BBC Studios Natural History Unit Wins Commission for Kingdom

BBC Studios Natural History Unit has been commissioned by BBC One and iPlayer for Kingdom, a dramatic six-part wildlife documentary series.

Filmed in one location over four years, Kingdom chronicles the real-life sagas of four African animal families, all vying for dominance in a remote and fertile river valley in Zambia. Co-produced by BBC America, the docuseries is slated to debut in 2025.

Kingdom will showcase the lives and fates of four groups—leopards, hyenas, wild dogs and lions—and how they are inextricably linked as they battle for supremacy over the valley and wrestle for power within their own family units. Also featured will be huge elephant herds, dung beetles and various other local wildlife.

The Natural History Unit will be working in close partnership with scientists, whose research stretches back over 20 years, as well as locally based talent.

Mike Gunton, executive producer and creative director for BBC Studios Natural History, said: “Being given access to film in this part of Zambia for such a concentrated period of time is a dream come true for the Natural History Unit. Working alongside our partners in Zambia, we are all looking forward to seeing how the next four years unfold—all we can predict is that it will be unpredictable…but exciting, too.”