Planet Earth : the making of an epic series

The best stories are the true ones, and there can be few BBC series that have generated as many gripping tales as "Planet Earth".

With producers and camera people travelling to every continent and almost every corner of the world, from the highest mountains to the lowest depths, their adventures have been many and unforgettable.

Using every kind of craft and technological wizardry imaginable, from helicopters and submersibles, to satellites and remote cameras, they have also witnessed remarkable things. And what makes so much of the series special are the unique aerial perspectives from which they have filmed so many of the animals.

This book tells the dramatic tales of their encounters, discoveries and many trials and tribulations.

Also revealed are the ingenious means by which some of the unique sequences in the series have been made.

Memorable sequences filmed in the wild include wild camels in the snow in the Gobi desert, a giant (truly giant) salamander hunting at night, desert lions capturing an oryx, golden snub-nosed monkeys playing high in the mountains of China, a giant panda in a cave tending her tiny newborn and a snow leopard chasing its prey down a sheer rock face.Used for the first time in any book are special photographs taken from high-definition film footage, which will bring the tales to life.