PREVIEW: Blue Planet II - Live In Concert celebrates Earth's wonders at Newcastle Metro Radio Arena

Blue Planet II - Live In Concert - coming to Newcastle Metro Radio Arena in 2019 - is probably the 'greatest show on Earth'.
Host is BBC Countryfile presenter Anita RaniHost is BBC Countryfile presenter Anita Rani
Host is BBC Countryfile presenter Anita Rani

It celebrates the wonders and mysteries of the planet’s oceans and wildlife with stunning highlights from the award-winning Sir David Attenborough TV series in breath-taking 4k Ultra, projected on a huge screen - with the stirring score performed live by an 80-piece orchestra.

A fantastical journey from icy polar seas to pulsating coral reefs, from the luminous deep sea to enormous kelp forests, Blue Planet II – Live In Concert immerses fans in a breath-taking, epic two-hour show.

And BBC Countryfile presenter Anita Rani, a regular on BBC’s One Show and a former contestant on Strictly Come Dancing, will host the 13-date arena tour which arrives at Newcastle Metro Radio Arena for one night only on Wednesday, March 20, 7.30pm.

BUY TICKETS: Tickets for the Newcastle show are priced £46.30, £57 and £67.75. Buy from the Arena box office visit www.metroradioarena.co.uk

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Anita says of the forthcoming visit to Newcastle: "Who doesn’t love the Geordies? I cannot wait! It’s beautiful, the last time I was there I was doing the Strictly tour and I went for this amazing run along the river first thing in the morning as the sun was rising an I can’t wait to do the same.

Blue Planet II Live In Concert coming to Newcastle Metro Radio Arena in 2019Blue Planet II Live In Concert coming to Newcastle Metro Radio Arena in 2019
Blue Planet II Live In Concert coming to Newcastle Metro Radio Arena in 2019

'They’ve got a great cinema there as well, there’s a really beautiful art-house cinema in the centre of town that I went to as well, so I’m looking forward to that.

“I am really honoured to have the role of host on the Blue Planet II Live In Concert arena tour. The TV series was such a fantastic and enlightening show and has really empowered society to view our oceans and environment with a great deal more care. I can’t wait to stand on stage with an 80-piece orchestra and huge screen showing some of that incredible Blue Planet II footage, it should be an amazing experience!”

Following the incredible success of the BAFTA award-winning BBC One television series Blue Planet II, BBC Studios, and FKP Scorpio have created this intimate theatre style setting show projecting stunning visuals from the series on a state of the art 200 square meter 4K Ultra HD LED screen.

Accompanied live by the original immersive music score by Bleeding Fingers Music's Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea & David Fleming, the concert will be performed by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, along with conductor Matthew Freeman.

Blue Planet II Live In Concert immerses fans in a breath-taking, epic two-hour showBlue Planet II Live In Concert immerses fans in a breath-taking, epic two-hour show
Blue Planet II Live In Concert immerses fans in a breath-taking, epic two-hour show

The UK arena tour is a live adaptation of a television story that began 20 years ago when a team of wildlife filmmakers from the BBC’s Natural History Unit set out to make a television series on the world’s oceans, the breadth and scale of which had never been seen before.

Broadcast in 2001, the multi award-winning The Blue Planet, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, cemented the Unit’s peerless reputation for underwater filming.Now, a generation later, the Natural History Unit has once again dived deep into the blue underworld, providing the audience with a completely new perspective on our oceans, coasts and coral ecosystems - full of mystery, surprise, and startling revelations.

With the help of ground breaking advancements in research and technology, the BBC One landmark series has not only presented the viewer with spectacular images but the public reaction to the series has raised awareness of how fragile our planet and environment has become from plastic contaminants and demonstrated the power of television to make an impact on society.

The live concert adaptation is an extension of that striking visual and environmental narrative.

Blue Planet II Live In ConcertBlue Planet II Live In Concert
Blue Planet II Live In Concert

During the four-year filming of Blue Planet II, the teams embarked on 125 expeditions, travelled to 39 countries, filmed on all continents and in every ocean.

They spent 6,000 hours deep-sea diving, 1,000 of which were on underwater boats.

Logistically, some of these expeditions could be compared to a trip into space – such was the effort. In the process, the camera teams encountered creatures that appeared so strange that they really did seem to come from a different planet.Revolutionary technology provided insights that the makers of the original series could never have imagined.

With the help of endoscopic, low-light, towed and suction cameras, as well as diving robots and the latest underwater equipment, the camera teams ventured into the sea for longer and much deeper than ever before.

This allowed them not only to enter new (underwater) worlds but also to discover new species and observe the previously unknown behaviour of the seas’ inhabitants.Mat Way, Global Director, Live Entertainment at BBC Studios, said: "We are delighted to partner with FKP Scorpio for Blue Planet II Live in Concert. It is an incredible concept bringing the BBC’s ground breaking footage from a BAFTA award-winning series to the UK arena stage for fans to enjoy.

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