David Attenborough to present second series of Dynasties for BBC One

New series will follow Angelina the elephant, Kali the cheetah, Rupestre the puma and Suma the hyena

Sir David Attenborough will return to BBC One for a second series of <i>Dynasties</i>, it has been announced.  

The film-maker’s show explores the lives of different animals, with each episode focusing on a different subject.  

The second season will journey from the southern tip of the Andes to the plains in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, and the wetlands fed by the flooded Zambezi River.

The “characters” featured in the new series will be an elephant, cheetah, puma and hyena, with a single leader of the various families providing the focus points.

Those leaders are: matriarch elephant Angelina, female cheetah Kali, Rupestre the puma, and hyena clan-leader Suma.  

The debut series in 2018 was watched by more than 8 million people, and starred animals including David the chimpanzee, Charm the lioness, and Blacktip the painted wolf.

Jack Bootle, head of commissioning for science and natural history at the BBC, said: “Dynasties II will be a gripping look at the lives of four remarkable wild animals as they struggle to build a family against the odds.

“With characters you fall in love with, and genuine life-and-death stakes, this will be a series every bit as thrilling as the greatest drama.”

Attenborough recently revealed that he is unlikely to continue travelling abroad much longer to film his nature documentaries.

Speaking to Radio Times, the beloved film-maker, who is 94, said that he found his heart was “sinking deeper and deeper” each time he boarded a plane.  

“It's probably a fact of age, but I was finding my heart was sinking deeper and deeper into my boots every time I walked up into an aircraft and looked down that long line and thought, ‘I’m going to be here for another 24 hours,’” he said.

“It didn't make my heart lift with pleasure.”

Dynasties II is expected to air in 2022. The first series is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

Additional reporting by Press Association