In the heart of Africa, four rival families fight for survival, dominance, and legacy. Kingdom, a six-part series narrated by Sir David Attenborough, is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer. It’s one of the most ambitious natural history productions ever filmed, crafted by the BAFTA-winning BBC Studios Natural History Unit.
For five years, filmmakers embedded themselves in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park, capturing the intimate stories of four predator dynasties. Each episode follows lions, leopards, hyenas, and wild dogs, as they navigate floods, fires, rivalries, and the daily fight to raise their young in the wild heart of Nsefu.
A Living Kingdom on the Luangwa
Nsefu, a lush and contested stretch along the Luangwa River, is home to some of Africa’s most extraordinary wildlife. It’s a fertile ground for life and death stories. Here, a lion pride, a hyena clan, a pack of wild dogs, and a solitary leopard family all claim a corner of paradise, only to find their paths constantly colliding.
Leopard Olimba, already a legend among researchers, tries to raise two cubs while contending with newcomers like Storm, the alpha of a restless wild dog pack. Nearby, the lioness Rita leads her pride through challenges of drought and loss, while hyena matriarch Tenta rules her clan in a shifting landscape of opportunity and threat.
The result is a world that feels almost human in its complexity. Families fracture and reform. Alliances shift. The fates of predators rise and fall as the Luangwa dictates the rhythm of their lives.
Filming a Real-Life Saga
To make Kingdom, the BBC Studios Natural History Unit committed more time in one place than ever before. The crew spent around 1,400 days filming across 76 separate shoots, joined by 90 local Zambian field experts. They lived entirely off solar power, using everything from drones and infrared rigs to camera traps that caught moments invisible to the human eye.
Cinematographers Mark MacEwen and Lianne Steenkamp and field director Lauren Jackson documented the stories with near-cinematic precision. The crew’s encounters became legend: an elephant destroyed their bathroom, a cobra invaded a tent, and a baboon once chased a producer waving a toilet brush.
Yet the most striking moments came from the animals themselves. Viewers will see hyena mothers nursing longer than any other predator, wild dogs rescuing an injured relative, and Olimba’s cubs practicing their hunting skills on an irritated hippo. Every frame carries the weight of patience and respect, shaped by scientists from the Zambian Carnivore Programme.
The Families of Nsefu
Olimba and her cub Mutima represent the leopard family at the heart of the series. Olimba has already raised three cubs to independence, an exceptional record in the wild. Her daughter Mutima carries a heart-shaped mark on her flank, her name meaning “heart” in Nyanja. As Olimba’s cubs grow, they could become her fiercest rivals.
Wild dog queen Storm leads a young, fast-moving pack of thirty-four individuals. Their mottled coats make each one unique, allowing researchers to follow every hunt, reunion, and loss. Storm’s story reveals the deep bonds within these endangered hunters, who share food and care for each other’s pups with unmatched cooperation.
Rita’s pride brings the lion’s share of drama, showing how power can vanish and return within a single season. Identified by their whisker spots, these lions face constant pressure from hyenas and rival males, testing Rita’s ability to protect her eight cubs. By the end of filming, her family had grown larger than ever recorded in Nsefu.
For the hyenas, power belongs to the matriarchs. Tenta and her daughter Tandala show the intelligence and hierarchy that define hyena clans. Their story intertwines with the lions’, sometimes in violent conflict, sometimes in quiet coexistence. It’s a portrait of strength that challenges outdated stereotypes.
Kingdom’s Heartbeat
Executive producer Mike Gunton calls Kingdom “Shakespearean in its intensity.” It’s part drama, part science, and entirely real. The series blends long-term observation with cinematic storytelling, giving each family a perspective of its own. It’s not just about survival, but endurance, cooperation, and the instincts that bind animal families together.
Gunton compares the series to watching the top of a sports league, where dominance shifts week by week. One moment the wild dogs rise, the next they’re overrun. The hyenas gain power, then lose it to the lions. Viewers find themselves rooting for one team, only to change sides by the next episode.
Through it all, Sir David Attenborough guides the story. His narration brings calm to the chaos, helping audiences navigate the tension and tenderness of Nsefu’s wild arena.
Where to Watch, Explore, and Connect
Kingdom premieres Sunday 9 November at 6.20pm on BBC One and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Viewers in the United States can catch it on BBC America and later through BBC Shop USA.
Behind-the-scenes footage, crew diaries, and conservation stories are shared across BBC Earth and the BBC Studios YouTube Channel. The Natural History Museum London is also planning live Kingdom screenings and exhibitions, offering a closer look at Nsefu’s wildlife and the science behind the series.
For those who want to take the story home, a Blu-ray edition featuring exclusive commentary and extended sequences is available through Amazon UK and BBC Shop.
A Mirror of Our Own Lives
Kingdom is more than a wildlife documentary. It’s a mirror held up to our own nature. These predators are fierce and graceful, but also nurturing and patient. They build families, face setbacks, and adapt to change in ways that feel universally familiar.
Across its six episodes, the series captures moments of triumph and heartbreak that echo the rhythm of human life. It’s a story of resilience and coexistence, told through the eyes of those who have no script, only instinct.
When the final episode fades, it leaves behind the lingering question that defines all of nature’s greatest dramas: who will rule this wild, living kingdom?
