Walruses in Asia climb vertical cliffs to escape polar bears—some fall to their deaths.
- A puma mother in Patagonia hunts guanacos three times her size to feed her cubs.
- In Africa, brown hyenas trek miles across Namib desert beaches to find seal carcasses, guided only by scent.
- Australian sugar gliders leap 50 feet between branches while dodging fire-scorched terrain.
- Antarctica’s icefish survive in waters colder than freezing thanks to antifreeze proteins in their blood.
Watch “Seven Worlds, One Planet”
You can watch “Seven Worlds, One Planet” on BBC Earth and Discovery+ via Amazon Prime.
Streaming availability also listed at JustWatch.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 95/100
- IMDB Rating: 9.3/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 95/100 (Users), 100/100 (Critics)
Director’s Note: This series was produced by the legendary BBC Natural History Unit, with over 1,500 people contributing across four years. The soundtrack includes music by Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea, and Sia (“Out There”).
Release Date: October 27, 2019 (BBC One premiere)
My Review of “Seven Worlds, One Planet”
The Setup
This isn’t your usual nature doc. Each episode focuses on a single continent—starting with Antarctica and ending in Africa. The series shows how animals are shaped by their surroundings and how rapidly that balance is being destroyed.
More Highlights from the Doc
- Asia’s snow leopards, elusive and rarely caught on film, appear in heartbreaking scenes as one loses her cub.
- In Europe, Attenborough shows how lynxes have returned to forests after a century—thanks to rewilding efforts.
- South America’s Amazon footage includes glass frogs and poison dart frogs mating and protecting eggs in leaf cups.
- North America captures the power of hurricanes shaping coastal migration paths and breeding grounds.
- Each episode ends with a real-world conservation update—highlighting both hope and urgency.
Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- The series used heat-sensitive cameras to track nocturnal behaviors without disturbing animals—especially in Africa.
- In Australia, cameramen had to use drones with noise suppression technology to film fire scenes without distressing koalas.
- The Amazon episode was delayed due to flooding—crews had to camp on floating platforms to film during the wet season.
- Some sea lion sequences in Antarctica were filmed under threat from leopard seals—requiring divers to stay within cages.
- Composer Hans Zimmer’s team created each continent’s musical theme based on regional instruments and field recordings.
Wrap Up
“Seven Worlds, One Planet” shows us the magic and fragility of Earth with unmatched detail. It’s not just a series—it’s a warning wrapped in wonder.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, Daily Doc