‘Planet Earth: Asia’: 5 Moments Worth Watching in the BBC America Series

“There’s nowhere else on earth with so many untold stories,” says Planet Earth: Asia host and renowned naturalist David Attenborough, introducing his landmark six-part documentary about Asia’s natural wonders, including lion cubs in India’s Thar Desert. Producer Matthew Wright shares five wild moments from the show.

1.  Sharks hunting a school of Moorish idols in the Western Pacific.

“It’s one of the greatest wildlife spectacles I’ve ever seen,” Wright says of the sequence in the premiere episode, “Beneath the Waves.” The school of fish’s tight formation deters sharks, who nevertheless determinedly pick them off for hours. Only the wiliest survive. It was too dangerous for divers to film, so crews used drones and a camera bolted to a boat hull.

2.  Markhor goats flirting in northern Pakistan.

BBC America

In a remote spot near Afghanistan’s border seldom visited by film crews, Wright says they captured “memorable battles between markhor goats and unexpected moments of comedy when males waggle their tongues to attract females” for the second episode, “Above the Clouds,” airing February 1.

3.  Birds eating icicles in Japan.

“The shots are of such exquisite beauty,” Wright marvels, describing the breathtaking scenes in February 8’s “The Frozen North.” With wintertime food in short supply, birds get nourishment from tree sap captured in icicles. A high-speed camera caught the footage.

4.  A tiger stalking prey in Nepal.

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Rare permission to use drones meant, Wright reveals, “we could showcase tigers mating, bathing, playing and even hunting from above.” These segments are in the mesmerizing “Tangled Worlds,” February 15.

5.  The rare Gobi bear thriving in Mongolia.

“It’s an amazing portrait of one of [the world’s] rarest creatures,” Wright says about a moving scene from March 1’s finale, “The Arid Heart.” The vast Gobi Desert was peppered with cameras to capture footage of the fewer than 40 bears. “They even managed to film a cub, which represents hope for this species.”

Planet Earth: Asia, Series Premiere Saturday, January 25, 8/7c, BBC America

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