In this article I share a new series of interviews from Palaeocast covering the development and research behind the new Netflix series Life on Our Planet. You can find out more below!
I wanted to take some time to share some new podcast interviews from Palaeocast. These new podcast episodes delve into the development and research behind the new Netflix documentary series Life on Our Planet. Created by Silverback Films in collaboration with Amblin Television, the series displays Life on Our Planet across geological time in all its forms.
The Life on Our Planet series does a fantastic job of displaying the diversification and evolution of life throughout the Earth’s history. It makes science and the geological time of the Earth incredibly accessible for a global audience. I have really enjoyed watching the series so far, I only have episode eight left to watch so I am near the end of the series.
I will be reviewing the Life on Our Planet series in a blog post here on the website in the near future. I have many thoughts about the series so far but feel like I need to watch the series again before writing my review.
The Palaeocast interviews below provide some engaging discussion and in-depth science behind the creation of the series which I highly recommend checking out.
You can check out the Palaeocast podcast episodes below.
Episode 1.1 Life on Our Planet – Introduction
Episode 1.1 covers an introduction to the series with Dave Marshall and Dr Tom Fletcher explaining their roles in the documentary.
Episode 1.2 Life on Our Planet interview with showrunner Dan Tapster
In Episode 1.2 Dave Marshall is joined by showrunner Dan Tapster who discusses the story and logistical/creative side of Life on Our Planet.
Episode 2.1 Life on Our Planet Episode 2- Introduction
In Episode 2.1 Dave Marshall is joined again by Dr Tom Fletcher to talk about Episode 2 The First Frontier.
Episode 2.2 Life on Our Planet interview with Professor Christian Klug
In Episode 2.2 Dave Marshall is joined by Professor Christian Klug to discuss the Cambrian Explosion along with the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event and the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction.
Episode 2.3 Life on Our Planet interview with Dr Tom Fletcher
In Episode 2.3 Dave Marshall chats with Dr Tom Fletcher about the placoderm Dunkleosteus.
Episode 2.4 Life on Our Planet interview with Silverback researcher Edd Dyer
In Episode 2.4 Dave Marshall chats with Silverback Films researcher Edd Dyer about the research involved in Episode 2 of Life on Our Planet.
Episode 3.1 Life on Our Planet Episode 3- Introduction
In Episode 3.1 Dave Marshall is joined by Dr Tom Fletcher again for discussion about Episode 3 Invaders of the Land.
Episode 3.2 Life on Our Planet interview with Producer Sophie Lanfear
In Episode 3.1 Dave Marshall chats with producer Sophie Lanfear to discuss editorial decisions and the scope of Episode 3 Invaders of The Land.
Episode 3.3 Life on Our Planet interview with Professor Mike Benton
In Episode 3.3 Dave Marshall chats with Professor Mike Benton about the fin-to-limb transition and major events in tetrapod evolution.
Episode 3.4 Life on Our Planet interview with researcher Ida-May Jones
In Episode 3.4 Dave Marshall chats with Ida-May Jones about the research involved in Episodes 3 and 7 of the Life on Our Planet series.
Episode 4.1 Life on Our Planet Episode 4- Introduction
In Episode 4.1 Dave Marshall is joined by Dr Tom Fletcher again to discuss biomechanics, VFX and filming.
Episode 4.2 Life on Our Planet interview with producer Barny Revill
In Episode 4.2 Dave Marshall talks with Barny Revill one of the producer directors on Episodes 4 and 5 of Life on Our Planet.
Episode 4.3 Life on Our Planet interview with Professor Peter Falkingham
In Episode 4.3 Dave Marshall talks with Professor Peter Falkingham about biomechanics and how organisms move.
Episode 5.1 Life on Our Planet Episode 5- Introduction
In Episode 5.1 Dave Marshall is joined once again by Dr. Tom Fletcher to discuss Episode 5 In The Shadow of Giants.
Episode 5.2 Life on Our Planet interview with Barny Revill
In Episode 5.2 Dave Marshall is joined once again with producer Barny Revill to discuss Episode 5 In The Shadow of Giants.
Episode 5.3 Life on Our Planet interview with Dr Anjan Bhullar
In Episode 5.3 Dave Marshall discusses feather evolution with Dr Anjan Bhullar.
Episode 6.1 Life on Our Planet Episode 6- Introduction
In Episode 6.1 Dave Marshall is joined again by Dr Tom Fletcher to discuss Episode 6 Out of The Ashes.
Episode 6.2 Life on Our Planet interview with Dr Anjan Bhullar
In Episode 6.2 Dave Marshall is joined by Dr Anjan Bhullar to discuss non-avian dinosaurs and birds.
Episode 6.3 Life on Our Planet interview with Edd Dyer
In Episode 6.3 Dave Marshall is joined once again by Edd Dyer to discuss the research around the Chicxulub meteor impact and the K-Pg mass extinction.
Episode 6.4 Life on Our Planet interview with Dr Anjan Bhullar
In Episode 6.4 Dave Marshall is joined by Dr Anjan Bhullar again to discuss avian evolution post the K-Pg mass extinction.
Episode 7.1 Life on Our Planet Episode 7- Introduction
In Episode 7.1 Dave Marshall and Dr Tom Fletcher examine Episode 7 Inheriting The Earth.
Episode 7.2 Life on Our Planet interview with Professor Christine Janis
In Episode 7.2 Dave Marshall is joined by Professor Christine Janis to discuss mammalian evolution.
Episode 7.3 Life on Our Planet interview with Darren Williams
In Episode 7.3 Dave Marshall is joined by the assistant producer Darren Williams as they discuss the difficulties of filming snow leopards.
Episode 8.1 Life on Our Planet Episode 8- Introduction
In Episode 8.1 Dave Marshall is joined by Dr Tom Fletcher for the final time to discuss the eighth and final episode Age of Ice And Fire and working on Life on Our Planet.
Episode 8.2 Life on Our Planet interview with Professor Danielle Schreve
In Episode 8.2 Dave Marshall is joined by Professor Danielle Schreve to discuss the last two million years of the earths history.
Episode 8.3 Life on Our Planet interview with Sophie Lanfear
In Episode 8.3 Dave Marshall is joined once again by Episode 8 producer Sophie Lanfear to discuss wrapping up Life on Our Planet.
Episode 8.4 Life on Our Planet interview with Dan Tapster
In Episode 8.4 Dave Marshall is joined with showrunner Dan Tapster to discuss the whole of the Life on Our Planet series and what its legacy will be.
I hope you have enjoyed listening to the episodes above and finding out more about the development of Life on Our Planet. The Palaeocast interviews provide some brilliant insight into the palaeontological research and work which has gone into the development of the Netflix series.
In terms of website development, there will be more dinosaur fact files on the way soon. You can explore the dinosaur profiles tab on my website to find out more about dinosaur palaeobiology. My science communication outreach links can also be accessed at the scicomm links page.
James Ronan Palaeontologist 
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