Netflix explores Oceans with Honeyborne

Netflix has announced the first blue-chip natural history series to emerge from its partnership with the production company set up by Blue Planet II producer James Honeyborne.

James Honeyborne

The global streaming giant teamed up with Honeyborne’s newly launched Freeborne Media in January, signing a multi-year deal.

The first project is Oceans (working title) which will explore the 70% of the Earth’s surface that is covered in water.

Each episode will focus on a different ocean, combining the disciplines of oceanography, geography and Earth sciences. Production will begin later this year.

Honeyborne is the creator and executive producer of the award-winning series Blue Planet II. His recent BBC work includes the Bafta-winning Big Blue Live and the Emmy-nominated series Wild New Zealand. He was also the series producer on hit programme Africa.

Honeyborne, who trained as a biologist, has overseen some 35 films during his time as an executive producer at the BBC Natural History Unit.

He formed the company with his partner and director Renee Godfrey, who trained as an anthropologist and joined the BBC to work on Bruce Parry’s series Tribe, followed by BBC/Discovery Channel series Human Planet.

Netflix has been increasingly ambitious with its factual programming and has made a series of moves to take talent for its service, including hiring natural history icon Sir David Attenborough to front its wildlife show Our Planet.