Animal Planet UK has handed an 8 episode series order to factual series Meet The Orangutans, which hails from independent production company Blink Films.
Meet The Orangutans is voiced by Liza Tarbuck and follows reveals the story of numerous orangutans as they are brought to the world’s oldest orangutan sanctuary, Sepilok in Borneo. It follows the apes from their arrival as tiny orphaned babies, to their triumphant release back into the wild as young adults. Each episode covers two or three stories and will feature interviews with team members including Sue Sheward.
The series, which was commissioned by Discovery Networks International Director of Production Helen Hawken, will air on Animal Planet UK in early 2015, before subsequently airing on Discovery Networks International in more than 200 counties. It is executive produced by Andra Heritage and Catherine Ball.
The greenlight for Meet The Orangutans comes after Meet The Sloth, which smashed Animal Planet UK’s slot average and reached 24 million people across Discovery Networks International. It was also an online hit and led to Animal Planet UK winning Best Specialist Channel at the 2014 Broadcast Digital Awards,
“Meet The Sloths was a viral success this year with millions of views on YouTube. In 2015 Animal Planet will be making orangutans the next sensation”, said Helen Hawken. “Meet The Orangutans puts heartfelt stories, both human and animal, at its heart to reveal the character of this wonderful species”.
