Planet Earth IIis “a disaster for the world’s wildlife” and could contribute to extinction by lulling viewers into false sense of security, the broadcaster Martin Hughes-Games has suggested.

Hughes-Games, the Autumnwatch presenter, said the blockbuster nature programme was an “an escapist wildlife fantasy” which glossed over the damage humans have done to the natural world.

He told the Guardian: “These programmes are still made as if this worldwide mass extinction is simply not happening.

“No hint of the continuing disaster is allowed to shatter the illusion.”