Sir David Attenborough to narrate BBC’s The Hunt

The seven-part series, to be aired in the autumn on BBC1, will also show animals that have rarely been filmed such as endangered South American otters.

David Attenborough’s appointment, which until now seemed unlikely, couldn’t have come at a better time for the BBC. Attenborough was one of the signatories to a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron criticising the Government over its stance towards the BBC’s charter renewal and his latest gig marks a welcome return to the Corporation.

The BBC is of course where the legendary voice of every natural history series of the past five decades honed his craft; firstly with BBC Radio before making his first appearance on television in 1954’s Zoo Quest.

Though he started at the BBC 64 years ago, Sir David has gone further afield in recent years, working with Sky and UKTV on programmes such as Conquest Of The Skies and Kingdom Of Plants.

Each episode, to be shown on BBC One, will be based on a habitat, ranging from open grasslands and dense forests to the Arctic and the open oceans.

The music is by composer Steven Price, who was awarded an Oscar in 2014 for his score for the movie Gravity.

“Most animals fail to get their prey so we will see a lot of failure”, says executive producer Alistair Fothergill. It will examine the complex relationship between predators and their prey, exploring the strategies predators use to catch their prey, as well as the tactics the prey use to escape their pursuers. The festival runs 24-27 September on The Green at Hampton Court Palace.