BBC Studios announces order for second season of Big Cats 24/7 ahead of debut of first season

Big Cats 24/7 will air on the BBC in August this year and on PBS in September. It follows the lives of lions, cheetahs and leopards in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, a place described as one of Africa’s last wildernesses. With extraordinary and unprecedented access to a rarely visited area and the ability to film from the ground, the air and at night, the Big Cat 24/7 team works together to follow the lives of the big cats 24 hours a day.

Continuing with this second season, which will air in 2025, we will continue to follow the stars introduced in the first season, while introducing new faces, allowing viewers to have a front-row seat as the team documents the lives of these beloved big cats.

Sreya Biswas, BBC Head of Natural History Programming, said: “Big Cats 24/7 is a thrilling series that follows the amazing behaviour of animals, with great on-screen talent and set in one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Being able to follow the big cats for long periods of time has been a unique opportunity and so I am very excited to commission a second series so that we can delve straight back into the incredible story of lions, leopards and cheetahs.”

Executive producer Tom Jarvis says, “It’s exciting to be diving back into the dramatic lives of the big cats we’ve grown to love. What excites me most about this series is that we get to tell longitudinal and personal stories about the animals we’re embedded with, and we feel like we have a unique window into their world.”

Big Cats 24/7, a 6×60′ for BBC Two, iPlayer and PBS is produced by BBC Studios Natural History Unit and co-produced by PBS, with BBC Studios handling worldwide distribution. It was commissioned by Jack Bootle, Commissioning Manager, Specialist Factual. The Executive Producer is Tom Jarvis, Series Producer is Rowan Crawford and Production Manager is Gillian Goodlet. The Editor-in-Chief is Commissioning Manager, Sreya Biswas. Sylvia Bugg is Editorial Consultant for PBS. Diana El-Osta is Executive Director, PBS.

EC5

NOTES TO EDITORS

About BBC Studios Natural History Unit

BBC Studios Natural History produces the world’s most iconic natural history programmes, including Frozen Planet II, Blue Planet II and Planet Earth II, which have been watched by over a billion people worldwide. Ranging from classics and technically challenging live shows to long-form series and children’s content, Natural History’s programmes include The Green Planet and Seven Worlds, One Planet presented by Sir David Attenborough, Dynasties, Springwatch and Andy’s Aquatic Adventures, as well as third-party commissions for Discovery, AppleTV+, NBCU, National Geographic and BBC America. Natural History is part of BBC Studios.

About BBC Studios

BBC Studios is a commercial subsidiary of the £2.1 billion (2021/22: £1,630 million) BBC Group. Capable of taking ideas from thought to screen and beyond, the company operates across two business areas: the Global Content Studio, which produces, invests in and distributes content globally, and Global Media & Streaming, with BBC-branded channels, services and joint ventures in the UK and internationally. Around 2,500 hours of award-winning British programming are made by the company each year, and more than 80% of BBC Studios’ total revenue comes from non-BBC clients including Discovery, Apple and Netflix. Its content is internationally recognised across a wide range of genres and specialisms, with brands including Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, Top Gear, the Planet series, Bluey and Doctor Who. BBC.com is BBC Studios’ global digital news platform, delivering breaking international news, in-depth analysis and feature stories.