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Made by the world renowned and multi-award winning BBC Studios Natural History Unit and narrated by Sir David Attenborough, this cinematic and emotionally charged series is a new kind of natural history event that follows five of the most celebrated and endangered animals on the planet.

To celebrate, BBC Studios in Africa will be premiering the first episode across two of its channels on DStv – BBC Brit (channel 120) and BBC Lifestyle (channel 174). This will ensure more DStv subscribers across more packages can enjoy the first episode. All six episodes will be played out in full on BBC Earth (channel 184), and will also be available for DStv Premium customers to stream or download from Catch Up on DStv Now and from Catch Up Plus available on a DStv Explora connected to the internet.

Never before has the BBC presented a landmark series with such powerful storytelling – about families, leaders and heroes. Never before has a landmark offered audiences the opportunity to follow the lives of animals in such detail, each fighting against overwhelming odds for their own survival and the future of their families. These are some of the most dramatic and intense stories of their kind ever told.

Following the success of Planet Earth II and the highest rating series on the BBC Earth channelto date in SA, Blue Planet II, Dynasties takes audiences to the frontline of the animal world and shows what it really takes to survive, thrive and truly be the greatest of their kind across six captivating episodes.

• A chimpanzee leader battling for his position and his life on the edge of the Sahara in the Kedougou Region, South East Senegal.

• A dynasty of thousands of emperor penguins gathering on the frozen wastes of Antarctica to face the coldest and cruellest winter on earth.

• A powerful lioness, abandoned by her male protectors, leading her family against the gravest dangers of the Kenyan Maasai Mara.

• On the floodplains of Mana Pools National Park in Northern Zimbabwe, a feud between a mother and daughter painted wolf, threatens the future of one of the last great families of their kind.

• A tigress in the jungles of Bandhavgarh, India attempting to raise her family under ever growing pressure from her rivals and humanity. 

Rosie Thomas, Producer and Director of Chimpanzee

"Filming the chimpanzees for over 300 days out in a remote corner of Senegal, was an experience of a life time.  It was tough going, with long days on foot and high heats, but the group took us on an incredible journey of power struggles, friendships and politics, all shot against one of the most unusual landscapes I have ever seen chimps in. We worked with a fantastic team of local Senegalese experts, without whom we never would have been able to capture the epic story of David and his group.”

Simon Blakeney – Producer of Lion

“The Masai Mara in south-western Kenya - probably one of the most iconic landscapes in the world. Known for the incredible wildlife that covers its fertile grasslands, it was such a privilege to come and spend nearly 18 months filming Charm and her pride. For me, lions are the most incredible animals on the plains and in this series we explore all the elements of what it takes to survive and thrive here in the African bush. We came to understand that the life of a lion is much more than just hunting, and following the pride was a rollercoaster of emotions - living their highs and lows right alongside them. I cannot wait to see the audience reaction to Charm and show them a new level of insight into one of the world’s best loved and most iconic creatures.”

Nick Lyon, Producer of Painted Wolf

“I got to spend about two years and around 200 days out in the incredible Mana Pools National Park in northern Zimbabwe studying, following and being enthralled by Tait and her pack of painted wolves. As a species, painted wolves are endangered, primarily because of loss of habitat. The Zimbabwean team on the ground, who helped us to make this film are making strong efforts to raise awareness for the how special these creatures are and how they need to be better protected to ensure their survival in years to come.

“I hope this series helps Southern Africa, and the rest of the world, fall in love with them as much as I love them. Once you see the lengths and breadths Tait goes to, and her sheer determination in the face of mortal danger, and to understand that despite this she was responsible for 280 descendants, you will really understand why we believe her to be the greatest of her kind.”

Full details of the programming can be found here www.bbcsouthafrica.com  

Dynasties promo can be seen here and the extended prequel can be seen here.

Any DStv customers who are interested in upgrading their DStv package to DStv Premium to catch this remarkable series, can go to DStv.com for more info.

-Ends-

For more information, please contact:

South Africa

Mokotse Legodi

Email: Mokotse@atmosphere.co.za

Tel: +27 (0)11 215 0100 | +27 (0)82 093 9720

United Kingdom

Amy Dawson

Email:  Amy.Dawson@bbc.com

Tel:   +44 (0) 7712 431809

NOTES TO EDITORS

About BBC Studios

BBC Studios, a global content company with British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group. Formed in April 2018 by the merger of BBC Worldwide and BBC Studios, it spans content financing, development, production, sales, branded services and ancillaries. BBC Studios’ award-winning British programmes are internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms. It has offices in 22 markets globally, including six production bases in the UK and production bases and partnerships in a further nine countries around the world. The company, which makes 2500 hours of content a year, is a champion for British creativity around the world and a committed partner for the UK’s independent sector. BBC Studios has revenue of £1.4bn, and returns around £200m to the BBC Group annually, complementing the BBC’s licence fee and enhancing programmes for UK audiences.

bbcstudios.com

twitter.com/bbcstudios

twitter.com/bbcstudiospress

About BBC Earth

BBC Earth (DStv channel 184) inspires audiences by sharing the incredible wonders of our universe. This is the channel where facts are made fascinating and the truth is as entertaining as fiction. It showcases the world’s foremost factual filmmakers, taking viewers on a thrilling journey of discovery.

http://www.bbcsouthafrica.com/channels/earth/

https://twitter.com/bbcsouthafrica

https://www.facebook.com/bbcearth/

https://www.instagram.com/bbcearth