The Planets | |
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Genre | Documentary |
Directed by |
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Presented by | Brian Cox (UK version) |
Narrated by | Zachary Quinto (U.S. version) |
Opening theme | "The Void" by Muse |
Composers |
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Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 5 |
Production | |
Executive producer | Andrew Cohen |
Producer | Gideon Bradshaw |
Editor | Louise Salkow |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | |
Release | 29 May – 25 June 2019 |
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The Planets is a 2019 BBC/PBS/Tencent/Open University television documentary series about the Solar System presented by Professor Brian Cox [2] in the UK version and Zachary Quinto in the US version. [3]
First broadcast on BBC Two beginning Tuesday 28 May 2019, the five-episode series looks at each planet in detail, examining scientific theories and hypotheses about the formation and evolution of the Solar System gained by uncrewed missions to the planets. [2] Originally released in the UK, it was changed to cater more to the American audience watching on PBS's series Nova .
Cox presents segments to camera from various locations around the world alongside extensive computer-generated imagery and footage from space missions. The series was created as a partnership between BBC Studios and the Open University. [4]
No. | Title [5] | US title [6] | Directed by [5] | Original release date [7] | UK viewers (millions) [8] | |
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1 | "A Moment in the Sun – The Terrestrial Planets" | Inner Worlds | Martin Johnson | 28 May 2019 | 3.24 | |
2 | "The Two Sisters – Earth & Mars" | Mars | Stephen Cooter | 4 June 2019 | 3.25 | |
Professor Cox contrasts the two rocky planets in the habitable zone, looking at how Mars lost its water and atmosphere, in stark contrast to the life-giving oasis of Earth. [11] [10] | ||||||
3 | "The Godfather – Jupiter" | Jupiter | Stephen Cooter | 11 June 2019 | 3.03 | |
4 | "Life Beyond the Sun – Saturn" | Saturn | Nic Stacey | 18 June 2019 | 2.39 | |
Cox looks at the gas giant Saturn, with its distinctive rings and a plethora of moons, examining the new evidence discovered by the NASA Cassini–Huygens mission. [10] | ||||||
5 | "Into the Darkness – Ice Worlds" | Ice Worlds | Martin Johnson | 25 June 2019 | 2.30 | |
Uranus, Neptune and the new discoveries being made by the NASA New Horizons probe to reveal more about the mysterious dwarf planet Pluto and the Kuiper belt. [10] |
A 288-page hardback book written by Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen was released on 23 May 2019. by HarperCollins ( ISBN 978-0007488841). The book was also released for ebook readers as well as an audiobook [13] on the same day.