Really like to love all of the 22 BBC 'Wildlife Specials', 18 of which narrated by David Attenborough and the others by David Tennant. Have a preference for Attenborough's contributions, being a big fan of his, but the Wildlife Specials narrated by Tennant have all the qualities that made Attenborough's so great.
As far as the BBC Wildlife Specials go, 'Penguins: Spy in the Huddle' is one of my favourites. It is though my personal favourite of the 'Wildlife Specials: The Spy Collection' series, and for me the best of the Tennant-narrated entries (my least favourite being 'Swarm: Nature's Incredible Invasions' but that is still very good, just that the others focus on animals that appeal to me more).
Did criticise a few of the Wildlife Specials for being too short and not having enough episodes with so much to cover. Didn't feel that way with 'Penguins: Spy in the Huddle'. Maybe there is a bias due for my adoration of penguins, stemming way back to watching 'Pingu' over and over as a child.
'Penguins: Spy in the Huddle' has a huge amount to love. It looks wonderful, beautiful scenery that are like characters of their own and for the quite unique techniques used (done wrong it could have looked really amateurish) the camera work was fluid and natural, not quite cinematic but intimate and clever making us feel like an invisible presence amongst the penguins.
Music score fits very well, not too grandiose or too inappropriately quirky. It is better than a couple of the Attenborough documentaries (though elsewhere all of those are superior) at not being too intrusive and not featuring too much.
From start to finish, 'Penguins: Spy in the Huddle' is interesting and does very well at entertaining and teaching, not everything is new but there is a good balance of the familiar and not so familiar and the information is to the point and not too speculative or overly-subjective. Also excels at not falling into the trap of telling too much of a story approach, this worked with Attenborough because there was still lots that educated and were backed up, but haven't seen it done as successfully elsewhere. The different types of penguins are diverse and are at points strikingly human, their curiosity, intelligence, adapting and struggles being relatable and great to watch. They are more than just cute, they also have vulnerability and resourcefulness and it shows on screen in all their stages, whether in the playful, intimate or more suspenseful scenes.
David Tennant's narration is simply splendid. He delivers with enthusiasm and sincerity, making one want to know more while never talking down to the viewer. The series never felt too episodic and there is a real sense of a story being told with a real honesty and animals worth relating to without going overboard, not getting too humanised or overly-subjective.
To conclude, really wonderful and a must watch. Not the quintessential documentary on penguins, having to compete with the more emotional and ground-breaking Attenborough contributions that had some iconic scenes, but very close. 10/10 Bethany Cox
