The Discovery Channel announces a raft of new shows 'going back to our roots' with programming showcasing 'what makes our world so special'.

The Discovery Channel (DStv 121) has announced a slate of new programming highlights, saying the channel is "going back to our roots to what our audiences crave - jaw-dropping, never-seen-before images of what makes our world so special".

"We are going back to our roots to what our audiences crave - jaw-dropping, never-seen-before images of what makes our world so special," says Nancy Daniels, chief brand officer for Discovery & factual. "Discovery is at its best when unlocking secrets and potentially rewriting history."

In Wildlife Warriors, Ellen DeGeneres as presenter will shed light on the people who are working to save wildlife. "More than 27 000 species are threatened with extinction. Some are well-known animals, some aren't, but all are important to our ecosystem," says Ellen DeGeneres.

Perfect Planet takes a completely fresh look at life on Planet Earth. Using state of the art satellite imagery, this 5-episode series will showcase how the forces of nature - weather, ocean, currents, volcanoes and sunlight - shape the incredible variety of life on Earth.

In doing so, it will reveal how animals are perfectly adapted to whatever the environment throws at them.

Alastair Fothergill, executive producer of Perfect Planet says "We all know that Planet Earth is a unique place. It is the right size, orbiting the right distance from the right kind of star, it spins at the right speed, it tilts at just the right angle and it has a single, decent sized moon. By sheer luck, it is the only planet right now which has the perfect conditions for life".

Mysterious Planet is an epic journey to the ends of the earth to unlock the greatest mysteries behind the world's most incredible species.

The series, produced by NHNZ productions for Discovery Channel, will take viewers to 5 extraordinary places highlighting the many charismatic creatures in each location.

From the lush forests of Indonesia to the arid Andean deserts, from the Caribbean to the highlands of Ethiopia, each episode embarks on an adventure through time and space to reveal how the beautiful spot came to be and why certain wildlife exist only in these remarkable places on our planet.

Andrew Murray, series producer of Mysterious Planet, says "Solving nature's mysteries take us on some amazing journeys. In this series, we don't only go to some of the most spectacular places, we see those landscapes change over millions of years and we see how life is shaped by those great changes".

BBC commissions ambitious natural history documentary slate, including follow-up series Frozen Planet II, Planet Earth III and Perfect Planet for broadcast between 2020 and 2022.

The BBC has ordered follow-up seasons to two of its natural history documentary series, Frozen Planet II, Planet Earth III, and a new series Perfect Planet that the BBC will produce and broadcast on the BBC and on BBC Earth (DStv 184) worldwide between 2020 and 2022.

The new series and two follow-up seasons are part of the Planet strand that the BBC says will help viewers to better understand the greatest issues affecting our planet and mankind's relationship with the natural world.

Perfect Planet will be a unique fusion of blue-chip natural history and earth sciences explaining how the living planet operates.

This 5-episode series will show how the forces of nature - weather, ocean currents, solar energy and volcanoes - drive, shape and support Earth’s great diversity of life. It will broadcast in 2020.

Frozen Planet II will take audiences back to the wildernesses of the Arctic and Antarctica. Ten years on from the original Frozen Planet, this series tells the complete story of the entire frozen quarter of our planet that’s locked in ice and blanketed in snow. It will broadcast in 2021.

Planet Earth III will be the most ambitious natural history landmark ever undertaken by the BBC.

Combining the awe and wonder of the original Planet Earth, the new science and discoveries of Blue Planet II and Planet Earth II, and the immersive character-led storytelling of Dynasties, the series will take the Planet Earth experience to new heights, says the BBC. It will broadcast in 2022.

These three series will be in addition to the previously announced One Planet: Seven Worlds that will be broadcast in 2019, and Green Planet set for broadcast in 2021.

The new natural history programming is expected to involve over 10 000 days of filming and will tell a global story.

Charlotte Moore, the BBC director of content, in a statement says "The BBC is world-famous for its natural history programming and these new series will raise the bar even higher".

"We know that audiences want shows that bring them the richest narratives, the best camerawork and the highest quality production values and they look to us to deliver this."

"Viewers around the globe have been captivated by the incredible stories that the Planets series have told and now new technology allows us to explore even more of the natural world than ever before."

Tom McDonald, the head of commissioning, natural history and specialist factual at the BBC, says "Planet Earth II, Blue Planet II and most recently Dynasties reinvented landmark natural history at BBC - delivering record breaking global audiences and receiving awards around the world".

"These new titles reveal the scale of our ambitions in natural history - with a rich and innovative pipeline of titles up to 2022: the biggest commitment we have ever made in the genre."

"I'm delighted to be bringing the long-awaited Frozen Planet back to our screens a decade after the first series was on air, and of course thrilled that Planet Earth will be back in the BBC's centenary year. Both will continue our pledge to reveal not just the world's greatest wonders and animal behaviour but reflect the very real challenges the natural world faces."

Perfect Planet
From the white wolves of Ellesemere Island to bears in Kamchatka; vampire finches of the Galapagos to golden snub-nosed monkeys of China, the series will combine a global view of the planet from space with intimate animal stories from the most spectacular habitats.

From the Indian Monsoon to Hawaiian volcanoes; tidal islands of the Bahamas to the extremes of the Arctic winter, Perfect Planet will take the audience on a stunning visual journey that will change the way we see our home.

The final episode in the series looks at the dramatic impact of the world’s newest global force of nature - humans - and reveals what we need to do to in order to halt the dramatic loss of biodiversity.

Perfect Planet, a 5-episode hourlong series is made by Silverback Films, co-produced by Tencent Penguin Pictures, France Télévisions and The Open University. The executive producer is Alastair Fothergill and the series producer is Huw Cordey.

Frozen Planet II
Back in 2011 the BBC aired Frozen Planet, the popular natural history series, celebrating life in our Poles.

Ten years on, Frozen Planet II tells the complete story of the entire frozen quarter of our planet that’s locked in ice and blanketed in snow.

In this 6-episode series we explore this vast magical realm and discover frozen worlds of surprising variety and nature.

From the frozen ocean of the Arctic, to the snowy forests and great plains of the far north, from the high-altitude peaks of our mountains to the ice-locked south of Antarctica, these are the last true wildernesses - so challenging for survival, that only a heroic cast of animals can live here.

From polar bears to Siberian tigers, snow monkeys and penguins, each frozen world raises different challenges for the animals that brave the extreme conditions here.

Today they are united by a new threat. As temperatures rise at an unprecedented rate, our frozen planet is literally vanishing before our eyes. What will be the true impact on humans and wildlife? In this series we will follow the heroic scientists, braving some of the most dangerous places on earth, in a bid to find the answers.

Frozen Planet II, a 6-episode hourlong series is made by BBC Studios Natural History Unit, co-produced by BBC America and The Open University. The executive producer is Mark Brownlow and the series producer is Elizabeth White.

Planet Earth III
Planet Earth III, the third in a trilogy, is a brand new series for 2022 – set to be the most ambitious natural history landmark ever undertaken by the BBC.

Combining the awe and wonder of the original Planet Earth, the new science and discoveries of Blue Planet II and Planet Earth II, and the immersive character-led storytelling of Dynasties, the series will take the Planet Earth experience to new heights.

It will take audiences to stunning new landscapes, showcase jaw-dropping newly-discovered behaviours, and follow the intense struggles of some of our planet’s most amazing animals.

Across 8 episodes, the series will have a truly global scale, with new technology central to its approach.

Crews will spend longer in the field than ever before, and using the latest technology, including robotic cameras, stabilised rigs and deep submersibles, will take viewers from the highest mountains to the deepest oceans, from the darkest caves to the hottest deserts.

Planet Earth III will also build on the approach of the BBC Studios Natural History Unit’s most recent landmarks, by reflecting the new realities of the natural world. It will not only reveal the greatest wonders of life on earth, but will also show the new challenges faced in the 21st Century by the animals and plants with which we share our increasingly fragile planet.

Planet Earth III, an 8-episode hourlong series is made by BBC Studios Natural History Unit, co-produced by BBC America and The Open University. The executive producer is Mike Gunton and the series producer is Jonny Keeling.