[2] Utilising time-lapse photography, drones and specially designed camera rigs called "Triffids", the series aimed to show plant movements over prolonged periods, but sped up into real time.

Producer Paul Williams hired engineer Chris Field to develop new filmmaking technology for the series based on a prototype of the "Triffid" camera system in a Kickstarter video.

"In January, the upcoming release of The Green Planet, a five-part documentary about the biodiversity of plant life narrated by David Attenborough was announced.

[13][14] The series, which was presented from a "plant's-eye view",[15] was filmed using time-lapse photography, to show the slow progress of plant movements.

[17] A number of technologies, including drone-mounted cameras and motion-control robotics were used to capture the slow movements, defense mechanisms and growth of plants.

[21] Field had been inspired to develop timelapse camera technology by watching the BBC documentary Planet Earth.

[10] Producer Paul Williams discovered Fields' camera work by seeing a timelapse of Venus flytraps he had made that was linked on Kickstarter.

Williams stated that the name of the rigs came from John Wyndham's 1951 science fiction novel The Day of the Triffids, about a species of mobile, carnivorous plants.

[29][30] In 2021, BBC Studios pre-sold the series to a large number of overseas networks,[31] including Nine Network in Australia, TVNZ in New Zealand, Radio Canada, DR in Denmark, ERR in Estonia, LTV in Latvia, LRT in Lithuania, Movistar Plus+ in Spain, NRK in Norway, Friday!

[6] The series received widespread critical praise for its cinematography, technological advances, narration, presentation, storytelling and environmental message.

[32] Harry Cockburn of The Independent praised the show for bringing "an incredible level of drama, insight and imaginative presentation" to its subject matter.

"[34] Anita Singh, in a review for The Telegraph, also compared some of the show's imagery to that of horror films, and gave the series four out of five stars.

[36][37] Natalie Bennett, writing for The House, praised the series overall, but criticized it for relying on nature documentary tropes of conflict and struggle, and not also portraying examples of interspecies cooperation.

[41][42][43] Steve Clarke, writing for Variety, considered it to be an example of "a new willingness from TV types to put uncomfortable truths regarding environmental damage alongside feel-good shots of beautiful beasts and pristine landscapes.

[48] In February 2022, the BBC Natural History Unit and the Moondance Foundation launched #OurGreenPlanet, a conservation initiative inspired by the series.