Following in the footsteps of Planet Earth and Life, this epic
eight-part blockbuster is a breathtaking celebration of the
amazing, complex, profound and sometimes challenging relationship
between humankind and nature. Humans are the ultimate animals –
the most successful species on the planet. From the frozen Arctic
to steamy rainforests, from tiny islands in vast oceans to
parched deserts, people have found remarkable ways to adapt and
survive in the harshest environments imaginable. We’ve done this
by harnessing our immense courage and ingenuity; learning to live
with and utilise the other creatures that share these wild
places. Human Planet weaves together eighty inspiring stories,
many never told before on television, set to a globally
influenced soundtrack by award-winning composer Nitin Sawhney.
Each episode focuses on a particular habitat and reveals how its
people have created astonishing solutions in the face of extreme
adversity. Finally we visit the urban jungle, where most of us
now live, and discover why the connection between humanity and
nature in our cities is the most vital of all.
Human Planet is brought to you by BBC Earth, creator of 50 years
of outstanding natural history content.
Oceans
As an air-breathing animal, the human is not built to survive in
water. But people have found ways to live an almost aquatic life
so they can exploit the sea's riches. From a 'shark-whisperer' in
the Pacific to Brazilian fishermen collaborating with dolphins to
catch mullet, this journey into the blue reveals astonishing
tales of ingenuity and bravery. Daredevil Galician
barnacle-collectors defy death on the rocks for a catch worth 200
pounds per kilo. In Indonesia an epic whale-hunt, using
traditional hand-made boats and harpoons, brings in a sperm
whale. The Bajau 'sea gypsies' of the Sulu Sea spend so much time
on water they get 'land ' when they set foot on the land! We
dive 40 metres down to the dangerous world of the Pa-aling
fishermen, where dozens of young men, breathing air through a
tangled web of pipes attached to a diesel engine, capture
thousands of fish in a vast net. We see how surfing has its
origins in the ancient beliefs of the ocean-loving Polynesians,
and we join a Borneo free-diving spear-fisherman on a
breath-taking journey 20 metres down in search of supper
Deserts
Baked, barren, deadly – human life in the desert is ruled by the
relentless quest for the most vital resource of all: water. Tubu
women and children navigate the endless shifting dunes of the
central Sahara trading dates. Their lives are dependent on them
finding water from a single solitary oasis. Wodaabe men adorn
themselves with exquisite make-up for the intoxicating courtship
dance that will ensure their people’s future. Witness the
spectacular fifteen-minute frenzy as thousands of men fish by
hand in a desert lake. The arrival of the rains in Mali brings
jubilation, but danger is never far away…
Deserts
Sixty degrees below zero. The harshest environment on Earth. Yet
four million people manage to survive ithe Arctic. This film
follows a year in the human freezer – from the dark days of
winter, when fishermen catch sharks through holes in the ice to
feed their dog-sled teams, to the hazardous ventures of
mussel-gatherers under the sea ice, escaping the incoming spring
tide with seconds to spare, through to autumn and the most
dangerous night for some children: Halloween. Can the ‘polar bear
patrol’ in Churchill, Manitoba protect intrepid little
trick-or-treaters from hungry predators?
Jungles
Rainforests teem with more species than anywhere else on the
planet, but for bipedal human apes they make an unforgiving home.
To survive in the jungle demands an and complex
understanding of nature’s many secrets. In the the Matis tribe
spike their darts with natural poison, shooting them through
blowpipes with pinpoint accuracy. Thirty metres up in the canopy,
balancing on a single branch, a Bayaka her collects honey
surrounded by angry, stinging African ‘killer’ bees, while in
West Papua people build incredible homes in the rainforest
canopy.
ains
From lush cloud forests at lower altitudes to bare summits that
literally take your breath away, the higher you climb, the harder
life becomes when you make your home on a ain. Mongolia’s
vast open plateaus make ambushing prey impossible, so hunters
have forged an astonishing partnership with golden eagles, while
on the precipitous cliff tops in Ethiopia, families are locked in
a dramatic fight to protect their meagre harvest from fearsome
crop-raiding baboons. In a never-before filmed ceremony,
Buddhists in Nepal offer their dead up to the vultures in the
ultimate reverence of nature.
Grasslands
Grasslands are the habitat that feed the world. Over thousands
of years, we have learned to dominate and domesticate other
creatures, as well as the grass itself, propelling our population
to almost seven billion. But life in our Garden of Eden is not
always easy. Men steal fresh kill from the jaws of lions in
Kenya, Suri tribes stick-fight to prove they can take care of
prized cattle and Mongolian horsemen lasso wild mares just to
collect a pint of milk. In the perfect partnership, Maasai
children literally talk to tiny birds to find hidden honeycombs,
sharing the sweet reward.
Rivers
They provide the essentials for human life: fresh water, food
and even natural highways, but rivers are also often capricious
and unpredictable, treacherous and demanding. A fisherman
balances on a home-made high wire strung above the raging Mekong
River rapids on an extraordinary commute to work. When the
drought hits northern Kenya the rivers dry out, yet by working
together, wild elephants and the Samburu are able to find water
to drink. High in the Himalayas, a her and his two children
make the most epic and dangerous school run on Earth, a
heart-thumping 100 kilometre trek upon a semi-frozen river.
Cities
Cities are our greatest success story, made by humans for
humans. Over half the world’s population now lives in urban
environments. They may have been built to keep wild nature out,
but nature cannot be pushed away – from bed bugs sucking our
blood at night, to gangs of monkey muggers and rampant elks
rutting in downtown USA. In fact, cities are actually the places
where we demand and need most from nature, making our ability to
look after it more vital than ever.
