Sir David Attenborough’s latest landmark natural history series has premiered in Glasgow, showing viewers the hidden world of plant life.
The Green Planet uses groundbreaking filming techniques to show viewers the intricate lives of plants and the ecosystems that flourish around them.
The global premiere took place in Glasgow on Sunday evening, as the city hosts the Cop26 summit on tackling climate change.
Game Of Thrones star Maisie Williams gave a speech introducing the first episode of the series, after meeting Sir David for the first time as he arrived in Glasgow for the premiere.
In his latest television production, the renowned natural historian takes an active role in front of the camera, describing the way plants thrive around the world.
Speaking ahead of the showing, he said: “It is quite fitting that The Green Planet will receive its premiere at Cop26, and I’m pleased that I could be in Glasgow to see it with an audience.
“For years plant life has been largely ignored when talking about climate change, but as viewers will see from watching the series, the green ecosystem is at the heart of all life on earth and thus it’s vital that we tackle biodiversity and climate change together.”
The production team for The Green Planet used a custom-made type of camera rig to show the life of plants in minute detail.
The five-part series from the BBC’s Natural History Unit is expected to air early in 2022.
Wiliams, 24, spoke to an invited audience at the Glasgow Imax cinema in Cop26’s Green Zone.
She said: “As humans, we are hardwired to prioritise animals over plants. It is an informally-proposed form of cognitive bias called ‘plant blindness’.
“But plants are vital for our survival on this planet. The more we distance ourselves from our greatest allies, the more trouble we are in.
“I hope that The Green Planet helps change the conversation and makes each of us stop, look, and see the world through a new green lens.”
She added: “It was watching Sir David Attenborough that sparked my passion for the environment.
“His films showed me the complex web of our ecosystem – how extraordinary life on earth is, and yet, how fragile.
“They showed me how our sublime natural world can be cruel and unfair, but not as cruel or unfair as our human impact.
“Like many others, it made me resolve that I wanted to help to protect our planet.”
The Green Planet’s executive producer Mike Gunton said the series was Sir David’s “love letter to the green world”.
He told the PA news agency: “One of the ways of getting people into this world is using the best guide you could possibly have, which is Sir David.
Mr Gunton said The Green Planet “rebooted” the on-camera presenting approach Sir David took for other programmes earlier in his career.
He said: “He’s in his 90s, we were taking him to the deserts, to the Arctic circle, to the middle of the jungle. He loved it, as did we.”
Mr Gunton said the team used time-lapse photography as a “portal” into the world of plant life, using specially-designed robotic camera rigs.
