The episodes of the British documentary Meerkat Manor first premiered on Animal Planet International in the United Kingdom on 12 September 2005. The programme was originally created by Caroline Hawkins, executive producer and series editor at Oxford Scientific Films,[1] and commissioned for Animal Planet International by executive producer and commissioning editor Mark Wild.[2]
The first 13-episode series concluded on 24 October 2005. With the success of the programme in the UK, Animal Planet began broadcasting Meerkat Manor on its national channels in Australia, Canada, and the United States. The programme premiered in the United States on 9 June 2006, with the first series airing through 25 August 2006. The second series aired simultaneously in both the US and the UK, starting 29 September 2006. The third series premiered in the US on 10 August 2007, followed in the UK on 10 September 2007, and in Canada on 3 October 2007. Because each channel had different broadcasting schedules, the UK sequence of new episodes ended well before those in the US and Canada. The fourth series premiered in the United States on 6 June 2008 with the subtitle of The Next Generation.[3][4] It was originally slated to begin airing in the United Kingdom in February 2009, but the premiere was later moved to April 2009.[5][6] In 2021, a fifth series with the subtitle Rise of the Dynasty was commissioned by BBC America from Oxford Scientific Films.[7][8] The 13-part series was shown in the United Kingdom by Channel 5 in December 2021, every weekday in the 6.30pm slot, with the last episode going out on Wednesday 15 December 2021.[9][10][11]
The original episodes are narrated by Bill Nighy. The Australian and American channels originally redubbed the episodes using their own narrators. the Australian episodes are narrated by Mike Goldman. In the US, episodes for the first three series were narrated by Sean Astin. For the fourth series, Astin was replaced with Stockard Channing, while BBC America kept Nighy as the narrator of the 2021 series for viewers in the United States.[3] Meerkat Manor is also broadcast in more than 160 countries.[12]
Notable merchandise based on the series include multiple DVD episode sets covering the first three series released in two regions, an upcoming feature film that will be a prequel to the Meerkat Manor series,[13] and a book by Professor Tim Clutton-Brock entitled Meerkat Manor – The Story of Flower of the Kalahari (ISBN 0-297-84484-9).[14]
As the programme originated in the United Kingdom, this article refers to seasons as series. In the case of changes made in the American broadcast, the title it aired under in the US will be listed below the original title, while meerkat name changes will be noted in the episode summary.
- ^ "Key Personnel – Southern Star Group". Southern Star. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2007.
- ^ "Animal Planet Begins Production on Third Season of Meerkat Manor". World Screen. 12 March 2007. Archived from the original on 11 January 2009. Retrieved 7 November 2007.
- ^ a b Starr, Michael (21 April 2008). "Starr Report". New York Post. Archived from the original on 16 June 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
- ^ Owen, Rob (7 August 2009). "TV Q&A with Rob Owen". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. PG Publishing. Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
- ^ Smith, Lynn (6 June 2008). "'Meerkat Manor' stars enter the next generation of drama". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 6 June 2008. Retrieved 7 June 2008.
- ^ "Meerkat Manor – The Next Generation". Southern Star Entertainment. Retrieved 22 February 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Watch Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty Online | Stream New Full Episodes | BBC America". Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "Viewing Guide: What to Know Going into 'Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty' | Anglophenia | BBC America". Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "My5". Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "My5". Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ Radio Times 11–17 December 2021, Channel 5 listings for Wednesday 15 December 2021 page 90
- ^ "Primetime Emmy Nominations for Meerkat Manor". Southern Star (Press release). 21 August 2007. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 31 October 2007.
- ^ Thomson, Desson (29 July 2007). "March of the Cuddly-Wuddly Documentaries". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2007.
- ^ "Tim Clutton-Brock's Meerkat Manor book". Friends of the Kalahari Meerkat Project. 29 September 2007. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 24 December 2007.