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5 reasons why Planet Earth II is the best thing on TV right now

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2016 may have given us plenty to roll our eyes and even despair at but when it comes to television shows we’ve been rather spoiled. Pushing Game of Thrones, Black Mirror, and Westworld to one side, one programme has stood head ans shoulders above the rest.

BBC’s Planet Earth II, the follow-up series to the groundbreaking first a decade ago, finally emerged and, well, it’s the show I genuinely look forward to each week. But why’s it so goddamn great? Well, allow me to explain…

1. The one and only Sir David Attenborough

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Don’t even try and deny that Sir Dave is a bit of an icon; a legend of the presenting and wildlife world. And when I say a bit, I obviously mean a lot. At the ripe age of 90 the man is still going strong, with a soothing, instantly familiar voice that’s synonymous with documentary film-making. Did I mention he’s also hugely likeable? Not to dampen the mood but I cannot imagine a BBC wildlife doc without him.

2. It’s a visual feast like no other

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Yes, every moment of every episode looks absolutely gorgeous in high definition - you’re watching it in HD, right? Silly question, of course you are. As you’ll see, every second is beautifully framed and captured with such finesse that the ‘how the hell did they film that?’ question will replay in your mind. Every snowflake, every speck of dirt, every grain of sand is highlighted with its amazing slow motion; making even the most mundane thing on earth, like a simple droplet of water, seem like one of the great wonders of the world.

3. Subject access is second to none

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One of the main, most breathtaking aspects of the series is just how close to the action the cameras get. In short: the footage captured is incredible. Understandably it’s taken the team years and years of painstaking work and unbelievable patience. Example: cameramen literally waited all night in a secluded bird-watching shelter hoping for a brief glimpse of a rare eagle. But getting actual physical access to some of these humanly inhospitable places is incredibly difficult. I mean, how the heck do you get to film an iceberg island inhabited by penguins for days on end? Thankfully we get a lovely glimpse into the filming processes at the end of each episode, which really is a nice touch!

4. The internet goes bonkers for it

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Whether it’s a sloth casually swimming across a river or a beetle storing water amounting to 40% of its body weight, Twitter goes mad. And without detracting too much from the episode that may be airing, seeing memes, tweets, jokes, and general conversation happening during and afterwards is quite something. Let’s not forget the BBC have a host of tasty clips and images ready to share as they happen, which adds to the experience of watching it with your online community. Staying in on a Sunday night for Planet Earth II is the new going out… not that you’d be going anywhere on a cold winter’s night, obvs but you get the point.

5. We actually learn loads of stuff along with way

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We get taught a heap of things so don’t ever think watching cute or creepy creatures is simply about observing on a basic level: it’s not just charmingly camouflaged frogs or daredevil lizards, FYI. We learn a ton of brand new and genuinely fascinating information, and seeing events unfold in front of your eyes is just marvellous. The insight packed into each episode that’s beautifully narrated by Attenborough is, and I’m sure I speak for a majority of viewers, just the best.

Planet Earth II is on BBC One, every Sunday at 8pm.

What do you think about Planet Earth II? Is it the greatest programme of the year, or even the decade? Leave your thoughts in the comments…

Mike P Williams is a freelance TV, film, music and entertainment writer, with an unhealthy obsession for Game of Thrones. Over the years he’s written for MTV, GamesRadar+, Total Film, BuzzFeed, GoThinkBig, HexJam, Loaded, and regularly scribbles for Yahoo Movies and BBC Radio 1.