Serengeti

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Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

Capturing the high drama of the Serengeti’s distinctive wildlife up close.

Love and loss, jealousy and rivalry, tragedy and triumph as the lives of the animals entwine and dramatically unfold in the heart of this legendary land.

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John Boyega

Richard Jones

Michael W Richards

Warren Samuels

Matthew Goodman

Stuart Napier

Imogen Pollard

Will Gregory

John Downer

Simon Fuller

John Downer Productions Ltd

XIX Entertainment

Serengeti: Series 1: Invasion

Invasion

BBC One - Serengeti, Series 1, Invasion

The families of the Serengeti await the annual great migration.

With the annual great migration approaching, a family of wild dogs moves in, ready to take advantage of the coming feast. 

In this episode, the incredible anticipation of the annual great migration is being felt by all of the Serengeti’s families as they wait with great desperation for it to arrive. The land continues to get hotter and hunger start to bite as food becomes ever more scarce for the predators.  

But life continues, with Kali the lioness and her sister entrusting their cubs to their new male babysitter, Sefu, with near-disastrous results. 

Bakari the baboon is shocked when a trip across the river to collect crocodile eggs looks like it will end in tragedy for his new female, Cheka, and the adopted baby. His rivalry with the troop leader then puts him and the baby in more danger. 

A family of wild dogs moves in, led by male Jasari. With a huge litter of pups, Jasari is ready to take advantage of the coming feast, but until the migrating herds arrive, it is a struggle to survive.  

Shani, a female zebra, is leading her family on the great migration. She is forced to stop temporarily to give birth to her foal, but as soon as he can run, they are off again heading towards the great river. 

When the herds finally arrive at the river, they find it teeming with crocodiles, and zebra mother Shani has to decide how and when she can take her newborn foal across the treacherous water. Lying in wait and watching them carefully is a large mother crocodile, who is determined to eat them if they try.

With the great migration now in full flow, there are winners and losers on both sides. The awe-inspiring spectacle it brings are part of the deep seasonal rhythms that govern all life in the Serengeti. 


Storyteller John Boyega
Created & Produced by Simon Fuller
Directed & Produced by John Downer

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