GAME RESERVE OF THRONES
Secrets of Sir David Attenborough’s savage series Kingdom including never-before-seen TV moments & several close calls
Despite the ferocious main characters and high drama, narrator Sir David is still the star
SIR David Attenborough’s new nature series following four rival animal families is so savage that it’s been described as Game Of Thrones.
But its director says that despite the ferocious main characters and high drama, narrator Sir David is still the star.
Lions, hyenas, leopards and wild dogs feature on the savage new seriesCredit: BBC
The cameras get up close and personal with a lioness during filming of KingdomCredit: BBC
A family of leopards, headed by beautiful mum Olimba, have to deal with wild dogsCredit: BBC
Kingdom features a lion pride, wild dog pack, hyena clan and leopard family — all battling it out for supremacy in the heart of Zambia in Southern Africa.
Executive producer Mike Gunton said: “I’ve worked with David for many years, and 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.
“I suppose it’s just having him hold your hand, saying, this is going to be a bumpy ride, but stick with it, it’s going to be amazing.
“Having David there brings that safety.”
The fierce predators all lay claim to a corner of South Luangwa National Park known as Nsefu — a lush landscape roughly the size of Birmingham, situated on the banks of the Luangwa River.
Rough and raw
The BBC says Kingdom is a story about endurance, ever-shifting power dynamics, and raising a family in a competitive world.
Mike added: “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.
“Kingdom is almost Shakespearean in its feel, they’ve all 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.
“It’s high drama — it’s got a bit of Game of Thrones, and it’s got a bit of Succession.”
The six-part series, which begins on Sunday, is the longest that the BBC Studios Natural History Unit has been embedded in one location, tracking the lives of individual animals, for a single series.
The crew of 170 spent five years — around 1,400 days — in the field and used a mix of long lens camera systems, camera traps, drones, thermal-imaging cameras, car and helicopter rigs and infra-red cameras to capture the action.
Over the years, it meant more than a few close calls with wildlife.
A pack of hyenas are one of four rival families featured in the new showCredit: BBC
Sir David Attenborough is the standout star of KingdomCredit: Alamy
A bathroom was destroyed by an elephant and, on another occasion, the crew found a crocodile sunbathing on one of their tent porches.
One producer was even chased by a baboon which was brandishing a toilet brush.
But the shoot also broke new ground in wildlife film-making.
The series features a six-month-old leopard cub working with his mother to push a hyena off a kill for the first time.
Mike said: “We filmed over five years, which is the longest we have ever continuously filmed in one location, and that in itself is quite an achievement.
“From the start when we’re parachuted into this extraordinary location, it’s in complete turmoil.
We’re seeing amazing bits of animal behaviour that people have never seen on television before
Executive producer Mike Gunton
“The lion pride, which has previously been dominant, has depleted and suddenly, out of nowhere, a family of wild dogs arrives on the scene and creates utter chaos.
“We get to see it through the eyes of this wonderful leopard, Olimba, who has been in Nsefu for all her life and seen all manner of things come and go.”
Viewers will be introduced to beautiful Olimba and her young cubs before wild dog queen Storm and her pack create chaos.
Elsewhere is the hyena clan, led by Tenta, and Rita’s pride of lions.
Mike said: “I think the moment we meet Olimba, you’re lulled into this very idyllic moment of wonderful natural history.
“Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, these wild dogs come in like a rampaging army and turn everything upside down.
“They chase all the prey around — even the elephants are freaked out.
“It’s a very dramatic incident.
“If you were writing a drama, that’s the kind of moment you would want to write into the script.
Shifting power
“We’re seeing amazing bits of animal behaviour that people have never seen on television before, like wild dogs working together to force hyenas off a kill.
“Over five episodes, we see how the power of these rival families waxes and wanes so you’re constantly caught in this rollercoaster of shifting power dynamics.
“It’s a bit like watching the top of the Premier League, a leaderboard of who’s winning and who’s losing.”
Kingdom is one of two confirmed projects Sir David has worked on for the BBC this year.
A one-off film called Wild London will air in 2026.
Mike added: “Every show I’ve worked on with David, he always brings that important ingredient.
“There’s going to be some ups and downs, but it’s worth the journey.
