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As the creative director of BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit, Emmy winner Mike Gunton has captivated audiences with docuseries like Planet Earth II, Prehistoric Planet, and Dynasties, all of which explore the world’s flora and fauna through millions of years. About five years ago, while searching for a new story, Gunton realized that there had never been “a series about the whole of the Americas,” he says, referring to North, South, and Central. It’s the only continent to stretch between both poles, and it’s surely worthy of the endeavor. “It doesn’t have elephants or gorillas, [but] it has everything else in its diversity of habitats, including the biggest, longest, oldest, and fastest among the animals. It’s a wildlife filmmaker’s dream.” The result: NBC’s 10-episode The Americas. The massive project filmed over 180 expeditions, from the Arctic to South America’s icy southern tip. BBC Studios Turns out,...

Exclusive: NBC’s is giving a big push to its upcoming nature documentary The Americas. The first hour of the 10-part event series now also will air on sister networks Bravo, CNBC, E!, Syfy and USA in addition to its back-to-back two-episode premiere on the broadcaster.

The series, narrated by Tom Hanks, is set to premiere on at 7 p.m. February 23. Episodes will be made available next day on Peacock.

In April, Peacock will release a behind-the-scenes special titled The Making of ‘The Americas,’ which will offer a glimpse at the five years of filming across 180 expeditions that allowed the docuseries to come to life.

Deadline can exclusively reveal a sneak peek at The Making of ‘The Americas,’ which is embedded above, explaining some of the extreme conditions that the team had to face on their journey from trekking through corrosive waters 14,000 feet up in the Andes to film flamingos to weathering Amazonian lightning storms.

NBC has shared a first look at The Americas, the 10-part television event premiering on Sunday, February 23 at 7/6c on NBC and streaming on Peacock. In the video, narrator Tom Hanks invites you to “sit with every member of your family and watch.”

The Americas comes from BBC Studios Natural History Unit, the creators of the critically acclaimed and multi-Emmy Award-winning Planet Earth and Blue Planet, in association with Universal Television Alternative Studio.

The tentpole series is executive produced by Mike Gunton, with music by Oscar and Grammy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer.

The Americas showcases the wonders, secrets and fragilities of the world’s greatest supercontinent. For the first time, the Americas stars in its own incomparable series, using cutting-edge technology to uncover never-before-seen behavior and highlight the extraordinary, untold wildlife stories that will deeply connect with millions around the world.

Five years in the making and filmed over 180 expeditions,...

NBC has finally released its schedule for the 2023 to 2024 TV season, and this time around new series from Jon Cryer and Tom Hanks are leading the charge alongside network staples. NBC’s fall schedule will include three new scripted series as well as a new night of Big Ten Football.

“Lopez vs. Lopez” and “Law and Order: Organized Crime” will also officially be returning, though they’re not set to premiere until midseason. According to Jeff Bader, President of Entertainment Program Planning Strategy for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, “Organized Crime” is currently undergoing a showrunner change and does not currently have a showrunner. “It actually is best for the show to have some time to regroup, and it’ll come on as part of the Thursday lineup later in the season,” Bader told TheWrap.

As for “American Auto,” “Grand Crew” and “Young Rock,” NBC has yet to make a decision...

Exclusive: Nicki Minaj is set to executive produce and star in Lady Danger, a new animated series from Amazon Freevee based on the Dark Horse comic book series of the same name written by Alex de Campi, Deadline has learned.

Alongside Minaj, executive producers also include Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson under his G-Unit Film & TV banner, as well as Brian Sher, and Paul Young & Mike Griffin for Make Good Content. Starburns Industries is the animation studio.

Written by executive producers Carlton Jordan and Crystle Roberson, the series—set in the year 2075—follows a government field agent who is left for dead by her team after discovering a dangerous secret, only to be resurrected as Lady Danger, an afrofuturistic ass-kicking Agent of B.O.O.T.I (Bureau of Organized Terrorism Intervention), who must conceal her true identity while she fights villains who are destroying the earth and its vulnerable inhabitants.

Jordan’s credits as a writer,...

There are few things of which Britain is a world-leading exporter these days. Marmalade, perhaps, or nostalgia. But above all else, this country is incontrovertibly the market’s premier provider of wildlife documentaries, from Blue Planet to Planet Earth, Dynasties to The Hunt. Now, the BBC is back with its latest colossal undertaking, Frozen Planet II, a five-episode series sifting through the snow and peering beneath the ice sheets of our vast glacial landscapes.

This new series opens with its narrator, Sir David Attenborough, speaking on camera about the urgency of its themes. It’s an alarming start: not just because of the perils of climate change, but because I’m so used to Attenborough being a disembodied voice. The point of portraying these frozen wastelands, he announces, is “to witness their wonders, while there is still time to save them”. It is a theme that will recur throughout the episode,...

That Nat Geo tile on Disney+ just upped its star power. At Monday’s Television Critics Association (TCA) Winter Press Tour, National Geographic unveiled 13 new original projects being produced for the streaming service, including shows from Will Smith, Jon Favreau and David Blaine.

Smith’s new series, “Pole to Pole,” comes under his Westbrook company’s first-look deal with Nat Geo. “Pole to Pole” follows Smith as he journeys 26,000 miles over 100 days from the South Pole to the North Pole.

Darren Aronofsky, James Cameron and Ron Howard/Brian Grazer are each overseeing a pair of new Disney+ programs under the Nat Geo banner. One of the projects from the Imagine duo will be Howard’s “We Feed People,” which premieres at SXSW ahead of its Memorial Day streaming launch. “We Feed People” follows chef José Andrés and his nonprofit World Central Kitchen’s mission in the disaster relief sector.

One...

BBC Studios is expanding its relationship with Malaysia’s pay TV giant Astro with the launch of linear channels BBC Earth and BBC Lifestyle together with on-demand channels BBC First and BBC Brit.

Astro made BBC Earth and BBC Lifestyle available from Sept. 15, with BBC First and BBC Brit launching Oct. 15.

BBC Earth is home to award-winning natural history and science programming such as Primates, Dynasties, Seven Worlds, One Planet, A Perfect Planet and the upcoming series Eden: Untamed Planet. BBC Lifestyle features the BBC’s host of home, design and cookery shows from global names such as Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Oliver.

BBC First is ...

BBC Studios is expanding its relationship with Malaysia’s pay TV giant Astro with the launch of linear channels BBC Earth and BBC Lifestyle together with on-demand channels BBC First and BBC Brit.

Astro made BBC Earth and BBC Lifestyle available from Sept. 15, with BBC First and BBC Brit launching Oct. 15.

BBC Earth is home to award-winning natural history and science programming such as Primates, Dynasties, Seven Worlds, One Planet, A Perfect Planet and the upcoming series Eden: Untamed Planet. BBC Lifestyle features the BBC’s host of home, design and cookery shows from global names such as Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Oliver.

BBC First is ...

“Planet Earth” producer Jonny Keeling has been appointed the new head of the BBC’s Natural History Unit (Nhu), Variety can exclusively reveal. He takes up the new role in December.

Keeling, who is currently series producer on “Planet Earth III,” will be responsible for all of the Nhu’s creative and commercial activity, reporting to BBC Studios’ managing director of factual, Tom McDonald. He will also join McDonald’s leadership team.

The producer, whose credits include David Attenborough series “Planet Earth,” “Planet Earth II,” and “Seven Worlds, One Planet,” will take over as the unit’s head from Julian Hector, whose five-year stint saw him oversee shows such as “Blue Planet II,” “Dynasties” and “The Green Planet.”

Hector also oversaw the Nhu’s first original commissions for international broadcasters. Keeling’s remit will include developing the unit’s presence in North America via its satellite office in Los Angeles.

Julian Hector, head of the Natural History Unit at BBC Studios Productions, will step down at the end of the year after five years leading the unit, and almost three decades at the BBC.

Since taking over from Wendy Darke in 2016, Hector has overseen a stellar period in the Bristol, England-based production house’s 64-year history, with shows like “Planet Earth II,” “Blue Planet II,” “Dynasties” and “Seven Worlds, One Planet” proving global successes.

Under his leadership, the Natural History Unit (Nhu) also won several new commissions, including the BBC’s “The Green Planet” and “Frozen Planet II,” Apple’s upcoming “The Year the Earth Changed,” National Geographic’s “Ocean Xplorers,” “Endangered” for Discovery, and “The Americas” for NBCU.

In the past four years the unit’s output has received more than 200 awards, including four Emmys and 11 BAFTA TV awards.

Hector began at the unit in 1993, producing series like “Battle of the Sexes...

Julian Hector, the head of BBC Studios’ iconic Natural History Unit, is leaving after nearly 30 years of service to the production division behind global hits including Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Seven Worlds, One Planet.

Hector first joined the Natural History Unit in 1993 and succeeded Wendy Darke as its head in 2016. BBC Studios said he has presided over the most successful period in the Bristol-based unit’s 64-year history, steering Planet Earth II, Blue Planet II, Dynasties to the screen.

As well as making these BBC landmarks, Hector has expanded the Nhu’s client base into the streaming world, helping the production outfit win commissions including The Year The Earth Changed for Apple TV+. He is leaving to pursue other interests connected to wildlife and championing the natural world.

BBC Studios’ managing director of factual Tom McDonald said: “I have nothing but admiration for Julian – he’s been an exceptional colleague.

Access for U.K. producers and distributors to the lucrative Chinese TV and film market could be under further threat amid worsening political relations between China and the U.K.

Tensions between the two countries have centred on their media brands in recent weeks. The relationship, which has been fraught for some time, reached a breaking point when China’s international English-language news channel Cgtn was stripped of its U.K. broadcast licence after media regulator Ofcom concluded it was ultimately controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. Days later, in a tit for tat move, China’s State Film, TV and Radio Administration retaliated by banning BBC World News from the country.

In recent years, TV trade between the two countries has become more complex and challenging against a backdrop of Anglo-Chinese tensions over pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, former President Trump’s trade wars, and the banning of Huawei from U.

Updated: Networks and streamers are setting special programming to mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22. We’ll be updating as more information comes in, so refresh for the latest.

National Geographic has programmed an entire day of special Earth Day programming on April 22, culminating with two Nat Geo specials.

More from Deadline'The Story Of Plastic' Documentary To Premiere On Discovery Channel In Honor Of Earth DayRon Howard And Brian Grazer Set Nat Geo Docu Following Chef José Andrés And World Central KitchenApple Releases IPhone Se, A $399 Device For Uncertain Economic Times

Jane Goodall: The Hope, featuring the legendary Dr. Jane Goodall, follows her throughout her travels, capturing her commitment and determination to spread a message of hope. Premiering April 22, at 9/8c on Nat Geo and Nat Geo Wild. Born Wild: The Next Generation is produced in tandem with ABC News and hosted by Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts.

At last year's San Diego Comic-Con, AMC announced they would take viewers deeper into Christmasland with a second season renewal of NOS4A2, the adaptation of Joe Hill's novel of the same name. Now it's been announced that season 2 will premiere this June on AMC, and new photos offer a look at what lies ahead for the show's eclectic cast of characters after the time jump in between seasons.

NOS4A2 Season 2 will premiere on Monday, June 1st at 10:00pm Et on AMC, and the second season will also be simulcast on BBC America.

The second season takes place eight years after season 1, once again pitting Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings) agains the evil Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto).

Stay tuned to Daily Dead for more updates on the second season (including the upcoming trailer), and check out the full press release and photo gallery below:

Press Release: AMC announced today that...

NBC is embarking to “The New World,” a 10-part global event series from BBC Studios Natural History Unit set to air in 2024. The announcement was made during NBC’s presentation at the Television Critics Association press tour on Saturday.

The four-year project will marks the network’s first venture into the natural history space for a global audience. “The New World” is the first NBC commission for BBC Studios since it formed in 2017, and NBC has retained significant distribution rights globally and across platforms.

A logline for the upcoming series reads: “The premium landmark series will take viewers on an unforgettable journey across Earth’s only super-continent, which is home to the greatest variety of life on the planet, from the largest rainforests, tallest trees, oldest living beings and the most extreme elemental forces. From the creators of critically acclaimed and multi-Emmy Award-winning natural history series ‘Planet Earth II’ and ‘Blue Planet II,...

Sir David Attenborough’s latest wildlife epic, Seven Worlds, One Planet, got off to a strong start for BBC One ahead of its premiere on BBC America next year.

The globe-trotting nature show, which spotlights the natural wonders in different continents each episode, was seen by nearly 7M people at 6.15Pm on BBC One.

It was comfortably the most-watched show at the time, and its viewing share of 35.57% was ahead of the 27.17% the slot usually attracts, according to Barb ratings figures provided by overnights.tv.

Seven Worlds, One Planet beat the debut of Dynasties last year, which was seen by 5.7M, but could not compete with the premieres of Blue Planet II (10.4m) and Planet Earth II (9.2m) — although both these were shown at the later time of 8Pm.

Seven Worlds, One Planet started in Antarctica and featured a dramatic scene in which a gentoo penguin tried to escape a...

As the BBC gears up to premiere its epic new nature series, Seven Worlds, One Planet, later this month, the show continues to prove popular with international broadcasters.

The co-production with BBC America, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, has been sold by BBC Studios to Sweden (Svt), Denmark (Dr), Norway (Nrk), Spain (Telefonica), Czech Republic (Prima and Czech TV) and Latin America’s Discovery as part of an existing multi-year partnership.

The seven-part series – which tells the story of the planet through the eyes of a different continent in each episode – already counts Tencent Penguin Pictures, Zdf, France Télévisions and China’s CCTV9 among its co-production partners.

BBC Earth in India and BBC Earth channels across Africa, Canada, Nordics, Asia, Medme, Poland and Cee will also be showing the series.

Paul Dempsey, president of global distribution for BBC Studios, said: “The appetite for blue chip series from BBC Studios’ natural...

The BBC’s Natural History Unit to lead a mass walk-out.

UK broadcasting union Bectu and producers from the BBC’s Natural History Unit are among those supporting screen industries involvement in a global ’climate strike’ today (September 20).

While Bectu stopped short of endorsing strike action, it offered its endorsement of the #FilmStrikeForClimate campaign, which aims to gather members of the screen industries to show support for the climate change movement.

A Bectu statement said: “We will be using the September climate week of action to highlight our support for tougher action on carbon emissions and to create a low-carbon society.

The BBC’s Natural History Unit to lead a mass walk-out.

UK broadcasting union Bectu and the BBC’s Natural History Unit are among the organisations supporting screen industries involvement in a global ’climate strike’ today (September 20).

While Bectu stopped short of endorsing strike action, it offered its endorsement of the #FilmStrikeForClimate campaign, which aims to gather members of the screen industries to show support for the climate change movement.

A Bectu statement said: “We will be using the September climate week of action to highlight our support for tougher action on carbon emissions and to create a low-carbon society.

“One Cup, A Thousand Stories,” a major factual series about the history and influence of tea, has been commissioned from BBC Studios, by Migu, the digital content subsidiary of China Mobile. The series is BBC Studios’ first fully-funded production commission in China.

BBC Studios has previously worked with other Chinese broadcasters to co-produce titles including “Dynasties” and “Blue Planet II.” The fully-funded commission of “One Cup” follows several months in which BBC Studios Factual production team has had a presence in China, and worked with Kelvin Yau, Svp and Gm, Greater China, BBC Studios, to explore opportunities and partnerships.

“One Cup,” which will be delivered as a 6 x 50 minutes series, was developed and will be produced by BBC Studios in Scotland. It will be distributed internationally by BBC Studios.

The series will travel across the varied landscapes of China to explore its many teas, meet the people who have built a life around it,...

Actress Sanaya Irani, who is passionate about animals and animal welfare, says Indian cinema should make space for wildlife content.

At a screening of Sony BBC Earth's internationally acclaimed wildlife series "Dynasties" here, Sanaya said: "Firstly, I am a big animal lover and get very excited around animals. The makers have spent so much time in making this series, I think it is wonderful. Indian cinema should make space for such wildlife content, for the balance of the whole system."

Also Read:?Stars come out in support of Sony BBC Earth's premiere 'Dynasties'

"It is important to have awareness regarding animals, forests and everything related to the environment."

Her husband and actor Mohit Sehgal says he has become an animal lover because of Sanaya.

"After we both started living together, we even got a pet dog. I can say I have become an animal person now. Whenever we go out for vacations,...

BBC Studios has signed a co-production deal with Chinese firms Tencent Penguin Pictures and the state-run China Media Group CCTV9 for its new natural history series “Seven Worlds, One Planet.”

The series will look at how animal life and behavior has been shaped by the unique environmental circumstances of each of our seven continents. In Asia, it will look more at animals living at the extremes, while in Europe, it will delve into unexpected wildlife living closer to home.

The deal is a continuation of a long and growing partnership between BBC Studios and the Chinese firms. The British broadcaster started working with CCTV9 as early as 2008, when they co-produced the series “Wild China.” They have since collaborated on projects such as “Africa,” “Blue Planet II,” and, most recently, “Dynasties.”

“We’ve been partnering with BBC Studios for some time to bring premium documentaries to our audiences in China,” said...

BBC Studios and German pubcaster Zdf have formed a strategic partnership to develop and co-produce “world-class content,” the two companies announced Thursday.

The new long-term partnership will bring BBC Studios, the British pubcaster’s commercial arm, and Zdf together to co-develop scripted TV series, such as “The Mallorca Files,” created by Dan Sefton. Both companies will pitch scripted projects with international appeal.

The deal also gives Zdf an exclusive first-look option in Germany to co-produce new landmark titles from BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit, such as the upcoming “One Planet, Seven Worlds,” as well as a first option on BBC Studios’ factual catalog.

Norbert Himmler, chief content officer at Zdf, said the two companies shared “the aspiration to offer the highest-quality programs across all genres.”

“The new substantial agreement consolidates the traditional and successful cooperation between the two broadcasters and strengthens our position against increasingly fierce competition – especially in times of limited financial resources,...

AMC Networks is making a play for one of the most desirable TV audiences of all – families.

The New York-based media company, which operates AMC, IFC,We TV, SundanceTV and BBC America, intends to go after broad family viewing by launching a “micro-network” devoted to programming about natural history and by expanding its efforts around Christmas-themed programming to all five of its entertainment networks.

“What advertiser wouldn’t want to be in the kind of content that makes people feel good?” asked Sarah Barnett, president of the entertainment networks group at AMC Networks, in an interview.

In the fourth quarter of this year, AMC Networks will launch “Project Awe,” a Saturday-only schedule devoted to nature and wildlife programming that will air on BBC America. Thanks to a new five-year deal with the BBC, viewers can get first U.S. looks at new installments of popular franchises like “Planet Earth” and “Frozen Planet.

Discovery, Inc. and BBC Studios have struck a “multi-million pound global content partnership,” the companies said on Monday, which will bring BBC’s “Planet Earth,” “Blue Planet,” “Life,” “Dynasties” and other natural-history titles to Discovery’s Svod platforms.

The 10-year deal, which should close in late spring, relies on Discovery launching a new global streaming service for natural history programming by 2020 that will operate outside the U.K., Ireland and China.

In addition to the hundreds of hours of already existing content, Discovery and BBC Studios will develop new landmark factual content together. The two companies will co-fund a dedicated development team within BBC Studios.

Also Read: Discovery's David Zaslav Made Nearly $130 Million Last Year

Discovery will now also take full ownership of UKTV’s “lifestyle” channels, like Good Food, Home, and Really, while BBC Studios gets the “entertainment” ones. Following completion, James Gibbons will manage the lifestyle channels as part of Discovery’s U.

Hot on the heels of the acclaimed docuseries Dynasties, BBC America has announced two more awe-inspiring nature documentaries: Frozen Planet II and Planet Earth III.

Frozen Planet II comes 10 years after the original series and will explore the areas of our planet that are still locked in ice and

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Other Links From TVGuide.com Planet EarthPlanet Earth IIFrozen Planet...

The BBC is doubling down on its landmark Planet strand with three new major natural history titles. The British public broadcaster has ordered Perfect Planet in addition to follow ups to Planet Earth and Frozen Planet.

The move is a major statement of intent from the BBC, which has regularly backed big-budget wildlife series. The BBC has called these orders part of an “unprecedented commitment” to natural history.

Perfect Planet will be a unique fusion of blue chip natural history and earth sciences explaining how the living planet operates. This five-part series will show how the forces of nature – weather, ocean currents, solar energy and volcanoes – drive, shape and support Earth’s great diversity of life. It will broadcast in 2020.

Notably, Perfect Planet, which is being producd by Silverback Films in association with China’s Tencent Penguin Pictures, France Télévisions and The Open University, does not yet have a U.

“Dynasties” is a new breed of nature documentary. With drama this thrilling and gut-wrenching, it’s not for the faint of heart. More intense than “Planet Earth,” “Dynasties” sticks with one animal family per episode to follow their heartbreaking fates and triumphant fortunes.

“It’s a very different editorial approach,” says longtime nature program narrator Sir David Attenborough. “The thought was we’ll watch them over the next two-and-a-half years and show you exactly what happens. We won’t fiddle around with it; we will show the action as truthful as we can.”

These are cutthroat stories of survival that have the highest of stakes. Yes, these are actual creatures who live and die in the wild, but also each of the animals featured on the BBC-produced series is on the endangered species list. If a real, concerted effort isn’t made to protect them, “Dynasties” could be one...

Just getting to one of the locations of BBC America wildlife documentary series “Dynasties” — presented by David Attenborough and following the lives of endangered animals — requires an 11-hour flight from London to Johannesburg, a two-hour connection to Harare, Zimbabwe, an hourlong chartered Cessna 206 trip to Mana Pools National Park airstrip and an hour’s drive to the banks of the Zambezi River.

Imagine the logistics of making the trek with 50 bags of gear.

Difficulties abound. Authorities will “go through every single piece of equipment, every battery you have, to match serial numbers,” says Nick Lyon, director of the series’ “Painted Wolf” episode. He adds that producers need to be aware of certain restrictions, including the prohibition of camera equipment of American military origin.

Lyon and executive producer Mike Gunton were not allowed to bring in the latest HD thermal cameras, which they were going to use for night shoots. Instead,...

Someday, nature documentary filmmakers will run out of ways to make the world around us seem fascinating. That day will not be happening until at least after next year.

BBC America has released the latest look at its upcoming “Dynasties,” an ambitious five-part series with a release plan to match. On January 19, the series will begin airing across the entire AMC Networks family, which means that IFC, SundanceTV, and AMC audiences will all have the chance to watch animals prowling, pairs mating, and a number of animals fighting for survival.

In advance of the series premiere, BBC America released a preview featuring executive producer Mike Gunton, who gives an overview of what viewers can expect. The five installments will each focus on a different habitat and species within the animal kingdom. Many of them will seek to illuminate the lives of a familiar species through an in-depth look at one...

Sunday night’s launch of the latest season of “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!” on ITV has become the U.K.’s most-watched show in 2018, eclipsing recent BBC smash hit “Bodyguard” and everything else on British TV aside from live coverage of the World Cup soccer tournament.

The series debuted in the U.K. in 2002, and while the likes of other reality-tv staples such as “Big Brother” have run out of steam, “I’m a Celebrity…” still appears to be firing on all cylinders. The launch of Season 18 averaged 11 million viewers in a tough Sunday 9 p.m. slot against “The Little Drummer Girl” on the BBC and had a peak viewership of 11.9 million, or a 51% share. The knockout numbers marked a five-year high for an opening episode of the show.

“I’m a Celebrity…” beat the BBC’s popular “Strictly Come Dancing” and its new natural history epic,...

Sir David Attenborough is heading to Netflix to narrate original wildlife documentary series Our Planet.

The British naturalist will serve as the voice of the eight-part series, which is produced by Silverback Films, the company run by Blue Planet and Planet Earth creator Alastair Fothergill.

The series, which is produced in collaboration with conservation group WWF, will showcase the planet’s most precious species and fragile habitats, revealing amazing sights on Earth in ways they’ve never been seen using 4k cameras. It will launch on Netflix on April 5 2019. It comes as Attenborough’s latest BBC wildlife series Dynasties is set to launch. While he has made shows for other networks, including Discovery-backed UKTV, it is his first time working for the Svod service

The show took four years to make and was filmed in 50 countries across the world with over 600 crew members. It will explore the the remote...

Casting for A-list stars is usually reserved for high-end premium dramas but it was also a challenge for Sir David Attenborough’s latest big-budget wildlife series Dynasties. In the case of the BBC series, they were searching for the right animals to showcase in the five-part series.

For the first episode, they found their own Marlon Brando, a chimpanzee called David. He is an alpha-male, the king of his patch with a slew of female admirers but also a raft of male challengers, including Luther, who wanted to take the top spot and attempted to do so in a rather violent way.

Dynasties, which is a co-production with BBC America, highlights five of the world’s most celebrated but endangered animals, as they do whatever it takes to survive and protect the next generation. The show follows a different animal each episode at the most critical period in their lives.