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Michael Gunton

Michael Gunton

Producer and director, also writer and cinematographer

Primetime Emmy winner · BAFTA Award winner

Mike Gunton is a British television producer and a senior executive at the BBC Natural History Unit, the world's largest production unit dedicated to wildlife film-making. In November 2009 he became the Unit's first Creative Director. As Creative Director of BBC Studios Natural History Unit, he is responsible for bringing new and pioneering stories about the natural world to global audiences, including the BAFTA and Emmy winning Planet Earth II, which was viewed by millions worldwide. In 2018, his ground-breaking animal behaviours series, Dynasties, won a number of awards and was acclaimed by Sir David Attenborough as inventing a new genre in natural history film making. A fellow of the Royal Television Society, he also speaks internationally and is an ambassador for natural history making, BBC Studios and the natural world. He was the executive producer of Life, a nature documentary series which revealed the adaptive survival strategies of animals around the world, and as the co-author (with Martha Holmes) of the accompanying book. He co-directed (with Holmes) a feature film version of Life, and was the executive producer of a major BBC One series on African wildlife, broadcast in 2013. Description above from the Wikipedia article Mike Gunton, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Producer and director, also writer and cinematographer
Titles
27 on MovieCove · 44 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 30% in 30 days

What are Michael Gunton's films like?

Across their 24 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Ideas and Survival.

Themes

share of theme weight
Ideas
43%
Survival
30%
Society
10%
Self
8%
Bonds
7%
Power
3%
Nature18 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival16 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 6 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 5 · Charged 1 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
21
Warm
17
Joyful
8
Tense
6
Thrilling
4
Other
7

How their films linger

Hopeful18 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet6
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical11

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Michael Gunton's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 22 of their 27 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Gunton's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

44 credits, 27 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Lion(2026)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Kingdom(2025)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Planet Earth: Forces of Nature (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Executive Producer

  • The Americas(2025)

    Show 10 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Planet Earth: Hostile Paradise or Perfect Hell? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Producer

  • Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Executive Producer

  • Planet Earth III(2023)

    Show 8 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Prehistoric Planet(2022)

    Show 15 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Fantastic Beasts: A Natural History(2022)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Green Planet(2022)

    Show 5 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • The Year Earth Changed(2021)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Primates(2020)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Dynasties(2018)

    Show 9 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Big Cats (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Attenborough and the Sea Dragon(2018)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Lake District: A Wild Year (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Executive Producer

  • Earth: One Amazing Day(2017)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Wild Tales From The Village (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Director

  • Planet Earth II(2016)

    Show 1 episode · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all shows

  • Zoo Quest in Colour(2016)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur(2016)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Wild West: America's Great Frontier(2016)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Attenborough's Paradise Birds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Executive Producer

  • Life Story(2014)

    Show 6 episodes · Cinematographer · Producer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Tiny Giants 3D (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Writer

  • Hidden Kingdoms(2014)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Enchanted Kingdom(2014)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Great British Year(2013)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)

  • Africa(2013)

    Show 6 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • One Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Director · Writer

  • Attenborough and the Giant Egg (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Executive Producer

  • Madagascar(2011)

    Show 3 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • The Great Rift: Africa's Greatest Story(2010)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Life(2009)

    Show 10 episodes · Cinematographer · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Yellowstone(2009)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Galapagos(2006)

    Show 3 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Planet Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 11 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Europe: A Natural History (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 4 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Wild Europe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 4 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer

  • Life on Air: David Attenborough's 50 Years in Television (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Executive Producer

  • The Making Of The Trials Of Life - Once More Into The Termite Mound (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director · Producer

  • The Trials of Life(1990)

    Show 12 episodes · Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • The Trials of Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director · Producer

  • Hidden Planet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show Executive Producer

Career shape

A full career of 39 titles, 38 of them dated from 1990 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Earth: One Amazing Day (2017)

$13M worldwide

Highest rated

Dynasties (2018)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Planet Earth III (2023)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing5 of 39: 2 only directing, 3 with another roleWriting3 of 39: 1 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing35 of 39: 29 only producing, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score96thCinematography1 of 39: 0 only cinematography, 1 with another roleOther crew3 of 39: 0 only other crew, 3 with another role

39 titles, 7 with more than one role — producing and directing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1990s3 · crew2000s7 · crew2010s17 · crew2020s11 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

a Primetime Emmy and a BAFTA Award from 4 major nominations, 2010–2023.

WinNomination
  1. 2023
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Specialist Factual
  2. 2017
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Specialist Factual
  3. 2010
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Nonfiction Series

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Michael Gunton's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 94th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 87th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

93rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 27 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up26
  • 50th to 74th1

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 27 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved13
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · producer

Planet Earth II (2016)

66th percentile spread · 11% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Dynasties (2018)

Midcredits 99th · 96% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 72/100 and the pacing 59/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Michael Gunton work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Gunton's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David Attenborough shares the most, 9.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles