Unlike previous features, this series focuses on a collection of creatures seemingly unrelated to each other, as opposed to those of one continent or particular species. The premise of this is to highlight particular struggles that certain animals face in growing up and growing old - the highlights of their Life Story, if you will.
This has created a subtle change in how the shows are delivered. Whilst David Attenborough usually tries to humanise nature in his documentaries, this time he’s put a much greater emphasis on it – focusing more on a story telling narrative so that the segments become more an almost dramatisation of nature as opposed to merely documenting it.
The motivation for this, my housemates and I believe, is to put greater force on the viewer to relate to and understand the importance of nature in the ever-worsening environmental world we currently live in. Whilst this is a very serious and somber point, it has also led to some just fantastic television.
In between highlighting the similarities between ant politics and Game of Thrones storylines and seeing meerkats team up, power rangers style, to fight off a snake, the series has produced scenes that vary from awe-inspiring, to heart wrenching, to just straight up hilarious.
A recent comedic highlight of mine has been seeing a kangaroo stand up to a camera, moodily staring into the middle distance as if in a Sky Sports ad, before going toe-to-toe with another ‘roo. That however has been no match for the arctic fox. This is an animal that basically plays darts with itself in order to hunt, slamming headfirst into snow so as to catch what’s underneath. Crushingly funny to watch.
The most gut-wrenching scene, without question, has been the family of barnacle geese. Struggling to survive on a cliff top, the family is forced to relocate whilst the babies are still unable to fly. Observing the apparently traditional right of passage for baby barnacle geese, they jump… Tears may have been shed.
Overall, as ever, David Attenborough has produced an incredibly entertaining insight into nature. There’s really nothing on television so varied yet ultimately heartwarming. This is reality TV as it should be, and as only he knows how.
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