Very interesting! Stephen Fry will go head-to-head with Sir David Attenborough as he signs a deal with ITV to present blockbuster nature documentaries that match “the scope and ambition” of BBC series Planet Earth
Stephen Fry will go head-to-head with TV legend Sir David Attenborough after signing a deal with ITV to present blockbuster nature documentaries.
The actor and comedian will narrate A Year On Planet Earth, which aims to match the scope and ambition of the BBC’s acclaimed Planet Earth series, starring Sir David.
Fry’s show, part of a planned series of natural stories to be launched later this year as ITV’s first foray into the nature genre, will see him travel to Iceland first.
Stephen Fry will narrate A Year On Planet Earth for ITV’s first foray into the nature genre
When asked if he wanted to challenge 96-year-old Sir David’s National Treasure status, the host of the QI quiz show said (quite interesting): “Please don’t say that! Still, I do something like this and it’s very exciting. ITV has not inhabited the natural history room for many decades. They just don’t do it, and why would they when the BBC has mastered it?
“It’s extraordinary what the [BBC’s] The Natural History Department at Bristol, as we know, has done this through the incredible genius of David Attenborough and his knowledge, authority and everything else.’
He added: “I think it’s a mix of a new feeling at ITV and a feeling about the climate crisis.
‘[The show] begins in Iceland, and when you stand on all that ice, it’s easy to forget that we travel around the sun at 450,000 miles per hour, and everything we are and every living thing on the planet is the result of our orbit. We are inclined, which takes into account the seasons and water cycles and everything that activates life.’
The 64-year-old, who previously worked for ITV but has spent much of his career at the BBC, expressed concerns last month that the company may no longer need his services. Speaking to the British Film Institute and the Radio Times Television Festival, he said: “I’m not as old as the BBC, but I’m getting there. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was shown a red card.”