Animal Park

Lore & Background

The first series of Animal Park originally broadcast in 2000 on BBC One, presented by Kate Humble and Paul Heiney. In series two, Heiney was replaced by Ben Fogle. The original run comprised nine series and 150 episodes, with the last episode airing on 25 March 2009. The show was revived in 2016 for a tenth series celebrating the 50th anniversary of Longleat Safari Park, renamed Animal Park: Summer Special, with Humble and Fogle joined by reporter Jean Johansson.

Reader's Guide

Animal Park documents the day-to-day running of the safari park, including the care of animals such as the tiger 'Kadu', rhinos 'Babs' and 'Winston', and Europe's oldest male silverback gorilla, 'Nico'. It also covers the running of Longleat House and preservation of its historic contents. Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath, appeared regularly until his death in April 2020; his son Ceawlin Thynn and wife Emma have since appeared. The show has produced two spin-offs: Animal Park: Wild in Africa (2005) and Animal Park: Wild on the West Coast (2007). As of August 2025, the series has aired 21 series and three special series, typically shown during school holidays as daily weekday episodes.

Did You Know?

• The original series of Animal Park ran for nine series and 150 episodes, ending on 25 March 2009.
• The show was revived in 2016 for a tenth series to celebrate Longleat's 50th anniversary.
• Lion Country (1998–1999) ran for 30 episodes, not 55.

From Lions to Legacy: A Quarter-Century on Screen

Animal Park traces its roots back to 1967, when BBC One aired a documentary called The Lions of Longleat, narrated by Lord Bath and Jimmy Chipperfield, capturing the newly opened safari park. Nearly three decades later, a 55-episode series titled Lion Country ran from 1998 to 1999, keeping the Longleat story alive on screen. The format we recognize today arrived in 2000 on BBC One, with Kate Humble and Paul Heiney at the helm. By series two, Ben Fogle had taken Heiney's place, and the duo would become synonymous with the show. Nine series and 150 episodes followed, concluding with a final broadcast on 25 March 2009. After a seven-year hiatus, the BBC revived the format in August 2016 to mark Longleat's 50th anniversary, rebranding it as Animal Park: Summer Special. The revival proved durable: as of August 2025, the programme has reached 21 series plus three specials, typically airing during school holidays in weekday daytime slots.

The Faces Behind the Fences

The show's identity has been shaped by a rotating cast of presenters and the ever-present Thynn family. Kate Humble and Ben Fogle anchored the original run and carried the 2016 revival forward, joined briefly by reporter Jean Johansson. In 2021, wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin added a new voice to the presenting team, and by 2022, Megan McCubbin had stepped in to replace Johansson. Behind the presenters, the Thynn family provided a constant thread. Alexander Thynn, the 7th Marquess of Bath, appeared regularly until his death on 4 April 2020; the programme dedicated a 2020 episode to his memory. His son Ceawlin, the 8th Marquess, and his wife Emma have since appeared on multiple episodes, continuing the family's on-screen presence. Staff members of Longleat also feature throughout, grounding the show in the daily reality of running a working safari park rather than a purely wildlife spectacle.

Stars of the Safari and the House Beyond

While the presenters guide the viewer, the true stars are the animals and the living landscape of Longleat. Certain residents became cultural touchstones: the tiger Kadu, the rhinos Babs and Winston, and Nico, Europe's oldest male silverback gorilla, whose death in January 2018 at age 56 prompted a dedicated tribute episode in the 2018 series. The show does not stop at the safari park's gates. It also documents the stewardship of Longleat House and the ongoing preservation of its historic contents, offering a rare glimpse into how a grand estate is maintained alongside its wildlife. This dual focus—on the day-to-day running of the park and the care of a heritage property—gives the series a depth that distinguishes it from typical nature programming. Viewers see the keepers, the logistics, the feeding routines, and the quiet work of conservation, all set against the backdrop of a Wiltshire estate that has been in the Thynn family for generations.

Beyond Wiltshire: Spin-offs and Specials

Animal Park's narrative is anchored in Longleat, but the franchise has occasionally looked outward. In 2005, BBC Two aired Animal Park: Wild in Africa, a spin-off set in Namibia that followed wildlife conservationists in their daily work. Two years later, a companion series, Animal Park: Wild on the West Coast, brought a similar format to California. Both were broadcast on BBC Two and extended the show's reach into international conservation storytelling. Back in the UK, the main series has also experimented with special formats. Series fifteen, aired in December 2020, adopted a Christmas theme, while the 2016 revival was structured as a five-episode summer special. Episodes from series six and eight were later re-edited into 15, 25, 30, and 45-minute versions for repeat broadcasts and schedule fillers. These variations show a programme that, while deeply rooted in one Wiltshire estate, has found creative ways to adapt its format across decades and geographies.

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