When Will We See Blue Planet III?

This week, celebrated naturalist Sir David Attenborough is publishing a book, releasing a film, and celebrating his 99th birthday. Busy man. Here’s everything you need to know about Ocean with David Attenborough, landing in cinemas on Thursday. Plus: will there be Blue Planet III?

What To Expect From Ocean With David Attenborough

‘Young children playing on a beach today will live through perhaps the most consequential time for the human species in the past 10,000 years,’ David Attenborough writes in Ocean: Earth’s Last Wilderness, a new book capturing the fragility of our planet’s largest yet least explored environment. The book will be published in celebration of his 99th birthday on Thursday (8 May), with a preview exclusively published in The Times this morning.

‘They will grow up to see how this story ends, to see how our choices play out,’ the broadcaster writes. It’s a rallying cry to protect the natural world the environmentalist has dedicated his life to exploring and showcasing. ‘If we use our great discoveries, apply our unique minds and direct our unparalleled communication and problem-solving skills to restoring our ocean,’ Attenborough writes, ‘then those children will bring their own into a world where the biggest challenges our species has ever faced have already been navigated.’

But Attenborough himself ‘will not see how that story ends,’ he says. But: ‘after a lifetime of exploring our planet, I remain convinced that the more people enjoy and understand the natural world, the greater our hope of saving both it and ourselves becomes.’

The book and Attenborough’s birthday coincide with another new release: Ocean with David Attenborough, premiering in cinemas worldwide from 8 May, and expected to stream on Disney+ later this year.

David Attenborough stands at the coast in Southern England in Ocean With David Attenborough. (© Silverback Films/Open Planet Studios/National Geographic/Keith Scholey)

What Is Ocean With David Attenborough About?

Ocean is a new documentary exploring undersea habitats and revealing this, our greatest age of ocean discovery. In it, viewers can see what are expected to be the broadcaster’s final scenes shot on location – on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset – and can hear more political commentary than Attenborough is typically allowed on his home broadcaster, the impartiality-restricted BBC. Indeed, Ocean was conceived with a view to influencing the UN Ocean Conference, set to be held in France in June.

In the film, Attenborough hits out at the industrial fishing industry, which he calls ‘modern colonialism at sea’. He emphasises the importance of our seas, and the importance of protecting them. But he also showcases moments of hopefulness: how marine life can recover when exploitative forces retreat.

‘When I first saw the sea as a young boy, it was thought of as a vast wilderness to be tamed and mastered for the benefit of humanity,’ Attenborough says in Ocean. ‘Now, as I approach the end of my life, we know the opposite is true. After living for nearly 100 years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.’

Of course, this is all far from the first time the celebrated naturalist has narrated an oceanic documentary and implored his audiences take better care of the world around them. Despite the impartiality problem, the BBC’s landmark Blue Planet II series is often credited with having transformed the UK’s attitude to single-use plastics, as well as countries around the world. Launching in 2017, it was a sequel to The Blue Planet, the world’s very first comprehensive series delving into the natural history of our oceans, airing in September 2001.

Will There Be Blue Planet III?

Yes, the BBC is currently filming scenes for Blue Planet III, but there’s no news just yet on whether David Attenborough will return to narrate the series. ‘Blue Planet III isn’t due to transmit until the end of 2026,’ a BBC source told the i – when Attenborough will have passed his 100th birthday mark. ‘As David no longer travels the globe filming, there is less need to get him on board early in the production stages as his narration is recorded much closer to transmission. As long as David wishes to continue doing narrations, we are of course delighted to have his brilliant contributions.’

While he no longer shoots on location, Attenborough shows no signs of retiring, saying he ‘doesn’t know what that word means’.

Blue Planet III Release Date

Blue Planet III is slated for release at the end of 2026.

Before that, the BBC will air Parenthood, a five-part documentary exploring the extraordinary lengths animals go to to protect their young, from orcas to hippos to orangutans, all narrated by Attenborough. It is slated to air on the BBC in summer 2025.

And before that, the Natural History Museum is launching a new immersive exhibition exploring our planet from its creation up to the struggles of the present day climate crisis, again narrated by Attenborough. Titled Our Story, the exhibition will open on 19 June 2025. Tickets start from £20pp and can be booked at nhm.ac.uk

Where To Watch Blue Planet

The Blue Planet and Blue Planet II are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.