Discovery Frozen Planet premieres Narrated by Alec Baldwin

"Frozen Planet," a Discovery Channel/BBC co-production that takes a fresh look at Antarctica as well as its north-end counterpart, the Arctic, in seven gorgeous episodes premiering tonight on Discovery. And while you may not be ready to dismiss filmdom's stars and screenplay writers as unnecessary, "Frozen Planet" makes a strong case that Nature — captured in the wild — can equal Hollywood for epic sweep and drama.

"Frozen Planet" premieres March 18 at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel.Berlowitz has produced and directed a score of BBC documentaries, including two episodes of "Planet Earth," and, like Fothergill, she logged time at both poles for "Frozen Planet." She lived aboard a Royal Naval icebreaker for four months filming penguins and whales, and, in the Arctic, spent three weeks filming female polar bears and their cubs while she was five months' pregnant.

“Frozen Planet” clears that bar easily when it delivers a slow-motion shot of a great grey owl flying directly toward the camera, or a pod of orcas swimming in formation toward an ice floe and raising their tails in unison to create a wave that will wash a tasty seal into the water.

Most of the dramas here involve more manageable numbers, with a dozen wolves trying to isolate and kill a young bison, or a mother polar bear walking hundreds of miles to catch the seals that make her milk nourishing enough to keep her cubs alive.

It’s not that we haven’t seen the polar regions before. But this special, narrated by Alec Baldwin, puts it all together in a way that makes it feel consistently more intriguing than the nature films you remember from school.

Frozen Planet was broadcast on BBC One and BBC HD starting 26 October 2011 and quickly became a ratings success, with the second episode broadcasted on 2 November 2011 becoming the highest rating Natural History programme in the UK since 2001.The Australian broadcast followed one day later on 27 October on the Nine Network and the United States broadcast on Discovery scheduled for early 2012.

The Discovery Channel originally declined to broadcast the final episode, dealing with climate warming issues, in the United States. They have subsequently reversed that standing and will air the controversial 7th episode as aired in the UK, hosted by David Attenborough. Alec Baldwin will provide narration for the first six instalments.