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It appears wildlife documentaries are bringing the drama more than ever before, as Sir David Attenborough’s new BBC show has been compared to Games of Thrones and Succession.
The 99-year-old naturalist and broadcasting icon is back this weekend with new six part series Kingdom, which follows four rival animal families over five years ‘as they compete for survival and dominance’ in the heart of Zambia.
Executive producer Mike Gunton told the BBC: ‘It’s high drama – it’s got a bit of Game of Thrones, it’s got a bit of Succession, but it’s also got a bit of The Lion King.
‘But Kingdom also has this wonderful warmth about it.
‘It can be quite a white-knuckle ride at times, but there are also some wonderful moments of beauty and tenderness. We’ve tried to construct it as a bingeable continuing narrative.’
The team spent around 1,400 days over 76 shoots in a corner of South Luangwa National Park known as Nsefu.
The series will follow a lion pride, a wild dog pack, a hyena clan and a leopard family as they all compete for control of the area.
Gunton added: ‘If I had to pick one word to describe Kingdom it would be “intensity”.
‘It’s almost Shakespearean in its feel, and it’s incredibly ambitious in its scale. It’s a story that speaks across the ages because it focuses on four families in one location all struggling to survive.
Inside the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, where Kingdom is filmed
The South Luangwa National Park – over five times the size of London at 9,070km² – is a wild tapestry of dreamy mopane forests, thick bush and the winding, mighty Luangwa Valley, alive with hippos grunting and crocodiles lurking.
I worked in this park for two months, and can testify that the wildlife action here is explosive: lion prides are aplenty and mighty buffalo herds thunder in and out of sight.
Around most corners elephants graze and itch on tree-tops – often demolishing acres of acacia trees – and leopards are far more of a regular safari sighting here than in other African parks.
In October vegetation in the park shrivels up under the intensity of the beating sun, and life becomes desperate, before the rains return for a long season from November to April, when many camps are inaccessible due to water levels, and close.
‘They’ve got their internal struggles, but they’ve also got struggles against the other rival families. And this creates a really intriguing tapestry of rich stories.’
Meanwhile, Gunton heaped praise on Attenborough for helping viewers through such tense scenes.
He said: ‘I’ve worked with David for many years, and every show I’ve worked with him on he always brings that important ingredient. “It’s more than just being the voice, whether that’s authenticity, intensity, or whether that’s humour.
‘Kingdom is not a fairy story, it’s a very real story. And I think you need David with you to guide you through it and to reassure you that it will be all right in the end.’
He noted how important it is for viewers to have the legendary broadcaster there to ‘hold your hand’ and tell everyone it will be worth it.
He explained: ‘Nsefu is a dynamic place, stuff happens completely out of the blue and things are constantly changing.
‘It’s sometimes rough and raw, but it’s also gorgeous and beautiful. Having David there brings that safety.’
Watch Kingdom from 6.20pm on Sunday 9 November on BBC One and iPlayer.
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