James Honeyborne

James Honeyborne is a documentary filmmaker and life-long ocean advocate. Previously creator of the BAFTA and EMMY winning series ‘Blue Planet II’, with Sir David Attenborough, as well as the new Netflix series, ‘Our Oceans’, told by Barack Obama.

A biologist by training and a storyteller by heart, James and his company Freeborne Media work with world-class underwater teams in every ocean. His work has been recognized by the United Nations, the European Union and her Majesty the Queen, who presented the Blue Planet II team with the Chatham House Prize for ‘sustained impact’ in galvanizing public engagement.

James’ previous career at BBC Natural History Unit spanned 25 years and included making Sir David Attenborough’s hit series ‘Africa’ and the BAFTA-winning live event: ‘Big Blue Live’. In January 2024, in collaboration with OceanX and the World Economic Forum, James and team connected Davos to the Deep Ocean, live.

Several of his most recent projects have featured the Southern Ocean, where he led a joint BBC / OceanX expedition to Antarctica in 2016, to document the seabed 1000m deep in crewed submersibles, for the first time.