Frozen Planet II

Frozen Planet II is a 2022 British nature documentary series co-produced by the BBC and The Open University as a sequel to Frozen Planet, which was first broadcast in 2011. The series is presented and narrated by Sir David Attenborough with the music composed by Hans Zimmer, Adam Lukas and James Everingham, including a theme featuring the vocals of singer-songwriter Aurora.

It was filmed by the BBC Natural History Unit. The production team, which includes executive producer Mark Brownlow and series producer Elizabeth White, was previously responsible for the award-winning series Blue Planet II (2017).

Whereas the original Frozen Planet series focused on life and the environment in both of the polar regions, this follow-up series broadened the scope to include the entire cryosphere, whilst also placing a greater emphasis on the threats the inhabitants of these regions face as a result of climate change.

Production
The series took four and a half years to produce, and being filmed over ten years after its predecessor, Frozen Planet II took advantage of significant advances in camera, microphone and drone technology; using drones to capture live avalanches and disintegrating glaciers. Each episode, except for the last, concludes with a segment entitled Out in the Cold that highlights how some of the sequences in each episode were made.

British Television
The series saw its British television debut on BBC One, BBC One HD and BBC iPlayer on Sunday 11 September 2022 in the 8pm to 9pm timeslot.

International
Frozen Planet II has been licensed worldwide by various broadcasters including BBC America in North America, ZDF in Germany, France Télévisions in France, Migu Video in China, NHK in Japan, Friday! in Russia, Mediaset in Italy, KBS in South Korea, and the Nine Network in Australia.

On Sunday 18 September 2022 the series saw its network debut on BBC Earth Asia covering the nations of Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Episodes
"'Looking down on our planet it may come as a surprise to find just how much of it is blanketed in snow and ice. These vast frozen wildernesses cover more than a fifth of the Earth, yet some areas are so remote and inhospitable that, even today, the closest we've come to exploring them is from space... But just as we're beginning to understand its wildlife we're recognising an alarming truth – our frozen wildernesses are disappearing, at faster rates than ever before. Never has it been more important to understand what is going on in these icy territories.'"

"'Recently at COP26, 120 nations came together in an effort to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Well, a 1.5 degree rise will still bring significant changes with it. To stand any chance of saving what remains of our frozen planet and saving ourselves from the devastating consequences of its loss, we must stick to this commitment and honour it no matter how challenging it might be... We can do it. It's within our power to do it. We can do it. We must do it. Then there will be a future for the planet.'"

Critical reception
Reviewers at The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and The Times all awarded the opening episode a maximum five stars, with Lucy Mangan of the former stating "You cannot stay unengaged, you cannot remain unmoved by the sight of nature in all her glory". The opening episode was also given five stars by Rachel Sigee at the I stating "Ending exactly as it should – with a call to arms – its scale and finesse must not be taken for granted, and its message must be heard". In contrast Nick Hilton at her sister paper The Independent awarded the opening episode just 3 stars opining that "this feels more like a greatest hits compilation than a documentary that has something new, and pressing, to say".

Books
Frozen Planet II accompanies the TV series and was released in hardcover format on 11 September 2022 to coincide with the series debut in the UK. It is written by the series producers Mark Brownlow and Elizabeth White. The UK version is published by BBC Books.

A 64-page children's book to accompany the series, also called Frozen Planet II, will be released in hardcover format on 6 October 2022. Written by Leisa Stewart-Sharpe, it is illustrated by Kim Smith, with a foreword by Chris Packham. The UK version is published by BBC Books.

Open University poster
A Frozen Planet II poster was produced in collaboration with and distributed for free by The Open University.

Take Me Back Home
On 22 August 2022, the BBC announced that the Cuban-born American singer and songwriter Camila Cabello had collaborated with composer Hans Zimmer to write and record a new song entitled Take Me Back Home. The accompanying press release highlighted that it marked the first time a completely new song had been written to support a BBC One natural history landmark release (previously Radiohead had rerecorded "Bloom" for Blue Planet II and Sia being credited as co-writer for the original song "Out there" which was used on the series Seven Worlds, One Planet).

In a press release, Camila Cabello said: "...Frozen Planet II is stunning and Sir David’s narration is deeply powerful as we try to protect these incredible ecosystems from global warming. I’m grateful to be able to lend my voice to such an inspiring series."

The song was used as the soundtrack for a Frozen Planet II extended trailer released by the BBC to promote the series and saw its debut on 26 August 2022.

Soundtrack
The musical score and songs featured in the series are composed by Hans Zimmer, Adam Lukas and James Everingham for Bleeding Fingers Music. Additionally Anže Rozman (score arranger) is credited alongside Zimmer for the opening titles. Russell Emanuel serves as score producer alongside Greg Rappaport and Marsha Bowe as score supervisors. Hans Zimmer returned to score the series having previously worked with the BBC Natural History Unit on both Seven Worlds, One Planet and Blue Planet II. On 27 August 2022, as part of the pre-launch publicity, it was revealed that vocals by Norwegian singer-songwriter Aurora would feature as part of the incidental music used during the series.