A new seven-part natural history series is about to give African wildlife the small-screen treatment on a scale no production has managed before. AFRICA: EARTH'S WILD HOME, nearly four years in the making, premiered its advance screening in Kenya in May, where Getaway's Lisa Abdellah sat down with showrunner Gavin Boyland of BBC Studios Natural History Unit fame to hear what went into it.
The big reveal from that conversation? This series is chapter one of a much bigger idea: Boyland and his team want to effectively "box set" the planet, eventually producing a season for every continent. Africa was the obvious place to begin — it's the continent most people already associate with extraordinary wildlife — but the series sets out to surprise viewers rather than simply confirm what they think they know.
Expect the unexpected, then: newly identified species, animal behaviour that has never been caught on camera before, and ecosystems filmed with cutting-edge technology that lets the storytelling lean into resilience, drama and survival rather than postcard shots. Boyland also highlights the African contributors and Africa-led projects behind the camera, an increasingly important shift in how the continent's wild spaces are documented — by the people who live alongside them.
For viewers in South Africa, the logistics are simple. The series airs on National Geographic (DStv Channel 181) across Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October from 3.40 pm, and it will stream on Disney+ afterwards for anyone who prefers to binge.
Why should a traveller care? Because a series like this doubles as inspiration and itinerary. Four years of filming across Africa's most spectacular ecosystems means viewers will be introduced to corners of the continent — and species — that rarely make the highlights reels, which is exactly the kind of nudge that turns into a next-trip shortlist. And with the box-set-Earth ambition now public, there's a whole run of continent-deep wildlife series to look forward to. If Africa is on your list, watching this first might just help you decide where to point your binoculars. — Getaway South Africa
