Blue Planet III dives into the extraordinary world beneath our oceans

Posted on 30 October 2026 • TV and radio

From tropical waters and vast open oceans to the frozen poles and mysterious deep, Blue Planet III takes viewers on a spectacular new journey beneath the waves, revealing marine life more remarkable, sophisticated and precious than we ever realised.

Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, co-produced by the BBC and The Open University, Blue Planet III begins on Sunday 1 November at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

The new series journeys across the world’s oceans to reveal the extraordinary ways animals have adapted to survive in some of the planet’s richest and most challenging environments. From tropical seas rich with life to the vast open ocean, giant blue whales, tiny drifting crabs and tenacious turtles reveal the remarkable ingenuity needed to thrive against the odds.

The series also explores seasonal seas shaped by winter storms and scorching summers, before venturing into polar waters and some of the least explored environments on Earth. Using new technology, it reveals spectacular worlds and species in places once considered empty, but which are now known to support life in astonishing abundance.

OU academic consultants for the series are Dr Mark Hintze and Dr Tom Stubbs, both Lecturers in Biology, and Dr Philip Sexton, Senior Lecturer in Oceanography.

Dr Philip Sexton said:

“The Open University is tremendously pleased to partner with the BBC on this third series of Blue Planet and to have Sir David at the helm once again. Blue Planet II catapulted issues surrounding our oceans’ health into the public consciousness and demonstrably changed people’s attitudes and behaviour with regard to our oceans.

“Underpinned by breakthroughs in marine science and cutting-edge technology, this new series will transform our view of what is possible for life on Earth and offer rays of hope for us to conserve the ecological wonders that lie beneath the waves.”

The programme was supported by the Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and has relevance to a number of Open University courses, including R58 BSc (Honours) Biology, Q64 BSc (Honours) Natural Sciences and Q52 BSc (Honours) Environmental Science.

Explore our changing oceans with The Open University’s free poster. To order call 0300 303 3553 or visit The OU Connect website.

Commissioned by Dr Caroline Ogilvie, Director, Broadcast & Partnerships

• Academic Consultants: Dr Philip Sexton, Dr Mark Hintze and Dr Tom Stubbs
• Media Fellow: Dr Zhraa Alhaboby
• Broadcast Project Manager: Clair Robinson
• Supporting Online Content: Xinmiao Zhang