Discovery, BBC Go to The ‘Great Barrier Reef'

‘Planet Earth,' ‘Life' co-producers to examine Australia's natural wonder in 2012

By Alex Weprin -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/19/2010 11:31:15 AM

Discovery Communications and BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the British Broadcasting Corporation, are partnering once more for another unique look at nature, this time focusing on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

The two have already partnered on the wildly successful Planet Earth and Life, and are partners on two other upcoming documentary series, Frozen Planet and Human Planet.

Also on board as co-producers for the Reef documentary are Australia's Nine Network and Digital Dimensions.

The three part series Great Barrier Reef will premiere in the U.S. in 2012, with filming already underway. The two companies will be utilizing the technology and filming techniques first developed for Planet Earth and Life, which have drawn critical acclaim as giving new depth and detail to nature.

The first episode will explain how the reef was formed, and how it flourishes today, using technology to get a close look at the tiny animals' key to its survival. The second episode will focus on a giant lagoon located inside the reef, where the land meets the sea, and the third installment will feature the remote outer reefs, which are rarely visited.

"The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most iconic natural structures in the world," said Clark Bunting, president and general manager, Discovery Channel and president, Science Channel.  "Joining forces with the BBC's Natural History Unit and Digital Dimensions guarantees that Great Barrier Reef will deliver on the best in storytelling, filmmaking and innovative technology.  Viewers will see this amazing living reef and the creatures that inhabit it."