Sir David Attenborough's new show Dynasties hit our screens last week with an immediate emotional impact, detailing the heartbreaking story of David the chimp.
And Sunday night's episode 'Emperor' showed no signs of stopping the rollercoaster, this week focusing on a colony of emperor penguins braving the cruel Antarctic winter.
It was no less emotional for the camera crew in charge of making the episode, who had to make a decision that involved breaking one of Attenborough's cardinal rules for observing nature.
A producer on the show revealed that Attenborough is strongly against interfering in the lives of the animals being filmed.
But the end of the episode, which shows how it was made, showed the camera crew discovering a group of penguins with chicks separated from the rest of their colony in a gully.
"I know it's natural, but it's bloody hard to watch," said one of the cameramen.
What to Read Next
After observing for a while, the crew decided to take drastic action and dig a shallow ramp to help save some of the penguins.
The decision paid off, and a large number of penguins were able to rejoin the colony.
While controversial, the crew's action drew a largely positive response from viewers.
One tweeted: "Some payback for the damage humanity is doing to the natural world."
The rest of the episode also prompted several emotional responses, as it featured a group of bereaved penguins stealing a newborn chick from another one, and one mother penguin forced to abandon her chick in the snow and ice to save her own life.
Next week sees Dynasties head to Africa to look at big cats, in 'Lion'.
Dynasties next airs on Sunday, November 25 at 8.30pm on BBC One.
Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Instagram and Twitter account.
Jasper Hart is a freelance sub-editor and writer whose interests include US TV, movies and box office stats.
