The 'Asia' Trailer Is So Soothing

It's been a rough year. Perhaps not as rough as some I've lived through (2004 and 2014 would like a word), but still deeply difficult. Those previous times when I would wake up at 1 am with no hope of more, I'd put on the TV, turn to Discovery or PBS (and later the Science Channel and BBC America), and find which one had a David Attenborough marathon. The Blue Planet was still recent in 2004, but by 2014, Planet Earth and Frozen Planet had joined the lineup. This year? I'm watching Asia.

In 2014, as Netflix launched the streaming wars, I joked that if one mixed the older Attenborough fare it had with BBC America's shows, it was like someone could make a David Attenborough channel for me to sleep to. Nowadays, that ability exists on multiple streamers, including PBS Passport, Disney+ under the NatGeo tile, Max in the Discovery section, and AMC+'s BBC America page. But Asia will drop one episode a week (the BBC America contract for it is very strict about this), giving me six minutes of new Attenborough to soothe me through the coming horror of the mid-2020s.

Now, dear readers, I share the soothing tones of David Attenborough with you. Check out the Asia trailer and see the wonders of the world never found in the suburbs of the nation's capital. I hope it makes your day slightly better.

Here are the series' episodes:

1. "Beneath The Waves": Asia is home to over 60% of all marine species. From giants in the deep ocean, to tiny fish that climb trees, squid that glow in the dark, and grey reef sharks that hunt in their hundreds. Asia’s waters are as spectacular as they are diverse.
2. "Above The Clouds": Asia is the most mountainous continent on earth. From the forested slopes of the tropics to the hostile heights of the Himalaya, they are home to an abundance of plants and wildlife including one of Asia’s shyest but most adorable mammals, the red panda.
3. "The Frozen North": In northern Asia, life defies hostile extremes. From Russia's Lake Baikal to Hokkaido's thermal springs, the Tibetan Plateau to the Kamchatka Peninsula, bats hibernate beneath snow, while red foxes and sea eagles compete for food. 
4. "Tangled Worlds": Asia’s jungles provide shelter, food, and opportunity; they are also full of dangers and hidden threats. In the little-known forests of Iraqi Kurdistan, a new Persian leopard population is growing amidst minefields.
5. "Crowded Continent": The most densely populated continent has caused animals to develop extraordinary ways to seize the opportunities of the human world. From tigers city hunting easy prey, to elephants stopping traffic to demand food, the human world creates unprecedented challenges.
6. "The Arid Heart": In the heart of Asia lie vast arid lands. These deserts and dry grasslands are so hostile, they push life to the limit. Life in the Arid Heart demands extraordinary resilience - those that live here are Asia’s great survivors.
7. "Saving Asia": Remarkable people are dedicating their lives to saving Asia’s extraordinary wildlife, using ingenious solutions. 

Attenborough will again lend his sonorous voice to the project, narrating all seven series episodes and executive producing the project alongside Roger Webb, with Matthew Wright as the series producer. The series boasts 2,287 filming days and 120 shoots in 21 countries. BBC Studios Natural History Unit produced the series and co-produced with BBC America, France Télévisions, and ZDF.

Asia began airing on the BBC on Saturday, November 3, 2024, and will release one episode through mid-December. BBC America will most like release the series in January 2025, when we will need it the most.