Channel 5 Orders The Secret Life of Trees

The Secret Life of Trees (w.t.) has been commissioned by Channel 5 from Voltage TV and GroupM Motion Entertainment.

The 3×60-minute series is filmed over a year and examines how trees communicate and care for each other, as well as how they survive from seedling to mature giant and, in some cases, experience metamorphoses.

“I find it staggering that there are trees on this planet that have been alive for over a thousand years,” commented Lucy Willis, commissioning editor for Channel 5 and Paramount+. “Just imagine what that tree has seen in its lifetime. Trees have an incredible mystery and romance to them, as well as a fundamentally essential role in the cycle of life. This is a real passion project for me, and I hope when people watch this series, they’ll fall in love with their captivating majesty.”

Helen Docherty, executive producer for Voltage TV, added, “Trees are far more sophisticated than most of us realize—I can’t wait for this series to reveal some of their extraordinary behaviors.”

Melanie Darlaston, executive producer for GroupM Motion Entertainment, said: “It’s a joy to be part of a series that unearths some incredible facts about trees. We have come to understand how important trees are in combatting global warming, but who knew that trees gasp when they are thirsty, that they can produce anti-freeze in minus temperatures, and that trees have their very own underground WhatsApp system to warn others when they are under attack from drought or disease? Respect!”