Walking with Dinosaurs, Parenthood head blue-chip wildlife content on BBC factual slate
The updated Walking With Dinosaurs will air internationally on BBC Earth
UK public broadcaster the BBC has revealed a slate of new factual and arts programming, including its re-imagined version of Walking with Dinosaurs, which will be returning to screens after an absence of more than 25 years.
Made by BBC Studios in coproduction with ZDF and France Télévisions, the six-part series takes viewers on a journey back through time to reveal the life stories of long-lost giants such as tyrannosaurus rex.
Scheduled to air this spring, it is the first time the property has been seen on screens since the original 1999 documentary miniseries, narrated by Kenneth Branagh.
Another natural history project in the line-up is Parenthood, a five-part blue-chip series from All3Media-owned Silverback Films (Our Planet) that depicts how in a world full of danger, some animal parents go to extreme lengths to ensure the survival of their offspring.
Blue Planet III (BBC Studios Natural History Unit, 6×60’) reveals untold stories from magical underwater worlds, following on from 2017’s Blue Planet II. Strictly Come Dancing winner Hamza Yassin presents Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles (4×60’, Silverback Films), which sees him film incredible species and spectacles from across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Tribe with Bruce Parry (3×60’) features the documentarian’s globe-trotting adventures as he lives with three extraordinary communities in remote locations, while Springwatch: 20th Anniversary celebrates two decades of the popular wildlife series and is scheduled to air in May/June.
Stacey & Joe is a new series following the lives of the social media personalities as they tackle passion projects at Pickle Cottage; Amol Rajan Goes to the Ganges (1×60’, Wildstar Films) sees the journalist join 500 million pilgrims at the world’s largest religious festival; and Inside Therapy with Matt & Emma Willis (4×40’, Twenty Twenty Productions and The Open University) explores how counselling can help navigate the challenges that modern life throws at us.
Destination X (ITV Studios-backed UK prodco Twofour) is the UK version of the hit Belgian adventure competition format, co-commissioned with NBCUniversal; Dimbleby on the Monarchy is a three-part series looking at the UK royal family as King Charles III approaches the first anniversary of his coronation; and Inside Our Minds (2×60’) sees presenter Chris Packham focus on what it is like to live with dyslexia and ADHD.
Other content on the slate includes Backlash: The Murder of George Floyd (Multitude Media); Hidden Treasure of the National Trust season three, Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius, Louis Theroux: The Settlers (Mindhouse), Unforgotten: The Bradford City Fire (1×90’, Acme TV), Murder 24/7, Human (5×60’, BBC Studios Science Unit and PBS), Oceangate (1×60’), The Forgotten Empire (3×60’), Orphan, Artemis: A Horizon Special (1×60’) and the latest batch of international docs in the Storyville strand.
