In the animal kingdom, there is a challenge that unites all animal life on Earth – one that allows them to pass on their genes to the next generation and continue life’s precious cycle. It is nature’s ultimate quest — the pursuit of a mate. The world’s most celebrated broadcaster and naturalist, Sir David Attenborough, lends his distinctive voice to BBC Earth’s new landmark series, The Mating Game (5×60’). From the producers behind the award-winning blue-chip natural history series, A Perfect Planet, the all-new five-part series explores the most intimate details of life from every corner of the globe to reveal how animals overcome the challenges of their worlds to reproduce and leave a lasting legacy. The Canadian premiere of The Mating Game airs Sunday, March 13 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, exclusively on BBC Earth in Canada during the channel’s eight-week free preview event running from February 28 to May 1 in over 8 million Canadian households.
The Mating Game shows the natural world at its most spectacular,” says Sir David Attenborough. “Animals set out to impress one another when they start courtship and mating and my goodness how impressive they can be, so it makes for a wonderful sight. The equipment animals have for their mating displays, the feathers, all the paraphernalia, it can be very dramatic.”
“Following our ratings success for Sir David Attenborough’s A Perfect Planet, we jumped at the chance to bring this new BBC Earth landmark series, The Mating Game, to Canadian audiences,” says Craig Junner, VP, Programming, Canadian Media, Blue Ant Media. “Sir David has a timeless appeal that transcends age-groups and borders. His message of appreciation for wildlife and nature is very important, which is why we’ve scheduled the premiere of The Mating Game during our free preview window, so millions of Canadians can enjoy this stunning natural history series.”
Filmed in 22 countries spanning six continents and featuring 80 unique species captured on film, The Mating Game details the remarkably intricate, often dramatic and sometimes comical, ways in which animals begin their courtship and overcome enormous obstacles in the race to win a partner. From the great expanses of the grassland, to the deep ocean and tangled jungles, each episode captures the compelling efforts from across the animal kingdom that highlight how ruthless and unpredictable the ‘mating game’ can be.
The privilege of reproduction is one that many are willing to pay with their own lives and animals will go to extraordinary lengths in their desire to mate. Whether it be through thoughtful gestures, displays of power, deception or flamboyance, these interactions result in some of the most stunningly unique and shocking spectacles of wildlife on Earth.
The Mating Game is produced for BBC, Discovery, and discovery+ by Silverback Films in co-production with bilibili, France Télévisions and NHK. For Silverback, Jeff Wilson is series producer and Keith Scholey is executive producer. For Discovery and discovery+, Howard Swartz is executive producer. BBC Studios is distributing internationally.
The Canadian premiere of The Mating Game airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT starting March 13, exclusively on BBC Earth in Canada. BBC Earth is also available on Amazon Prime Video and The Mating Game will be available day and date.
Episode 1: “Grasslands: In Plain Sight”
Sunday, March 13, Canadian Broadcast Premiere
The grasslands of our planet are some of the most challenging habitats for playing the ‘mating game’. They are an open stage where potential partners and jealous rivals can witness your every move and every failure. To win here, a player must give everything. Where grass is in plentiful supply, so too is the competition, and for those who gather in huge numbers to breed, the added threat of hungry predators looms large.
