BBC America Announces New Nature Programming

BBC AMERICA announced today at the Television Critics' Association (TCA) Press Tour the newest additions to its ever-growing slate of nature programming - She Walks with Apes and Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty (wt).

She Walks with Apes, a new documentary narrated by Killing Eve's Sandra Oh, is the epic story of three women - Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey and Biruté Galdikas - who embarked on lifelong journeys to live with humanity's closest living relatives, the Great Apes. The documentary will be at the heart of BBC AMERICA's celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, premiering Wednesday, April 22 at 9:00pm ET/PT.

Arriving next year, Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty (wt) is a new installment in the Meerkat Manor series, the television phenomenon renowned for its compelling, character-led storytelling. The series is a BBC America co-production with Oxford Scientific Films, and is a heartstring-tugging, dramatic tale of survival revolving around three families who are descendants of the legendary meerkat matriarch, Flower. These neighbors and rivals who share a bloodline are forced to compete for food and resources in an environment that is undergoing a great deal of change: the Kalahari Desert in South Africa. The 13, 30-minute episodes will premiere on BBC America in 2021.

"Both of these additions to BBC AMERICA's best-in-class nature lineup are outstanding," said Sarah Barnett, President, AMC Networks Entertainment Group & AMC Studios. "Funny, engaging, profoundly moving and most of all joyful, nature programming is embraced by our audiences and we are delighted to keep fueling passion for our planet and the natural world we're all part of."

She Walks with Apes is a new documentary narrated by Killing Eve's Sandra Oh premiering as part of BBC AMERICA's Earth Day programming on Wednesday, April 22 at 9:00pm ET/PT. The documentary is the epic story of three women - Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey and Biruté Galdikas - who embarked on lifelong journeys to live with humanity's closest living relatives, the Great Apes.

Humans share over 96% of our DNA with Great Apes, yet half a century ago, we knew hardly anything about them outside of Hollywood movies. Three young women changed all that, and much more: Jane Goodall left England to live with the chimpanzees of Africa, and became one of the most famous women of our time; American Dian Fossey championed the mountain gorillas of Rwanda and met a tragic end, but made her cause legendary; and Canadian Biruté Galdikas went into the deepest jungles of Borneo to live among the orangutans. They became known as the Trimates. Each one crossed the line from pure Science to passionate advocacy, awakening the world to the state of the rainforest, and transforming the possibilities for women in science.

The documentary was filmed over the course of a year by the father-daughter filmmaking team of Caitlin and Mark Starowicz, who trudged through jungles to tell the story of the women who helped launch the global environmental movement. She Walks with Apes is executive produced by George Flak and Mark Starowicz, produced by Grand Passage Media and is distributed internationally by CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution.

Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty (wt) is a new BBC America co-production with Oxford Scientific Films, producers of the original television phenomenon, Meerkat Manor. This latest installment in this hearstring-tugging, dramatic tale of survival revolves around three families who are descendants of the most revered and legendary meerkat matriarch, Flower. These neighbors and rivals who share a bloodline are forced to compete for food and resources in an environment that is undergoing a great deal of change: the Kalahari Desert in South Africa.

Strength lies in numbers in meerkat society, so producing babies is a priority for the dominant couple of each family. But offspring only happen when times are good, and times haven't been great of late in the Kalahari. Like everywhere else in the world, climate change is revealing its challenges. Seasons are drier, hotter, rainfall is less frequent and more unpredictable. This means food can be hard to find and the meerkats must be tougher and more resourceful than ever. Fights and raids by other groups are common, and each family will live or die by the strength of its leaders.

Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty (wt) will premiere on BBC America in 2021 with 13, 30-minute episodes. The series is distributed worldwide by Endemol Shine International Distribution.

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