Blue Planet II

I watched the first installment of Blue Planet II with high hopes last night and it was everything I had hoped for. Once again, the BBC/David Attenborough-led team of international wildlife photographers has come up with a sensational piece of television documentary-making - updating and enriching the theme of the original Blue Planet series 10 years ago. You might think you could not be any more entranced by pods of dolphins swimming, until you see the spectacular footage of them surfing for pleasure in huge waves. And to then see a large pod of dolphins rendezvous with another species in a way never seen before, shows us that this is indeed a new way of looking at nature. I will be glued to the rest of the series to see just how much more the latest underwater filming techniques can show us about the seas - but also to hear the salient warning about how badly we are wrecking this Blue Planet of ours. I suggest the BBC make a gift of a boxed set of this series to every national leader on Earth - with a message that says: the future of all this is in YOUR hands.

Anyone who saw the first installment remembers the feeling of awe they had, listening to David telling us of the Deep Blue. Somehow they have outdone this. The mysteries of the ocean are unveiled in this masterpiece of film in which I feel is an unparalleled feat of modern cinematography. Can give it no higher praise, an educational delight and simply unmissable.

The first two episodes seemed to me to be among the best episodes of a TV documentary I had ever seen. Then, yesterday, episodes 3 came along and took things to a whole new level.It was beautiful and informative beyond words. The producers have created something very special which will be viewed with awe and admiration for many years to come. Blue Planet II is easily one of the classiest productions ever made and everyone involved deserves a round of applause. The small glimpses into how this incredible show was created are very welcome but, in all honesty, you could probably have a 7 part series devoted to just that. Brilliant TV.

This series had me reaching for the thesaurus as I simply don't have enough words to encompass its utter brilliance. Time after time I caught myself exclaiming out loud "OMG" or "whooaaah" - inarticulate I know but so overwhelming is the impact the brain cannot cope. The only documentary to ever come close in Planet Earth II from the same source - it's difficult to imagine anything topping this duo, ever.

This time around there is more storytelling to accompany the visual feast, and its a welcome enhancement. The sad and devastating truth is that this may be the last time the ocean looks this way - if we let it degrade our descendants will rightly despise us.

You must see this - there are no excuses.

Much will probably be discussed about the genuinely stunning photography in this series but it cannot be underplayed enough: it is imperious.

Beautiful, beautiful shots of wonderful creatures going about their daily lives, together with informative narration and innovation. All rounded off accompanied by a blockbuster-movie-standard score which soars and settles with the visuals.

This series took around four years to film, and I can only imagine what the poor editors had to leave out.

Worthy of a mention is the astounding super-slow motion on display. In oceans so vast, we can see single droplets! It is a brilliant series for all ages.

The BBC is unsurpassed at this type of documentary. And to think, the BBC costs UK taxpayers about 50 pence per day and some people think it should be cut down/split up/privatised. I really hope this doesn't happen as, yes, the BBC has faults like many broadcasters, but when it does something like this, it really cannot be beaten.

Watch this with your children, or your partner, or on you own. It doesn't matter, just watch it. And experience some awe.