Planet Earth

Name: Planet Earth
Genre: Documentary

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George Fenton's orchestral swell over the planet from orbit — twenty-nine seconds that set the house style for every natural history series since.

Planet Earth opens with a main title sequence of 29 seconds.

It arrived on BBC One in 2006, when A Question of Sport, Grandstand and Top of the Pops were also on the network.

The opening titles

29s

The opening titles.

2005–ABCDocumentary

The American Strictly, which runs two seasons a year and rebuilds its titles for most of them.

2000–CBSDocumentary

The competition format that rebuilt American primetime, and rebuilds its titles for every location.

2005–FoxDocumentary

Flames, a skull made of a chef's hat, and Gordon Ramsay shouting — the titles tell you exactly what the hour is.

2009–Logo / VH1 / MTVDocumentary

Eighteen seconds that get remade every season — new logo treatment, new track, new set of queens.

2002–Fox / ABCDocumentary

The talent format that ran American primetime for a decade, opening on a spotlight and a logo that spins.

2002–BBC TwoDocumentary

Twenty-one seconds of engine noise and a rock riff — a motoring programme that opens like a trailer for itself.