Planet Earth II has given details of their Live in Concert UK and Ireland Arena Tour on March 2022. The arena tour will run from 18th March to 27th March and includes two London performances including a matinee show at 2.30 pm on Sunday, 20th March.
These spectacular live concerts will be hosted by science and natural history TV presenter Liz Bonnin, with behind-the-scenes insights from Mike Gunton. Liz Has talked about her excitement and opinion about the concert tours.
Q&A session with LIZ BONNIN
The show was originally meant to have been out in 2020, so you must be really excited to finally get Planet Earth II up and running?
‘I’m delighted to be finally on the road with this as it’s been a long time coming. We’ve had to postpone it three times now. I’ve been just so excited to do it from the moment I was asked, especially since the pandemic, to have such a multi-sensory experience that really celebrates not just nature, but the arts and the best aspects of humanity.’
What more can you tell us about the show?
‘It gives us a chance to introduce some of the most iconic clips from the Planet Earth II series from 2016 in front of a philharmonic orchestra playing the music of Hans Zimmer and also Jacob Shea and Jasha Klebe, the Bleeding Fingers Music team. It was actually Hans Zimmer’s first collaboration with the Natural History Unit.
And when I did the panel for the show interviewing him, the producers, and of course, Sir David Attenborough, he said that even though he really wanted to get on board as he has a passion for the planet, he never realized just how extraordinary the planet really was until was writing the score.’
How important is the musical score when it comes to carrying the messages and emotional resonance of the footage people will be watching?
‘It raises what you are seeing and absorbing to a whole other level. It’s hard to put into words just how much of an impact it has. We have a deep connection that a lot of us living in the global north and western world has forgotten, so when you see images of the kind we have on Planet Earth II, it’s a visceral experience for us, even if we can’t explain it.’
The show is narrated by the legendary Sir David Attenborough. How much of an inspiration has he been in your own life and career?
‘He is just a stand-alone, every unique human being in every way. I feel blessed to have had experiences working with him, sharing panels together, and just being able to have conversations with him. I still can’t quite believe that these things have happened to me, as when I was a kid, like everyone else watching his programs, I was captivated by his passion, his love, and his conviction for what really matters and how that’s evolved. Not that I or anyone else in our industry think we are anywhere close to who he is or what he has achieved. It’s just a blessing and a privilege to be around him in any way.’
These kinds of natural history live shows are incredibly popular with the public. How much of a role do they have to play in educating people as well as inspiring the next generations of environmentalists?
‘It’s all the more important as we are only starting to realize just how disconnected we are not just to the planet, but to ourselves. We have been encouraged as a society to lead a very individualistic life, particularly as a result of the way our societies are designed structurally and politically. We are now facing the biggest existential crisis of our time on this planet, so we are wondering where we went wrong and what really matters in life, so one of the most fundamental things is reconnecting yourself to nature, whether that be in a park, a garden or even a window box. It’s equally important to reconnect to each other.’
You’ve had an incredible career in natural history and scientific broadcasting already. What have been the real highlights for you?
‘I’ve been so lucky in my life to be able to do so many amazing things. To start with I got the best training ground making a science show called Bang Goes The Theory. That taught me how to explain anything to do with the natural world, no matter what the science was. The natural world is so beautifully complex, so learning how to delve deep and still be able to communicate it to a family audience has served me very well ever since. Soon after that, I was offered my dream gig, as I studied tigers in my masters’ research project, so got to spend two months in the Russian Far East on Operation Snowtiger. When I was there, I was learning from Viktor Lukarevsky, one of the most extraordinary scientists you could ever meet.
I learned a lot about what it really takes to protect wild animals in one of the most difficult areas to work in. That will stay with me forever. There have been so many experiences though, as I’ve done a lot of animal behavior and intelligence programs, so doing things like sitting with herds of elephants and observing how they interact with each other. It’s a privilege to get that insight. It all comes down to any time I can be learning about the natural world from the incredible humans who have dedicated their lives to protecting it.’
For further ticket information go to- www.planetearth2live.uk
Or contact- [email protected] for details.
