Sir David Attenborough is to explore the UK’s prehistoric era in a new one-off film for BBC One and iPlayer.
Made by BBC Studios Natural History Unit and co-produced by PBS and the WNET Group, Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster follows Sir David as he unearths the skull of a giant Pliosaur, one of the most ferocious Jurassic killers ever known.
The enormous prehistoric marine reptile, believed to be a completely new species, ruled the seas at the same time dinosaurs reigned on land, 150 million years ago.
Filmed on location across the UK, Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster will combine ground-breaking science with gripping storytelling and state-of-the-art CGI.
Sir David said: “Pliosaurs were the biggest and most formidable hunters in the Jurassic seas, the marine equivalent, you might say of T. Rex. The skull of this one is, by itself, over two metres long and armed with massive fangs.
“Frustratingly, skulls, which can tell us most about an animal, are only too easily smashed before fossilisation but this one is virtually undamaged and promises to reveal all kinds of new details about these terrifying hunters that preyed on Lyme Regis’ better known ichthyosaurs.”
Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual, add: “David has filmed some of the world’s very best fossil animals, so the fact he’s so interested in this skull makes me unbelievably excited.
“This film promises to be a thrilling trip through time to a moment when monsters ruled the seas around Britain. I can’t wait for viewers to experience it.”