‘The world depends on plants'

Sir David Attenborough on how his new series unveils the spellbinding secret lives of our flowers and trees…

- CAREN CLARK

THE GREEN PLANET

NEW SUNDAY / BBC1 / 7PM / EP 1 of 5 / FACTUAL

Dramatic fights for survival and determined bids to reproduce and secure a future are at the heart of Sir David Attenborough’s stunning new natural-history series The Green Planet.

But it’s the surprisingly harsh realities of the plant world, not the animal kingdom, upon which Sir David focuses our attention.

The five-part series features captivating footage of incredible plant behaviour in diverse environments across the globe as remarkable species see off rivals, repel predators, attract pollinators, communicate with each other, and go to extreme lengths to obtain food, light and space.

Meanwhile, plants’ interaction with animals – and humans, in particular – is also investigated as the series describes the challenges faced due to climate change, deforestation and urbanisation.

And as we’ve come to expect with the BBC’s natural-history epics, from the rainforest canopy to the tiniest pore on a leaf, all the action is brought to us via state-of-the-art technology – including swooping drones and a robotic camera dubbed ‘The Triffid’.

Here, Sir David, 95, tells us more about the series…

Why focus on plants?