A Year on Planet Earth: ITVX release date for Stephen Fry documentary, trailer, and filming locations

A Year on Planet Earth, a new nature documentary presented by Stephen Fry, will arrive on ITVX on Thursday 22 December.

The series, which is made up of six hour-long episodes, has filmed extensively in different locations around the globe. It’s ITVX’s first original documentary commission.

Here’s everything you need to know about A Year on Planet Earth.

What is it about?

The official ITVX synopsis explains that the series will “showcase the many wonders of the world” and “reveal the incredible ways in which almost all life is connected and how where we are on our journey around the sun affects the lives of individual animals.”

It goes on to explain that A Year on Planet Earth will “combine extreme weather, breath-taking landscapes, epic wildlife spectacles and lovable animal characters” and thus “reveal our planet in a completely new light, uncovering how animals react and adapt to shifting habitats and unexpected events.”

In the latest episode of our Screen Babble podcast, we broke down everything you need to know about ITVX - you can listen to it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more.

Who hosts A Year on Planet Earth?

Stephen Fry will present and narrate A Year on Planet Earth, having been present at much of the filming of the series. You’ll recognise Fry for his performances as an actor – perhaps in comedies like Blackadder and Absolute Power or dramas like The Sandman and The Dropout – or for hosting QI, but he’s also presented a number of natural history documentaries before, including Last Chance to See and Spectacled Bears: Shadow of the Forest.

Where is A Year on Planet Earth filmed?

The series was filmed – as you might’ve guessed – across a year, capturing different locations throughout different seasons. The first episode, for example, will look at polar bears on Svalbard’s frozen sea-ice, while later episodes are promised to feature giant pandas in monsoon season in China and king penguins in Marion Island.

The official ITVX synopsis explains that the series was “filmed in more than 60 locations” and reveals that it will feature “a wide range of the most charismatic animals, including African elephants, polar bears, blacktip sharks, chipmunks, grizzly bears, cheetahs, leatherback turtles, pandas and zebras”.

Is there a trailer?

Not quite yet, but you can see some clips of it in the general ITVX launch trailer right here.

When and how can I watch it?

A Year on Planet Earth will be available to watch on ITVX on Thursday 22 December, with every episode available to binge at once as part of a boxset. You can find ITVX online here.

ITVX Originals like A Year on Planet Earth will be exclusive to ITVX for a period of six to nine months, before getting a traditional broadcast on television ITV1.

How many episodes are there?

There are going to be six hour-long episodes of A Year on Planet Earth.

What else is available on ITVX?

ITVX is launching with four new shows immediately: espionage drama A Spy Among Friends, novel adaptation The Confessions of Frannie Langton, YA drama Tell Me Everything, and a feature-length finale to historical comedy Plebs.

In the coming weeks, there are set to be new drama premiers every week, with true crime drama Litvinenko, Vicky McClure thriller Without Sin, and the Succession-esque Riches all arriving across December. ITVX is also set to have a host of ITV archive content, as well as offering exclusive access to hit US shows – you can find a full list here.

What future documentaries are planned for ITVX?

ITVX announced A Year on Planet Earth alongside a number of other documentary commissions. The first to arrive will be A Murder In the Family, a three-part true crime documentary that’s set to arrive on the platform on Thursday 5 January.

Future ITVX documentaries include Rolf Harris: Hiding in Plain Sight, The Royal Family, and Laura Whitmore Investigates, as well as new series of Social Media Murders and an Olivia Atwood documentary on cosmetic surgery.

Why should I watch A Year on Planet Earth?

It’s one to check out if you’re a fan of these sweeping natural world documentaries, of course, but it might be worth taking a look at even if you’re not typically so fussed about them – ITVX have promised a documentary with a story arc that functions like a drama, meaning it might have a different sort of appeal perhaps.