BBC will not show dying penguins in wildlife documentary Planet Earth 2 because they look 'like little people' and don't want to upset viewers

Viewers have seen elephants starve and gazelle hunted, but will not see penguins die because of 'they look like little men dressed in dinner jackets'
The anticipated new series of Planet Earth was aired on the BBC last night
Producers described seeing a scene of ‘death and destruction’ of penguins

By Laura Lambert Tv And Radio Reporter For The Daily Mail

Published: 23:30 GMT, 6 November 2016 | Updated: 01:00 GMT, 7 November 2016

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We have watched elephants starving to death, and gazelles being chased down by lions.

But the death of a penguin is just a step too far, it seems.

For it has been revealed that the long-awaited series Planet Earth 2 does not feature any penguin deaths because they look too much like humans, so it would upset viewers.

A source close to the BBC natural history programme said that they had to take extra care when it came to ‘anthropomorphic animals’, and penguins were deemed to resemble ‘little people’.

Not all footage was shown of the gruesome deaths of some of the world’s biggest colony of penguins, on Zavodovski Island, near Antarctica (pictured)

Last night’s opening episode showed the harsh reality of the animal kingdom, with Sir David Attenborough narrating as baby iguanas were strangled to death by snakes and crabs were blinded with acid.

But when the world’s biggest colony of penguins, on Zavodovski Island, near Antarctica, were featured there was a limit imposed on how gruesome the footage could be.

Producers on the programme have described seeing a scene of ‘death and destruction’ when they arrived on the remote island, which is home to chin-strap penguins.

But viewers did see crabs blinded by acid (pictured)

In the behind-the-scenes section at the end of the episode, Liz White said: ‘It was absolute carnage.

‘It was quite heart-breaking, they are trying so hard to get up the beach with broken legs and bleeding, it’s very sobering really.

‘The beach in the afternoon was just a scene of death and destruction.’

Yet the most extreme close-up shots showed one penguin with a bloody stomach and another with a broken leg, and wide-angled shots showed penguins being crashed into the rocks by waves.

An insider on the show has now revealed that the reason the corporation did not explicitly show them dying is because viewers ‘resonate’ with penguins so closely.

They said: ‘Penguins are particularly hard because they’re like little people.

‘They look like little men dressed up in dinner jackets.

‘Because they have a particular resonance with people, you have to be very, very careful.

‘People are inviting you into their lounge, into their front room.

‘You have to be very careful, particularly with those more anthropomorphic animals.

‘It was important to show what’s at stake and how difficult it is, and a bloody one and one with a broken leg was just about enough.’

And producers didn't cut scenes of a hatchling marine iguana being strangled by a snake

‘I don’t think you need to show dead penguins, because you can say they were dead.’

He added: ‘What was more important to show was that drive to get back with proper food for your chicks, even when you’ve got a broken wing or when you’ve been cut.’

The six-part series, which follows on from the original Planet Earth in 2006, has taken three years of filming and 117 filming trips.

The first episode focused on island life and used nine different filming locations.

The greatly anticipated new series is again hosted by the popular presenter Sir David Attenborough

Viewers were enamoured by the sight of a pygmy three-toed sloth swimming to find a mate, but perhaps the most shocking scene involved marine iguanas on Fernandina Island, Galapagos.

The hatchlings faced a treacherous start to life, as racer snakes were ready to ensnare them as soon as they first emerged out of the sand.

Next week’s episode will explore mountain animals, including a rare sighting of snow leopards.