The Blue Planet: A Natural History of the Oceans

Although 70 per cent of our planet is covered by water, the oceans and many of their inhabitants - such as the blue whale - remain an unexplored mystery. This programme travels to the very depths of the seas to reveal a spectacular variety of life - from alien monsters of the deep to pack-hunting killer whales.

David Attenborough takes us on a voyage into the unknown with a look at the strange, otherworldly creatures that live in the very depths of the ocean, many of which are new to science. Terrifying fish with massive teeth that eat prey twice their size, weird flashing jellyfish, and deep sea sharks all inhabit submerged mountain ranges and volcanoes far larger than anything on land.

In the immense space of the open ocean the sea bed is a staggering five miles below the surface and the nearest island is over 300 miles away. Yet here live many of the most spectacular predators in the ocean. Marvel as you experience ruthless and beautiful battles between hunter and prey.

An environment where only the toughest survive, the Arctic and Antarctic are unrelenting habitats. Only in spring does life begin again. Plankton blooms and feeds fast hordes of migrating fish, walruses rake the seabed for clams, and minke and humpback whales gorge themselves on gigantic swarms of krill. But it is a brief spring feast - the ice soon returns and pushes life back into the ocean.

As the days grow longer, billions of microscopic plankton bloom under the blazing sun. Here in the temperate seas, three-ton basking sharks graze among forests of giant kelp - the fastest growing plant in the world. The forests harbor thousands of other animals, including sea otters, brilliantly colored anemones, squid, and exquisite leafy dragons. But as the year wears on, storms rage in the icy sea... a desperate challenge for the animals that remain.

The fragile ecosystems that have grown around the worlds coral reefs. The reefs take hundreds of years to develop and are adorned with spectacularly colourful life. However, this is not always an idyllic tropical paradise: one big storm can threaten the entire community.