BBC to Premiere Two New Expedition Series

LONDON, November 9: The BBC Natural History Unit is working
with Discovery on the production of two new series of
the Expedition strand for broadcast on
BBC One in 2008.

The two series are titled Expedition
Guyana and
Expedition New Guinea. Both follow the most recent series, Expedition Borneo, which aired in January 2007.

Expedition Guyana explores the country of Guyana on the northern coast of
South America. With the forest currently under threat from loggers and their
chainsaws, the Expedition Guyana team
aims to discover new species in order to help Guyana protect its environment.
Living in a jungle camp alongside local conservationists, the team will track
the animals from high in the canopy to deep within the rivers.

Steve Greenwood, the series producer
of Expedition Guyana, said: "This
incredible habitat is completely unspoilt and we're sure it is home to some
remarkable creatures. We'll be spending a month tracking them down and
capturing them on HD. We've got all the latest camera technology to help us:
thermal cameras, remote cameras, micro and underwater cameras—but in the
end it will be old fashioned field skills that are most needed to survive and
find the animals in this tough jungle."

Meanwhile, Expedition New
Guinea covers the mostly unexplored
colossal caves that dot the hillside of the island of New Guinea. Joined by
world experts in extreme caving, the Expedition team will take on these caves, while other members of the
team will explore the rugged rainforests that drape the mountains. Missions
include journeying up the Sepik River to meet the Crocodile People and the
26-foot crocodiles they share the river with, and exploring for Queen Alexandra
birdwing butterflies, the largest butterfly in the world and one that is
heading towards extinction.

Tim Martin, the executive producer
of Expedition New Guinea, said:
"New Guinea will be our toughest expedition yet. Sheer mountains and
tangled forests make its interior hard to navigate and disputes between rival
tribes are an added complication we'll have to cope with. But the rewards
should be great—birds of paradise, tree kangaroos and whole forests that
scientists have yet to investigate. And beneath the ground lies a vast system
of caves, much of which has never been explored.

Other natural history series
coming up in early 2008 include Life In Cold Blood for BBC One and Wild China for BBC Two.

—By Irene Lew