Spy in the Wild
British nature documentary television series
- David Tennant (Original Version)
- Brian Unger (PBS Version)
- John Downer Productions
- BBC Natural History Unit
- PBS
- BBC One
- BBC One HD
19 February 2020 (2020-02-19)
Spy in the Wild is a British nature documentary television series, produced by BBC Natural History Unit, John Downer Productions and PBS.[1] The series, which is directed and produced by John Downer, premiered in 2017 with a second series in 2020. The employment of animatronics makes it possible to document interactive behaviour no animal would have shown towards a human filmmaker or in front of a hidden camera.
Broadcast
The first series ran for five episodes from 12 January 2017 and concluded on 3 February 2017, and aired on BBC One. The series focuses on the complex emotions and ethology of animals, using more than 30 specially built animatronic "spy creatures", often shaped like the offsprings of the species.
The series was narrated by David Tennant in the original version, while Brian Unger provides substitute narration in the American PBS version as it was broadcast under Nature Special Presentation series.
Spy creatures
Spy creatures included:
- Orangutan
- Bushbaby
- Hippo
- Penguin
- Egret
- Crocodile hatchling
- Meerkat
- Tortoise
- Prairie dog
- Macaw
- Sloth
- Cobra
- Squirrel
- Adelie penguin
- Koala
- Wolf pup
- Otter
- Grizzly
- Wild boar
- Gorilla
- Bald eagle
- Pelican
- Hummingbird
- Elephant seal
- Komodo dragon
- Pygmy elephant
- King penguin
- Quokka
- Snowball
- Acorn
- Jaguar
- Parrot
- Iguana
- Polar bear
- Beaver
- Crab
- Pufferfish
- Puffin
- Langur monkey
- Kangaroo
- Snowy owl
- Ostrich
- Woodpecker
- Boulder
- Chameleon
- Dolphin
- Moose
- Sapsucker
- Groundhog
- Centipede
- Termite
Series overview
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 5 | 12 January 2017 (2017-01-12) | 3 February 2017 (2017-02-03) | |
| 2 | 4 | 22 January 2020 (2020-01-22) | 19 February 2020 (2020-02-19) | |
Episodes
Season 1 (2017)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Love" | 12 January 2017 (2017-01-12)[2] | |
| Spy Creatures explore the rarely seen emotions of animals, revealing if they are as strong and complex as our own. Join the “spycams” as they are accepted into a wild dog pack, witness elephant love, and are mourned by a troop of monkeys. | ||||
| 2 | 2 | "Intelligence" | 19 January 2017 (2017-01-19)[3] | |
| Spy Creatures infiltrate the world of animal intelligence, ingenuity, and creativity. Watch our spies disguised as animals observe a gray squirrel stealing Spy Nut, a sea otter cracking open a meal, and an orangutan washing with soap. | ||||
| 3 | 3 | "Friendship" | 26 January 2017 (2017-01-26)[4] | |
| Spy Creatures and their new wild friends rely on each other to look out for predators. A Spy Meerkat babysits meerkat pups while a Spy Cobra pretends to attack the mob. Spy Crocs witness a convenient partnership between real crocodiles and birds. | ||||
| 4 | 4 | "Mischief/ Bad Behavior" | 2 February 2017 (2017-02-02)[5] | |
| Spy Creatures infiltrate the underground world of animal mischief, crime, and retribution. Spy Monkey is caught between crossfires as real monkeys fight over beach bar alcohol. Spy Egret is also a waterhole victim when elephants throw mud everywhere. | ||||
| 5 | 5 | "Meet The Spies" | 3 February 2017 (2017-02-03)[6] | |
| The final episode explains how the concept of the Spy Creatures evolved at John Downer Productions from the original Bouldercam to the Penguincams that inspired the next-generation “spycams” featured in this series. It shows the painstaking work that goes into building the lifelike models and how the team deploys and operates the robotic cameras on location all over the world. It contains funny and unexpected moments, much of which is experienced from the viewpoint of the “spycams” themselves. | ||||
Season 2 (2020)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | "The Tropics" | January 22, 2020 (January 22, 2020)[7] | |
| The spy creatures investigate the wildlife that thrives in the tropics. They infiltrate a hippo pod, a nursery of red flying foxes, a gorilla sanctuary and the secret world of pygmy forest elephants. | ||||
| 7 | 2 | "The North" | January 29, 2020 (January 29, 2020)[8] | |
| Travel to the Northern Hemisphere, where the spy creatures learn how animals move, feed and fight. A spy hummingbird films millions of butterflies, and a spy squirrel winds up in a battle. A spy beaver observes other beavers building dams. | ||||
| 8 | 3 | "The Islands" | February 12, 2020 (February 12, 2020)[9] | |
| Explore the islands of the South Pacific with creatures like the spy koala, who captures breeding behavior in Australia, or the spy crab, who joins an army of red crabs on their march to the sea to deposit their eggs. | ||||
| 9 | 4 | "The Poles" | February 19, 2020 (February 19, 2020)[10] | |
| From penguin chicks to elephant seals and wolf cubs to polar bears, the spy creatures meet and observe the hardiest and most charismatic animals in the Arctic and Antarctic circles. Final Episode | ||||
Reception
Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter called the miniseries, "Pretty incredible."[11]
Merchandise
DVD and Blu-ray
A two-disc DVD[12] and two-disc Blu-ray set[13] for the series were released on 20 March 2017. Both were distributed by Spirit Entertainment in the UK.[14]
In the United States and Canada, the DVDs are divided into two parts and they were released on 28 February[15][16][17] and 15 August 2017.[18][19][20][21] Both DVDs were retain with David Tennant's narration from the original British broadcasts.
References
- ^ "Spy in the Wild". jdp.co.uk. John Downer Productions Ltd.
- ^ "Spy in the Wild, Love". BBC One.
- ^ "Spy in the Wild, Intelligence". BBC One.
- ^ "Spy in the Wild, Friendship". BBC One.
- ^ "Spy in the Wild, Mischief". BBC One.
- ^ "Spy in the Wild, Meet the Spies". BBC One.
- ^ "BBC One - Spy in the Wild, Series 2, the Tropics".
- ^ "BBC One - Spy in the Wild, Series 2, the North".
- ^ "BBC One - Spy in the Wild, Series 2, the Islands".
- ^ "BBC One - Spy in the Wild, Series 2, the Poles".
- ^ Goodman, Tim (1 February 2017). "'Nature: Spy In the Wild': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ "Spy in the Wild (DVD)". Amazon.co.uk. 20 March 2017.
- ^ "Spy in the Wild (Blu-ray)". Amazon.co.uk. 20 March 2017.
- ^ "UK: 'Spy in the Wild' DVD & Blu-ray Now Available For Pre-Order". David Tennant News. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ "Spy in the Wild – Part 1 (DVD)". Amazon. 28 February 2017.
- ^ "Spy in the Wild – Part 1 (DVD)". BBC Shop US. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ "US: Pre-Order 'Spy in The Wild' on DVD with Narration by David Tennant". David Tennant News. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
- ^ "Spy in the Wild – Part 2 (DVD)". Amazon. 15 August 2017.
- ^ "Spy in the Wild – Part 2 (DVD)". BBC Shop US.
- ^ "US: Spy in the Wild Part 2 Narrated by David Tennant Out August". David Tennant News. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
- ^ "US: Spy in the Wild P2 Narrated by David Tennant Out Today on DVD". Retrieved 15 August 2017.
External links
- Spy in the Wild at BBC Online
- Spy in the Wild at PBS
- Spy in the Wild at IMDb
- v
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| Landmarks |
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| Life series (David Attenborough) | |
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| Locations (David Attenborough) |
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| Children's TV |
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| Animal behaviour (Gordon Buchanan) | |
| Others (David Attenborough) | |
| Other |
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- Earth: One Amazing Day
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- The Meerkats
- One Life
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