Why Tom Hanks was chosen to narrate BBC's The Americas instead of David Attenborough
Fans of the BBC's beloved wildlife documentaries will be pleased to hear that the much-anticipated The Americas series will be on TV screens this evening (Sunday, March 2). However, some may be surprised that they won't be hearing the calming voice of British icon David Attenborough for this edition.
The team behind David Attenborough's popular and groundbreaking Planet Earth and Blue Planet series have created The Americas, but instead Hollywood actor Tom Hanks is at the helm to narrate. The series will also be accompanied with music by Oscar and Grammy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer.
The series, which has taken five years to make and was filmed over 180 expeditions, "showcases the wonders, secrets and fragilities" of the Americas. There are also extraordinary and untold wildlife stories that the creators say will "deeply connect with millions."
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Speaking about why he accepted the chance to narrate the series, Tom Hanks said: "When the opportunity arose to be the voice of The Americas, I said: 'I think I've lived for that opportunity.' I knew that I would be learning an awful lot. I wanted to be on the front line. I feel lucky to be a part of this extraordinary project – of capturing something that is so real that is it's irrefutable to anybody who watches it. And it's just glorious to be a part of that."
While it is a little surprising to not see (or hear) David Attenborough fronting the series, executive producer Mike Gunton, who worked on Planet Earth said "Tom was the obvious person to do it." For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
He continues: "And I'll tell you why because, and I think it's been proved now we've done it, is that these shows are not just told. If they work really well, the audience have an experience where they don't lean back on it. They lean forward, they're involved, and the intensity of the stories, if you get them right, they're very visceral.
"They're very empathetic. They should get under your skin. And the skill of being able to weave the different emotions that the animals feel and relate to without it being too anthropomorphic. But making it feel relatable is really, really hard. And I just knew Tom would be able to do it, and indeed he did. And it's critical because some of these stories are quite intense, and people kind of need their hands held sometimes. ‘It's going to be okay,’ or actually, ‘this is really weird,’ or ‘this is really beautiful,’ and be able to lead people and to set up the tone because it is dramatic. To be able to tick all those boxes is incredibly hard thing to do. And Tom did it."
The synopsis for The Americas reads: "The Americas unprecedented scale and ambition delivers remarkable world firsts; new species, new intimate courtship, dramatic deep sea hunting and some of nature’s strangest stories – even a frog that seems to defy death every day. Each episode features a different iconic location across the Americas: The Atlantic Coast, Mexico, The Wild West, The Amazon, The Frozen North, The Gulf Coast, The Andes, The Caribbean, The West Coast and Patagonia."
Sir David, who has been on the BBc for more than 70 years and will turn 99 in 2025, last narrated Mammals for the BBC last year.
Watch The Americas from 6:45pm Sunday 2 March on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
