BBC Worldwide buys into Dominic Monaghan wildlife series

BBC Worldwide’s Global Channels division has come on board the upcoming second season of Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan and will coproduce the travel and wildlife series and show it on its international pay TV networks.

Season one of the show was made by Cream Productions, Wildfire Television and BBC America and aired on BBC America, Channel Five in the UK and Discovery channels in Europe.

For season two, BBC Worldwide Global Channels will come on board, marking the first time it has coproduced an original series with BBC America. Both units are part of BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the UK public broadcaster.

Cream Productions and Wildfire Television will again be copro partners and Canada’s Rogers rounds out the production credits.

Production is underway on the second series, which will air on BBC America and across BBC Worldwide’s global channels in 2014. BBC Worldwide has taken distribution rights for the programme, having wrested them from ITV Studios Global Entertainment, which sold season one.

The travel adventure show follows Lost star Monaghan as he travels the globe looking for weird and wonderful creatures. Speaking to TBI about the series Monaghan said: “I’m not a professor or biologist, I’m an enthusiastic traveller and I hope this will make people who don’t watch nature shows tune in and hopefully get hooked.”

The first run of the one-hour series saw the host travel to Ecuador, Venezuela, Cameroon, Namibia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia and Guatemala looking for different species of animal.

Monaghan is credited as the show’s creator, writer, coproducer and host.

Tracy Forsyth, VP Commissioning, Content, BBC Worldwide commented: “Wild Things has everything that we look for in a global show which is why coproducing series two with BBC America is hugely exciting for us. With the internationally recognised British talent Dominic Monaghan bringing his genuine passion for wildlife to the screen, this show will appeal to audiences everywhere”.

Perry Simon, General Manager, BBC America added: “We’re delighted our colleagues at BBC Worldwide Global Channels have come onboard for season two, so even more viewers around the globe can join him on these extraordinary journeys.”