Sir David Attenborough is returning to our screens with a new series about Asia and its wildlife.

Asia is a seven-part natural history series coming to the BBC which will explore the wildlife of our planet’s largest continent.

The BBC says the series will cover the length and breadth of Asia and reveal its most remarkable landscapes and animals and feature dramatic and previously unseen behaviour.

This series has been filmed over the course of nearly four years and it is the first time that Asia has been the focus of a major BBC wildlife series.

Viewers can look forward to seeing lots of exciting sights including the vast Gobi Desert, the jungles of Borneo, the polar wilderness of Siberia and the coral seas of the Indian Ocean.

The BBC explained this series will showcase the breathtaking variety of Asia’s wildest places.

Each of the seven episodes is an hour long and viewers can expect to see rhinos playing ‘kiss chase’ in a bizarre courtship ritual in Nepal.

In the foothills of the Himalayas, amidst forests of bamboo, they’ll meet Asia’s shyest and possibly cutest mammal: the red panda.

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Five thousand metres up on the Tibetan Plateau, they will witness a lone wolf relentlessly hunting a herd of antelope for hours on end.

In Sri Lanka, viewers will see elephants that have learnt to become highway thieves – holding up buses to get food from the passengers.

Plus in the rich waters of the Western Pacific, viewers will see sea snakes and fish that have learnt to team up to hunt together in huge shoals.

Where is Asia filmed?

Look out for a variety of locations across Asia that will feature in the programme, including Lake Baikal, the oldest and deepest lake in the world; the vast taiga forest that stretches across northern Russia; the Lut Desert in Iran; the Arabian Peninsula’s Empty Quarter; and several bustling Asian cities: Tokyo, Bangkok, Taipei, Bhopal, Hanoi and Singapore.

The BBC explains that Asia is the largest continent and no other place is as rich in superlatives. It has the highest mountain range, the deepest ocean, the tallest jungles and the biggest cave.

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It says the wildlife is equally impressive as the continent is home to six species of bear, three species of rhino and five species of big cat - more than Africa.

It’s also the land of the unexpected with creatures such as the mysterious sea bunny, the comical mudskipper, the elusive purple frog and the fluorescent deep-sea firefly squid.

The broadcaster said that iconic landscapes and intimate behaviour will be filmed using the very latest techniques, allowing viewers to experience the beauty and wonder of Asia like never before.

Asia will also explore the conservation challenges facing the continent and examine potential solutions.

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The continent is home to well over half the world’s human population and there is a growing movement within Asia to protect its wild places and animals and these stories of conservation heroes will feature prominently in the series.

How to watch Sir David Attenborough's new series Asia

The BBC has not yet confirmed when the show will air but it will be available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Sreya Biswas, BBC Head of Commissioning, Natural History, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have Sir David Attenborough presenting our fantastic new landmark series Asia for BBC One.

“Asia is a continent steeped in beauty and intrigue with some of the most wonderfully diverse habitats on the planet.

“A feast for the eyes, bringing these incredible locations and wildlife to the screen, with some behaviours never seen before, has been really exciting.”