The BBC and PBS are coming together to co-produce a wildlife show in which they build a waterhole in Tanzania’s Mwiba Wildlife Reserve and capture the creatures that drink from it in intimate detail.
The drinking pool will be the first in the world to be specially rigged with television cameras, as presenters Chris Packham and Ella Al-Shamahi aim to provide a unique perspective on Africa’s most iconic animals.
The three-part series, Waterhole (working title), will be made by the Natural History Unit. Roger Webb is the executive producer, with Anwar Mamon as series producer. It was commissioned by BBC Two controller Patrick Holland, Jack Bootle and Tom Coveney.
Holland said: “This promises to be a ground-breaking, audacious series, taking us closer than ever to wildlife and their essential relationship with water. With climatic change making their environment more uncertain than ever, Waterhole will reveal the challenges facing some of Africa’s iconic animals.”