Planet Earth II Live in Concert is pleased to announce that Dr. Mike Gunton, Executive Producer of the BAFTA and EMMY® award winning BBC television series Planet Earth II and Creative Director of the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, will be appearing as a special guest on the forthcoming UK & Ireland arena tour to offer insight and stories from behind the scenes.
Mike Gunton has been producing natural history programmes for over thirty years and has worked very closely with Sir David Attenborough on many documentaries, including Planet Earth II. Mike says: “Planet Earth II is particularly special because it did reset how we make wildlife films and it really engaged the audience reaction with wildlife film making. The number of people who watched the series globally was huge and it changed the way people think about the environment and our natural world. Planet Earth II has effectively become the ‘mother ship’ of a whole series of projects that are now being made and we’re delighted because it has rebooted the public connection with the environment and wildlife. I can’t wait to take part in the UK arena tour and share special stories and insights with the audience.”
Following on from the recent success of the 2019 Blue Planet II Live In Concert tour, these not-to-be-missed live concerts feature breathtaking, specially-selected footage shown in 4K ultra high-definition on a gigantic LED screen.
In this spectacular arena event, audiences get to rub shoulders with our acrobatic primate cousins in the steaming jungles of Madagascar, race alongside fearsome hunting lions in the remote sandy deserts of Namibia and feel the raw tension as a baby iguana tries to escape the clutches of deadly racer snakes.
That scene from the original television series became a viral sensation reaching over 150 million views worldwide – https://www.youtube.com/
Remembering that scene, Mike Gunton says, “If you’d written out the storyboard showing that it was about a little lizard in a desolate, arid bit of the Galapagos Islands avoiding predatory snakes then you wouldn’t necessarily think that’s going to be a blockbuster moment! But my goodness me, the intensity and timing of that life and death struggle coupled with our filming technology was incredible. We wouldn’t have been able to tell that story, say, 5 years ago in the same way – it was only by having these tiny micro cameras that you can take off the tripods and track along with the animals to give those super close up pictures which brings the story to life. It really caught peoples imagination, a jump off your sofa moment!!”
With music performed by the City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Matthew Freeman, the remarkable score by Oscar winner Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea & Jasha Klebe makes the show a truly complete audio and visual immersive experience.
Zimmer is renowned for his work on the likes of Gladiator, Interstellar
The Planet Earth II Live in Concert arena tour will be hosted by science and natural history TV presenter Liz Bonnin. With a masters in wild animal biology, Liz has presented over 40 primetime programmes including Blue Planet Live, Super Smart Animals, Galapagos and Horizon.
Looking ahead to the tour Liz said “I am so honoured to have the role of host on the Planet Earth II Live In Concert arena tour. The TV series included some absolutely breathtaking sequences – who can ever forget that billion or so swarm of locusts and the magnificent and rare snow leopard?”
To watch the trailer for Planet Earth II Live in Concert click here.
The dates for Planet Earth II Live in Concert are as follows:
Thu 26th March Cardiff
Fri 27th March Manchester Manchester Arena Tickets
Sat 28th March Leeds First Direct Arena Tickets
Sun 29th March London O2 Arena (MATINEE) Tickets
Sun 29th March London O2 Arena (EVENING) Tickets
Wed 1st April Dublin 3Arena Tickets
Fri 3rd April Birmingham Resort World Arena Tickets
Sat 4th April Glasgow SSE Hydro Arena Tickets
