Life in the Freezer

Before March of the Penguins, this breathtaking six-part film revealed Antarctica's majestic beauty, surprising wildlife and raging climate like no other film. Join natural-history guru Sir David Attenborough and filmmakers who endured three years capturing the wildest, coldest, most isolated continent on Earth. Through some of the most remarkable footage ever, you'll discover how an inhospitable landscape is home to creatures that include whales, seals, seabirds, and, of course, millions of marching penguins! Don't pass up this fascinating opportunity to experience the last true wilderness on Earth.

The Bountiful Sea - Dramatic pictures of stunning and unexpected Antarctic scenery lead into an introduction to the area as a whole. The opening programme then focuses on the great ‘ice machine’, beginning the story of how the ice governs the wildlife that thrives here. Amid vast icebergs in the nutrient rich sea, 650 million tonnes of krill – small shrimp like crustaceans – provide food for numerous species of fish, seals and birds. Krill also attracts whales, and despite the notorious difficulties of filming them, the crew have obtained remarkable footage of these splendid mammals enjoying the bounty.

The Ice Retreats - Spring begins in the sub-Antarctic islands with petrels searching through the snow for their nests. Elephant seals return from the sea and fight for supremacy over their harems, while five million Macaroni penguins battle through the crashing waves of South Georgia to court and breed. Further South, spectacular time-lapse sequences reveal a continent only just being freed from the ice trap. With the aid of remote cameras, there is also rare underwater footage of the hardier penguins as they venture far South to reach their traditional breeding grounds.

The Race to Breed - During the short Antarctic summer, there is a frantic race to breed. The sub-Antarctic beaches are inundated by noisy, aggressive fur seals, and chinstrap penguins daily overcome crushing ice, predators and a long, steep march in the hope of successfully rearing a chick. Microscopic animals (frozen in winter) melt, feed and breed during a brief period of 24 hour daylight. Antarctic terns fly far to find fish for their chicks and Adelie penguins must go to sea, leaving their young in great danger. Against the darkening autumnal skies, the most vulnerable fall victim to the skuas that patrol the colony.

The Door Closes - Autumn, and the ice starts to return. As the first heavy snowfalls bury their young, the birds rush to finish breeding. Penguin chicks gather at the water’s edge and following their departing parents, take the icy plunge. Leopard seals burst from the water to grab the unsuspecting fledgling. Storms ravage the continent; the seas begin to freeze over. Beautiful images of frost flowers, diamond dust and other optical effects describe the gradual formation of the ice. Further North, in the sub-Antarctic islands, fur seal pups are beginning to swim and albatross chicks are fledging.

The Big Freeze - A season of complete darkness, and the worst weather anywhere on the planet: midwinter in the Antarctic. The hostile landscape seems completely devoid of life, but under the ice – now filmable using new diving techniques and remote video cameras – life abounds. Ghost-like white fish are kept alive by anti-freeze in their blood and giant seaspiders patrol the sea bed. Most astonishing of all are the Weddell seals, the only seal to over-winter so far South, which scrape breathing holes through ice up to two metres thick and hunt as deep as 600 metres to find fish. In the centre of the continent, male Emperor penguins huddle for warmth throughout the winter, each incubating a single egg. The hatching of the chicks heralds the approach of spring – the Antarctic year has come full circle.

Footsteps in the Snow - For humans, too, survival in the Antarctic is a severe challenge. The final programme traces the early exploration and exploitation of the continent and its surrounding islands. It also examines the difficulties encountered in the making of the series, and looks at other – more long-term – human activity on the continent: the research stations, the tourists and the attitudes of different countries which claims sections of this vast wilderness. Should its resources be exploited or should Antarctica be preserved as a National Park?

BAFTA® Awards
1994 – Best Film/Video Photography (Factual Programming)
International Emmy® Awards
1994 – Best Documentary - Episode: The Big Freeze

“A classic product in the David Attenborough tradition – quirky, fascinating, learned and sometimes almost unbearably beautiful.”- Observer

“Beautifully shot and wonderfully narrated, Life in the Freezer is compulsive viewing. The camera team have not only caught the beauty and bleakness of the landscape, they have also managed to catch its coldness.” -Daily Mirror

“A staggering piece of work.” -Independent

“The photography will take your breath away.” -Mail on Sunday