Planet Earth Live launched onto our screens on Sunday 6th May at 7.50pm. A time when, as Richard Hammond explains in his report from Africa, even the wildebeest are settling down for bed.
The shows unique selling point of being a live broadcast has been confronted with the commercial need to air at the ideal 7pm-10pm slot on British television, an issue which not only means the extraordinary wildlife are reduced to blurry shapes on thermal imaging cameras, but leave the presenters, well how shall we say it. Not on top form.
I recommend catching up on one of David Attenborough’s original series instead; a man who studied Geology and Zoology at Cambridge and has successfully presented wildlife shows for over 50 years can truly be relied upon for his genuine knowledge of all things animal. By contrast Richard Hammond and Julia Bradbury desperately lack his gentle tones and intricate knowledge.
Don’t get me wrong, I’d happily listen to Hammond’s Top Gear reports, possibly even pay attention to Julia Bradbury’s walking shows (if procrastination got that bad) but when it comes to wildlife it is clear they know little more than I do about the animals the show follows.
By dressing ridiculously, Hammond appears to be trying to settle into his new character but even the darkness can’t conceal his poor acting and thinly veiled boredom as he stalls for time until the next clip is shown (a clip which is pre-recorded and therefore not live, may I add).
He can revert to drawing out mundane details about the animals he has no passion for. Give him a car to play with and leave the animal documentaries to people who know what they’re talking about.
Crossing the globe again and again, mixing between live shots and pre-recordings; the show is as hard to follow as Attenborough’s legacy. Bradbury, walk on. And for the love of God take the idiot in the hat with you, it is wildly unsuited to educating the masses about the science of bear scent.