Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

David Attenborough to present second series of Dynasties for BBC One

New series will follow Angelina the elephant, Kali the cheetah, Rupestre the puma and Suma the hyena

Roisin O'Connor
Tuesday 29 December 2020 02:06 EST
Comments
Trailer for David Attenborough series Dynasties

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Sir David Attenborough will return to BBC One for a second series of <i>Dynasties</i>, it has been announced.  

The film-maker’s show explores the lives of different animals, with each episode focusing on a different subject.  

The second season will journey from the southern tip of the Andes to the plains in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, and the wetlands fed by the flooded Zambezi River.

The “characters” featured in the new series will be an elephant, cheetah, puma and hyena, with a single leader of the various families providing the focus points.

Those leaders are: matriarch elephant Angelina, female cheetah Kali, Rupestre the puma, and hyena clan-leader Suma.  

The debut series in 2018 was watched by more than 8 million people, and starred animals including David the chimpanzee, Charm the lioness, and Blacktip the painted wolf.

Jack Bootle, head of commissioning for science and natural history at the BBC, said: “Dynasties II will be a gripping look at the lives of four remarkable wild animals as they struggle to build a family against the odds.

“With characters you fall in love with, and genuine life-and-death stakes, this will be a series every bit as thrilling as the greatest drama.”

Attenborough recently revealed that he is unlikely to continue travelling abroad much longer to film his nature documentaries.

Speaking to Radio Times, the beloved film-maker, who is 94, said that he found his heart was “sinking deeper and deeper” each time he boarded a plane.  

“It's probably a fact of age, but I was finding my heart was sinking deeper and deeper into my boots every time I walked up into an aircraft and looked down that long line and thought, ‘I’m going to be here for another 24 hours,’” he said.

“It didn't make my heart lift with pleasure.”

Dynasties II is expected to air in 2022. The first series is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

Additional reporting by Press Association

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in