22 April 2024 – Sir David Attenborough has been narrating nature documentaries for over 70 years, and is known across the world as the voice of nature. But as our natural world faces greater challenges, one voice alone is not enough to speak up on behalf of Planet Earth.

To mark Earth Day on 22 April, the acclaimed BBC documentary series Planet Earth III has collaborated with BBC Children in Need to premiere a special episode, uniquely narrated by schoolchildren. The children, aged between nine and thirteen, read from Sir David Attenborough’s original scripts with heartwarming results, as they champion the power of youth voices to speak up for the planet.

The 50 student narrators – and budding naturalists – were chosen from schools selected by BBC Children in Need as some of the most engaged fundraisers for the charity across the UK in recent years.

An estimated 100,000 students nationwide will tune into a virtual assembly hosted by wildlife biologist, explorer and presenter Lizzie Daly and will serve as a platform for a thought provoking Q&A with the producers of Planet Earth III. BBC Children in Need have also created classroom resource packs to complement the episode and assembly, full of fun activities, including the opportunity for students to narrate clips from Planet Earth III. The resource packs are available now to download from the BBC Children in Need website.

Following the success of the initial phase of the Voice for Nature initiative, which featured well-known voices such as Dua Lipa, Gary Lineker and Ian Wright, this latest instalment aims to once again spotlight the importance of speaking up for our planet.

Wildlife Biologist, Explorer and Presenter, Lizzie Daly, says: “I’m thrilled to be presenting the Become a Voice for Nature live schools assembly on Earth Day! I want to encourage schools across the UK to download a Become a Voice for Nature resource pack from the BBC Children in Need website and join us to hear more from the producers of Planet Earth III and learn more about the planet, how it impacts our lives and what we can do to protect it. I can’t wait, see you all there.”

In celebration of Earth Day, viewers can join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #BecomeAVoiceForNature. The episode will be available to watch on iPlayer on 22 April and will air on BBC One on 6 May. Viewers will be encouraged to visit the Our Planet Now page where they can learn more about how to become a voice for nature.