From Somerset House to Ocean with David Attenborough

Directed by Toby Nowlan, Colin Butfield and Keith Scholey (the minds behind Our Planet), Ocean with David Attenborough takes viewers on a breathtaking journey showing there is nowhere more vital for our survival – more full of life, wonder, or surprise – than the ocean.

The celebrated and beloved broadcaster and filmmaker reveals how his lifetime has corresponded with the great age of ocean discovery through spectacular sequences featuring coral reefs, kelp forests and the open ocean. Attenborough shares why a healthy ocean keeps the entire planet stable and flourishing, in a ‘spectacular’ work (The Week Jr) that stands as ‘essential viewing for anyone that cares about the future of our planet’ (Cinemabang).

Attenborough’s Ocean is ‘a beacon of hope and optimism’ (Byline Times) and a project that he himself says is one of the most important films of his career as he enters his hundredth year (BBC).

Stunning, immersive cinematography showcases the wonder of life under the seas and exposes the realities and challenges facing our ocean as never-before-seen, from destructive fishing techniques to mass coral reef bleaching. Yet the story is one of optimism, with Attenborough pointing to inspirational stories from around the world to deliver his greatest message: the ocean can recover to a glory beyond anything anyone alive has ever seen.

Following screenings, exclusively in cinemas, A Deeper Dive with David Attenborough takes audiences behind the scenes with additional footage and interviews on the making of Ocean. See here for further information, showtimes and tickets.

Working within the Somerset House community from 2023 to present, Altitude is a vertically integrated film & TV company encompassing production, finance, international sales and UK & Irish distribution. To date, Altitude have championed over 250 films, ranging from the Academy and BAFTA award-winners, Moonlight (2016), Rocks (2019), Minari (2020), 20 Feet from Stardom (2013), Amy (2015), I Am Not Your Negro (2016) and I’m Still Here (2024) through to such critically films such as The Florida Project (2017), Diego Maradona (2019), All The Beauty And The Bloodshed (2022), Titane (2021), Lady Macbeth (2016), Beast (2017), Talk to Me (2023), Blue Jean (2023), Whitney (2018), David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet (2020) and more.

Blue Marine Foundation is a UK ocean conservation charity set up in 2010 by some of the team behind the award-winning documentary film, The End of the Line (2009). Blue Marine is dedicated to addressing overfishing – one of the world’s biggest environmental problems – and aims to restore life in the ocean by protecting and restoring marine environments. Its mission is to ensure the effective protection of at least 30 percent of the ocean by 2030 and the sustainable management of the whole ocean.

#THEBOTTOMLINE: Take Action to Protect UK Marine Havens

To coincide with the cinematic release of Ocean with David Attenborough – a project described by Oceanographic Magazine as ‘a direct call to arms’ – Blue Marine has launched its latest campaign, #TheBottomLine. The campaign has a collaborative call to action with Oceana UK and Only One to ban bottom trawling in the UK’s marine protected areas.

‘Ocean with David Attenborough’ is, if not the first, which it may well be, certainly the best documented example of trawling footage ever filmed, and its effect upon audiences will be truly shocking,’ says Charles Clover, Co-Founder and Senior Adviser to Blue Marine.

A poll commissioned earlier this year by Blue Marine showed that the majority of UK marine ‘protected’ areas, designed to conserve vital marine ecosystems, remain open to one of the most damaging fishing practices on Earth – bottom trawling.

Strikingly, 63% of Brits have no idea that the destructive practice of trawling is still allowed in Marine protected areas (MPAs): stretches of sea, whether inshore or offshore, designed to protect rare habitats and species. Bottom trawling involves dragging weighted nets across the seabed, which not only shreds fragile habitats such as cold-water corals and seagrass meadows but disturbs carbon stored in marine sediments, contributing to climate change. Now the study, based on a sample of 2,000 adults, finds that three in four adults (75%) support a ban on trawling in marine protected areas and 62% say a politician’s stance on ocean protection affects how they vote.

How can you help?

Do you want to know more about bottom trawling in UK MPAs? Blue Marine have prepared these FAQs for you, and you can find out more about Blue Marine’s #TheBottomLine campaign and the group’s asks for England and Scotland on the Blue Marine website here.

Altitude x Blue Marine at Somerset House

To celebrate the release of Ocean with David Attenborough, Somerset House hosted an exclusive resident community event on April 30th 2025; a conversation on the power of filmmaking in driving real-world solutions to our world’s most urgent challenges, featuring Clare Brook, CEO of Blue Marine Foundation; George Duncan-Jones, a Blue Marine Researcher; Aisling McGarrigle, a Senior Policy Officer for Blue Marine; and Mark Jones, Altitude’s Head of Publicity. Hosted by Rachael Baskeyfield – Senior Community Manager at Somerset House – we welcomed creatives, artists, researchers and innovators from across our workspaces to reflect on how arts can play a role in influencing policy, reaching and inspiring new audiences through powerful collaboration. Find out more about our creative community at work within Somerset House here.