No animal violence: BBC series offers more calming natural world

Voiceover by ex-Buddist monk, Mindful Escapes hopes to boost viewers' mental health during pandemic

The BBC's new natural history programme will ignore the animal kingdom's violent side and instead highlight nature's calming elements, as part of an effort to boost mental health during the coronavirus crisis.

Rather than focusing on the dramatic footage of life-or-death battles that has defined shows such as Planet Earth, the new series will feature footage of more tranquil animal behaviour - such as whales circling each other and elephants swimming for minutes on end.