FROZEN PLANET 2
SUNDAY, BBC2
There is something very special and incredibly spiritual about humans who reach a very great age. In traversing the years that many of us never reach, they become possessed of a wisdom that is beyond most people’s experience.
The Queen was one such individual; Sir David Attenborough is another. And as the young daughter of a friend pointed out when the sad news broke of Her Majesty’s passing, he’s on his own now.
Last man standing of an extraordinary generation – and someone very precious indeed.
Sarah Vine reviews this week’s TV and gives a five-star review to Sir David Attenborough’s Frozen Planet 2 documentary
The follow up to the original documentary series, first shown in 2011 when Sir David was a mere stripling of 85, really is breathtaking television, the sort of thing the BBC, for all its sins, still does better than anyone else.
Sir David is, of course, the key. He may no longer be out there in the field, but his passion for the planet and its wildlife remains undiminished, as alive as it was all those years ago when he first frolicked in forests with mountain gorillas.
He’s also one of the few people who can talk about climate change in a way that doesn’t turn people off. He’s neither hysterical nor preachy, and even though you can tell he’s very worried about it, he resists engaging in political mud-slinging like so many of his younger colleagues.
He’s just a class act, one of the few remaining genuine assets the BBC has.
Sarah Vine (pictured) says that there is something very special and incredibly spiritual about humans who reach a very great age. She says like the Queen, Sir David is another and is the last man standing of an extraordinary generation
The first series of Frozen Planet explored life in the Arctic and Antarctic; this has a broader scope, extending to all the Earth’s frozen places, including the boreal forests of Russia and China, the Gobi desert and the giant steppes of central Asia, which is home to the world’s grumpiest cat.
The technology has moved on massively since the first series, something that is abundantly evident in the truly breathtaking scale and scope of the cinematography.
I was mesmerised by the shots of the Earth itself, by the incredible footage of melting ice, the shots of shivering baby penguins and a hungry Siberian tiger – a species that has been reduced to a population of around 500 in the wild – stalking prey. He’s so hungry he could eat a bear – and tries to.
A 14-strong family of killer whales, led by a matriarch thought to be over 100 years old, stalk their prey with ruthless precision, demonstrating their total mastery of the sea.
An inflatable nosed seal struts his stuff and puffs up his proboscis, much to the indifference of his intended. It’s just straightforwardly, uncomplicatedly, breathtakingly brilliant.
Sarah says that Sir David is neither hysterical nor preachy about climate change, and even though you can tell he’s very worried about it, he resists engaging in 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 dedication of the crew is second-to-none (especially given the plague of what looked like giant mosquitoes they had to endure).
And, of course, part of one wants to know how they managed to get all this incredible footage.
But there is something about the act of turning the cameras on the cameras that, for me, just takes away from the magic a little. And magic, right now, is what we need.
The Queen on screen
A Queen Is Crowned, documenting her Coronation, was digitally restored in 2012 and is available on Britbox
When Prince Philip died, the BBC was inundated with criticism over its extensive coverage. I was saddened by this.
After all, the man had given his entire life in service to the Queen. Surely he deserved better.
If you feel like playing over key events from Her Majesty’s life, there are some wonderful things out there to stream. A Queen Is Crowned, documenting her Coronation, was digitally restored in 2012 and is available on Britbox.
For something more contemporary, ITV’s Queen Of The World is available at ITV.com.
It offers a brilliant insight into a year of her life, and is accompanied by a book by our very own Robert Hardman. I guarantee, you’ll have no complaints.
A simple pleasure for complicated times
ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL
THURSDAY, CHANNEL 5
James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) is getting married to the lovely Helen (the even lovelier Rachel Shenton, centre with Ralph) in All Creatures Great And Small
Rating: 
I must confess I’ve been surprised at how much I’ve 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 feelgood slice of sepia-tinted nostalgia, a cross in tone between Call The Midwife and Downton Abbey, with a smattering of Last Of The Summer Wine thrown in.
Season three opens at the start of the Second World War. Our hero James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) is getting married to the lovely Helen (the even lovelier Rachel Shenton).
She’s perfect for him, the kind of gal who looks fabulous in a pinafore and a pair of wellies, and who can go from seeing to the pigs in the morning to walking down the aisle in the afternoon, pretty as a picture.
The war is threatening, but nothing really bad enters the Dales. OK, there’s a recruiting van in town, but it might as well be selling ice creams as luring the sons of local farmers to a muddy death.
Gentle comedy is provided in the shape of Samuel West as Siegfried Farnon, alongside his faithful sidekick Mrs Hall (Anna Madeley). West inhabits his part with glee, his camp fussiness the perfect foil to Ralph’s wholesome charm.
Everyone is impeccably turned out, not least the landscape, which gives us its best Hovis. Honestly, even the buses look nice, and I’ve never seen such neat mud.
Dramatically, it’s as gentle as a cup of Horlicks. True, an injured cow has to be put down, and one of Siegfried’s patients (a German Shepherd) accidentally swallows the ring, but nothing too untoward. A simple pleasure for complicated times.
***
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