TVREAL
ITV has commissioned the six-part series Extreme Planet Earth from Plimsoll Productions (A Year on Planet Earth, A Real Bug’s Life).
Three years in the making, the series underscores the high-stakes battle for wildlife survival in a time of extreme weather, wildfires and environmental upheaval. Each episode reveals footage of wildlife that has been pushed beyond the brink, from elephants in Borneo navigating treacherous floodwaters to wombats in Australia with fires raging around them to Caribbean flamingos in Mexico facing the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record.
The animals show grit in the face of these events, but grit can only take them so far. Conservationists and scientists are hard at work in the planet’s harshest conditions, trying to intervene to protect species with groundbreaking initiatives.
Extreme Planet Earth is co-produced with the ARD Group in Germany in association with ITV Studios, which will also be distributing the series internationally.
“Wherever you live on the planet, you can relate to extreme weather,” said Mark Brownlow, creative director of natural history at Plimsoll Productions. “From the devastating fires in Los Angeles to floods across Europe, extreme weather is constantly breaking news and affecting us all. In Extreme Planet Earth, we are going to unveil how our favorite wildlife faces these challenges with sheer courage, resilience and determination. Their remarkable endurance is truly inspiring.”
Jo Clinton-Davis, controller of factual at ITV, added, “This series is unique in charting the impact of wild weather on wildlife—and Plimsoll deploying a combination of outstanding visuals, gripping storytelling and anthropomorphic approach will bring to life the drama of the animal kingdom grappling with an issue that affects all of us.”
