The QI host has a lovely tone of voice, but very nearly fumbles the ‘national treasure’ baton – by lapsing into non-sequiturs during wildlife footage we’ve seen before
Perilous … A Year on Planet Earth.tephen Fry’s impersonation of David Attenborough starts unpromisingly. “It’s hard to describe,” he says from his wintry perch in the Arctic Circle, “how still it is on a glacier surrounded by a fresh blanket of snow.” Then you must try harder, Mr Fry, given that you’re presenting a programme that celebrates the wilderness in its few remaining minutes before being repurposed as luxury flats.
And yet, this nod to speed of the Earth’s rotation nicely sets up the conceit for this first episode of a four-part series that will take us to more than 60 locations before it’s done. As the world turns laterally, we travel longitudinally, visiting all kinds of different wildlife in different locales at the same time of year. Such is Fry’s spin on the natural world.
So far, so Attenborough. But then Fry does something outside Sir David’s skill set: he conjures up jeopardy before we head to the ad break. Our wandering bear is now alone and hungry in the darkness of the winter solstice. “This polar bear,” says Fry appallingly, “won’t see the sun for another 56 days … if he lives that long.” I don’t want to give away the plot, but let’s just say if any polar bears die in the making of this programme, I will lose my mind and I hope you will, too.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
A year of rainfall records: The NSW locations that had their wettest year on recordWe already know 2022 has been a wet year, but just how much rain fell across NSW and where? The latest data shows which areas broke annual rainfall records.
Read more »
President Biden tells Zelensky he’s TIME’s ‘Man of the Year’US President Joe Biden has welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House, recognising him as “Man of the Year” during a meeting in the Oval Office. “By the way, we have a famous thing that occurs once a year: we pick the man of the year in Time Magazine,” President Biden said. “You are the man of the year in the United States of America.” President Zelensky was named 'Man of the Year' by Time Magazine earlier this year.
Read more »
Sarina Wiegman: ‘You can’t beat the year we had – you can only equal it’England’s Euros-winning manager on next year’s World Cup, her philosophy and why the demands on top players are too great
Read more »
Sitiveni Rabuka to be Fiji’s new PM as Frank Bainimarama’s 16-year reign endsThe People’s Alliance leader will take over after he secured the backing of the Social Liberal Democratic party to oust longstanding rival
Read more »
Fiji will have a new prime minister, ending Frank Bainimarama's 16-year reignSitiveni Rabuka will become Fiji's new prime minister after securing a tripartite coalition, ending Frank Bainimarama's almost 16-year reign.
Read more »