Blue Planet III finally arrived on Sunday night, giving viewers an intimate and often heartbreaking glimpse into life beneath the waves.
The celebrated natural-history series returns for the first time since 2017, with David Attenborough once again providing the narration after marking his 100th birthday earlier this year.
Following four years of filming, the opening episode explored tropical seas and centred on a humpback whale that died tragically after travelling across the globe in search of more suitable waters.
As the whale passed through the ocean, fish gathered around it. By the next morning, its body had been completely consumed.
The programme also highlighted the continuing effects of climate change on marine life, revealing how rising temperatures can cause coral reefs to become toxic.
Fans took to X to describe the episode as an emotional beginning, while many others celebrated the show’s ‘beautiful and mesmerising’ return.
Blue Planet III made its much-anticipated debut on Sunday night, leaving viewers in tears with its unflinching portrayal of life beneath the sea
The acclaimed series is the first instalment since 2017 and is narrated once again by David Attenborough, who celebrated his 100th birthday earlier this year (pictured during the second series)
The Daily Mail’s TV critic Christopher Stevens also hailed the opening as ‘extraordinary’. You can read his five-star review here.
They wrote: ‘Oh FGS it’s WAY too early in the series for a Humpback to be dying! You could have broken us in gently at least!
‘The camera work, lighting and David Attenborough’s voice create the most beautiful television. How anyone can watch this and not think we must do everything possible and more to preserve our planet; That poor whale;’
‘Oh no I’m too hungover to deal with dying whales;’
‘This man is incredible;’
‘Absolutely mesmerising television. Welcome back… Sunday evening sorted.’
Sir David has presented natural-history programmes for the BBC and other broadcasters since 1954, regularly travelling to remote locations to document some of the natural world’s most remarkable and unusual moments.
The original Blue Planet series premiered in 2001, with its second instalment following 16 years later in 2017.
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Earlier this year, the presenter looked back on his remarkable career in a one-off Netflix special released to mark his 100th birthday.
Filmed over four years, the opening episode focused on tropical seas and followed a humpback whale that died after crossing the world in search of better waters
Fish gathered around the passing whale, whose entire body had been eaten by the following morning
Viewers described the return on X as an emotional experience, while others praised the show’s ‘beautiful and mesmerising’ comeback
In 1978, the broadcaster travelled to Rwanda for a segment filmed for his show Life On Earth, where he was seen meeting a group of gorillas, including an up-close encounter with baby gorilla, Pablo.
Reading from the diary, David recalled the details of the moment he came face to face with Pablo.
He admitted that the encounter was never ‘supposed to happen’ as they had originally travelled to Rwanda to film a small segment on opposable thumbs, before it was revealed they could meet with the gorillas.
David read: ‘We start the one-and-a-half-hour walk up the mountain. Slowly the nondescript bush transforms into the high altitude rainforest.
‘Long-branched trees loaded with cushions of epiphytes. Green ribbon-leaved ferns with wispy pallid Spanish moss everywhere.
‘We found a group of females and juveniles in a small clearing and to my astonishment, they allowed me to approach.’
Recalling the moment he met the gorillas, David continued: ‘I had to pause and exchange a deep-throated grunt. The reassurance noise meaning, “I’m here”.’
‘What I don’t say there is that this wasn’t supposed to be a film of meeting gorillas directly.
‘The function of the sequence was the importance of the thumb and forefinger, the opposable thumb and forefinger. We didn’t think we were going to be in touch with them.
‘I turned to look back at the camera, I felt a weight on my feet and I looked down, and there was little Pablo. I couldn’t talk about the evolution of the thumb and forefinger, I just sit back and let it happen.
‘Look at this lovely little creature. Absolutely engaging, you want to hug him. Just sheer bliss, really. Many people would think it was the most important sequence in that series, if not in my filmed life.’
‘I will never forget him or the impact he had on me,’ David concluded of Pablo