Blue Planet III

Blue Planet III
Genre	Nature documentary
Directed by	Jo Haley Yolly Bosiger Natasha Fellows Eva Spielvogel Sarah Conner Rosie Gloyns
Narrated by	David Attenborough
Theme music composer	Hans Zimmer and Thom Lukas
Composers	Hans Zimmer Thom Lukas Laurentia Editha
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producer	Elizabeth White
Producers	Lara Bickerton James Brickell
Running time	60 minutes
Production company	BBC Studios Natural History Unit
Original release
Network	BBC One
Release	1 November 2026 (2026-11-01) – present
Related
The Blue Planet Blue Planet II Blue Planet (franchise) Planet Earth (franchise)

Blue Planet III is a forthcoming British nature documentary series co-produced by the BBC Natural History Unit, ZDF, France Télévisions, and Skai TV in partnership with The Open University. It is due for transmission on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and BBC America from 1 November 2026.

Blue Planet III is the third series to carry the Blue Planet name. The first, 2001's The Blue Planet, won multiple Emmy and BAFTA TV awards for its music and cinematography, while the second, 2017's Blue Planet II, was the most watched programme that year. Both explored the world's oceans, showing marine ecosystems and wildlife, with Blue Planet III scheduled to show the same.

The series was commissioned and first announced by the BBC in 2022. By February 2026, the series had been preordered by broadcasters in Australia (Nine), Brazil (Globo), Canada (Blue Ant Media, Radio-Canada), China (Shanghai Media Group's Dragon TV), Denmark (DR), New Zealand (TVNZ), and Spain (MovistarPlus+). That March, it was announced that BBC Studios would team up with Dorling Kindersley to release a tie-in book, the firms' third following 2025's Walking With Dinosaurs and the then-forthcoming Lego Duplo Bluey Flat Pack. In May 2026, it was confirmed that David Attenborough would return as narrator and a short video was released of him recording his voiceover. The announcement coincided with Attenborough's 100th birthday.

Blue Planet III will have six hour-long episodes, with filming taking four years. The first five episodes will each focus on a different underwater habitat, and are titled "Tropical Seas", "Open Ocean", "Seasonal Seas", "Polar Waters" and "The Deep". The final episode, "Future Seas", will explore themes of marine conservation.

Filming

Principal photography began in September 2022, one month after it was officially announced , and ended in June 2026. Research was underway in late 2023. Filming occurred in the Falkland Islands and United States in 2024 and 2025. Filming also took place in Egypt’s Red Sea in August 2025. Photographer Dan Beecham confirmed his involvement between 2024 and 2026.

References