You won't see me getting all effusive about a TV show very often. Probably just this once. But I have to say I was staggered by the quality of the photography and content of the Frozen Planet. David Attenborough is in his mid 80s (the same age as the Queen) and the BBC cannot on its own hold back the tide of commercial mediocrity for ever. This may very well be as good as it gets.
Watch it on the iPlayer here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00zj1q5/Frozen_Planet_To_the_Ends_of_the_Earth/If you only have a few minutes watch from 34 mins. The film of the killer whales working in perfect formation is just astonishing.
Quite brilliant, and from my perspective pretty well worth the licence fee on it's own.The seal's look of resignation as it was slowly dragged off the iceflow was rather poignant.
It's not the first time killer whales have been filmed hunting this way and there was even an attempt to do so in Scott's ill-fated Antarctic venture. That attempt came to a rapid close when the ice under the cameraman's feet heaved and cracked as the killer whales strived to "make his acquaintance". I could relate to that though there has never been a documented case of an orca killing a human.
I also remember film of orcas attacking a blue whale and her baby in a chillingly co-ordinated(and successful) way.
