Blue Planet III Starts on BBC One With Three Episodes on iPlayer
The six-part series narrated by David Attenborough begins on BBC One at 8pm on Sunday 1 November, with three episodes streaming on iPlayer.
Blue Planet III begins on BBC One on Sunday 1 November 2026 at 8pm, with the first three episodes available on BBC iPlayer on the same day.
Sir David Attenborough returns to narrate the six-part series, 25 years after the original Blue Planet appeared on television. The BBC has outlined the subjects of the new production, while Radio Times and Dork separately confirmed the launch schedule last week.
What happens in Blue Planet III?
The opening five episodes explore different marine environments: Tropical Seas, Open Ocean, Seasonal Seas, Polar Waters and The Deep.
The sixth episode, Future Seas, looks at the challenges facing marine life and work being done to protect the oceans. BBC Studios' Natural History Unit used new underwater filming technology to capture behaviours that have previously been difficult to record.
The series combines natural history stories with a focus on environmental change. It follows Blue Planet II, first broadcast in 2017, which brought the impact of marine plastic pollution to a wide television audience.
Why are three episodes arriving together?
BBC One will begin its weekly broadcast with Tropical Seas at 8pm on Sunday 1 November, but BBC iPlayer viewers can stream the first three instalments from launch day.
That means audiences watching through the streaming service will be able to move ahead of the BBC One schedule.
Who made the music?
Hans Zimmer and Bleeding Fingers Music created the score. Singer JADE also worked on Into The Deep (Seas Cry), a song used in the programme's promotional campaign.
Image credit: BBC
