Wild Africa
| Wild Africa | |
|---|---|
Title card from "Savannah" episode
|
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| Genre | Nature documentary |
| Narrated by | Fergal Keane |
| Composer(s) | Christopher Gunning |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Neil Nightingale |
| Producer(s) | Patrick Morris |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Production company(s) | BBC Natural History Unit |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Two |
| Picture format | 576i (16:9) |
| Audio format | Stereophonic |
| Original release | 7 November – 12 December 2001 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Congo |
| Followed by | Wild New World |
| External links | |
| Website | www |
Wild Africa is a British nature documentary series created and produced by the BBC, it explores the natural history of the African continent. It was first transmitted on 7 November 2001 on BBC Two in the United Kingdom. The series comprises six episodes. Each concentrates on a particular environment. The producers use aerial photography and wildlife footage to show how natural phenomena such as seasonal changes influence the patterns of life. Wild Africa was produced by the BBC Natural History Unit and narrated by Fergal Keane.
The series forms part of the Natural History Unit's Continents strand. It was preceded by Congo earlier that year and followed a year later by Wild New World.
Wild Africa typifies the style of blue-chip documentary series on which the Natural History Unit has built its reputation, with its high production values, strong visuals and dedicated musical score. To achieve this took 18 months of principal photography on 53 filming trips to 22 countries, starting in September 1999. The filmmakers were assisted by a production team of 16 and around 140 scientists and field assistants. The experienced camera team included Peter Scoones, Gavin Thurston, Owen Newman, Martyn Colbeck and Simon King, all of whom have contributed to many other BBC natural history films.
The filming team travelled from the lowest point on the continent, the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia, to the highest, the summit of Kilimanjaro. Successes included rare footage of huge feeding groups of manta rays, and Walia ibex locking horns in the Simien Mountains.
Broadcast dates refer to the original UK transmission.
After an opening sequence introducing the series, the first episode looks at Africa’s mountain ranges. First to be featured are the Ethiopian Highlands, the remains of a huge volcanic intrusion. Geladas survive in large groups on the cold grassy highlands and use facial expressions to resolve tensions without confrontation. Walia ibex clash horns on precipitous slopes, and Ethiopian wolves stalk grass rats and giant mole-rats. A pair of adult lammergeiers locks talons and tumbles through the air. Juvenile birds are shown practising the art of dropping bones from great heights onto rocks. In North Africa, Barbary macaques are filmed foraging in a snow-covered cedar forest in the Atlas Mountains. The Cape Highlands are Africa’s oldest mountains. Their isolation and stable climate have enabled an entire plant kingdom to evolve. Over 7000 species make up the Fynbos, and many have developed unique relationships with pollinating insects and birds. The Rift Mountains of East Africa are active volcanoes, but their lives are short in geological terms. A sequence shows mountains of increasing age, from Lengai and Kilimanjaro to Mount Kenya and finally the weathered remnants of the Aberdare Range. Their mineral-rich soils attract savannah animals including elephants and bushbucks. As the Rift Mountains have thrust upwards, they become an agent of evolutionary change as small populations of animals are isolated from their lowland relatives. Melanistic forms of servals and leopards arise mainly in the highlands. The programme ends in the heart of the continent, with scenes of mountain gorillas in the Virungas.
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Wikipedia