Serengeti shows animal-human link

"It was important for us people understand how close we are to other animals. The Serengeti is like nature in perfection－in all those little family dramas in the animal world, we can see our own lives reflected. It's about caring for your young, survival, bettering yourself－the human parallels are so strong. We hope that's the comparison people will make.

"The classic documentary commentary style is to say 'this is us looking at them', and telling you about their lives. There's nothing wrong with that, but there's a more interesting, emotional, complex way, of the animals making everyday decisions for the benefit of their families, like humans do.

"Our scripts have about half the number of words of a usual documentary, because they should let the pictures tell the story. I find that so much more interesting."

Downer's creative partner on the series is entertainment mogul Simon Fuller, creator of the American Idol format, who came to him with the idea following a safari trip to Tanzania.

"I am a very big animal lover, and often go on safari to clear my mind and be inspired. On one of these trips, when traveling alone, I began to notice so many similarities between the lives of animals and humans, and it occurred to me that the more we can relate to them, the more we will respect them, and then who would want to do them harm?" Fuller explained.

"I wanted to create a next-generation natural history show that would fascinate and entertain a mainstream audience, and knew it would be successful. My research told me John was the best producer in the world for this, and I knew we had the perfect combination to make something very special."

While the series begins with the animals having their lives overwhelmed by the impact of climate change, and adapting their routines and habitat to its aftermath, the humans making it also went through a not dissimilar experience, working through the pandemic.

Use of local crews and remote editing facilities meant that production was not as badly disrupted as it could have been, but Downer says that just like the animals they were filming, the process of adapting to living in changed circumstances was a lesson for them all.

"You can't sit around saying you'll wait for this period to pass, because how long is that going to take? We had to change the way we did things and reconsider the whole film-making process," he said.

"It certainly made us work quicker, which is definitely something we will take from this whole experience; that is one positive from having to rethink everything."