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FROZEN PLANET 2
SUNDAY, BBC2
There is something very special and incredibly spiritual about people who reach a very old age. Going through the years that many of us never reach, they become possessed with a wisdom that is beyond the experience of most people.
The Queen was such a person; Sir David Attenborough is another. And as a friend’s young daughter pointed out when the sad news broke of Her Majesty’s passing, he is now on his own.
Last man standing of an extraordinary generation – and indeed someone very dear.
Sarah Vine reviews this week’s TV and gives a five-star review to Sir David Attenborough’s documentary Frozen Planet 2
The sequel to the original documentary series, first screened in 2011, when Sir David was only 85 years old, is truly breathtaking television, something the BBC, for all its sins, still does better than anyone else.
Sir David is of course the key. He may not be in the field anymore, but his passion for the planet and its wildlife remains undiminished, just as alive as it was all those years ago when he first frolicked in forests with mountain gorillas.
He is also one of the few people who can talk about climate change in a way that doesn’t scare people off. He’s not hysterical or preachy, and while you can tell he’s very concerned about it, he resists political mud-slinging like so many of his younger colleagues.
He’s just a class act, one of the few remaining real assets the BBC has.
Sarah Vine (pictured) says there is something very special and incredibly spiritual about people who reach a very old age. She says like the Queen, Sir David is another and is the last man of an extraordinary generation
The first Frozen Planet series explored life in the Arctic and Antarctic; this has a broader scope and extends to all frozen places on Earth, including the boreal forests of Russia and China, the Gobi Desert, and the giant steppes of Central Asia, which are home to the world’s grumpiest cat.
Technology has advanced tremendously since the first series, something that is abundantly clear in the truly breathtaking scale and scope of the cinematography.
I was mesmerized by the images of the Earth itself, the incredible images of melting ice, the images of shivering baby penguins and a hungry Siberian tiger – a species that has been reduced to a population of about 500 in the wild – stalking prey. He’s so hungry he could eat a bear – and he’s trying.
A 14-member family of killer whales, led by a matriarch believed to be over 100 years old, stalk their prey with relentless precision, demonstrating their total mastery of the sea.
An inflatable nose seal sprays his stuff and inflates his trunk, much to the indifference of his intentions. It’s just straight forward, uncomplicated, breathtakingly brilliant.
Sarah says Sir David is neither hysterical nor preachy about climate change, and while you can tell he’s very concerned about it, he opposes political mud-slinging like so many of his younger colleagues
My only criticism is the obligatory behind the scenes account of filming at the end. I have no doubt that the crew’s dedication is second to none (especially considering the infestation of what looked like giant mosquitoes they had to endure).
And of course part of someone wants to know how they managed to get their hands on all these incredible images.
But there’s something about the act of turning the cameras on the cameras that, for me, kind of takes the magic away. And magic, right now, is what we need.
The queen on screen
Documenting her coronation, A Queen Is Crowned was digitally restored in 2012 and is available on Britbox
When Prince Philip died, the BBC was inundated with criticism over the extensive coverage. This made me sad.
After all, the man had given his entire life in the service of the queen. He probably deserved better.
If you feel like re-enacting important events from Her Majesty’s life, there are some wonderful things to stream. Documenting her coronation, A Queen Is Crowned was digitally restored in 2012 and is available on Britbox.
For something a little more contemporary, ITV’s Queen Of The World is available on ITV.com.
It offers a wonderful insight into a year of her life and is accompanied by a book by our very own Robert Hardman. I guarantee you will have no complaints.
A simple pleasure for complicated times
ALL BEINGS BIG AND SMALL
THURSDAY, CHANNEL 5
James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) gets married to the lovely Helen (the even prettier Rachel Shenton, center with Ralph) in All Creatures Great And Small
I must confess that I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this remake of the original series, which ran from 1978 to 1990. I think it’s because it’s not ashamed of what it is, a feel-good slice of sepia-tinged nostalgia, a cross in tone between Call The Midwife and Downton Abbey, with a bit of Last Of The Summer Wine thrown in.
Season three kicks off at the start of World War II. Our hero James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) is getting married to the lovely Helen (the even more beautiful Rachel Shenton).
She’s perfect for him, the kind of girl who looks fabulous in a pinafore dress and a pair of boots, and who can go from watching the pigs in the morning to the aisle in the afternoon, pretty as a picture.
War is imminent, but nothing bad is coming to the Dales. Okay, there’s a recruiting van in town, but it can sell ice cream just as well as lure the sons of local farmers to a muddy death.
Soft comedy is offered in the form of Samuel West as Siegfried Farnon, alongside his trusty sidekick Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley). West inhabits his role with glee, his camp bustle the perfect counterpart to Ralph’s wholesome charm.
Everyone is impeccably dressed, not least the scenery, which gives us his best Hovis. Honestly, even the buses look nice, and I’ve never seen such neat mud.
Dramatically, it’s as smooth as a cup of Horlicks. Admittedly, an injured cow has to be euthanized and one of Siegfried’s patients (a German Shepherd) accidentally swallows the ring, but nothing is too crazy. A simple pleasure for complicated times.