The BBC has announced that it is currently filming a sequel to its most successful nature documentary series, Planet Earth.

Due to air later this year, the cunningly titled Planet Earth II will once again be narrated by Sir David Attenborough, but this time it will be shot entirely in 4K Ultra HD.

"A decade on from Sir David Attenborough’s Planet Earth, this new series promises to be an extraordinary experience for our audience," said Charlotte Moore, controller of TV channels and iPlayer at the Beeb.

"Filmed over three years across the globe with all the very latest technology, the series uncovers stories about the natural world we have simply never been able to witness before."

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The six-part series will again focus of the wild diversity of nature on our planet. This time though, more technology is available to the production team to get even closer to the action than ever before.

Drones, remote recording and camera stabilisation techniques that were not available when the original series was made have been used. However, the fact that all the footage will be in Ultra HD is a major leap forward.

Whether this means the BBC plans to launch a 4K service later this year, through broadcast or iPlayer, or if it will first release a 4K Blu-ray of the series is yet to be revealed.