BBC America and AMC+ announced today the US premiere date for Asia, the latest landmark natural history series from BBC Studios Natural History Unit.
Presented by renowned naturalist and three-time Emmy® Award winner Sir David Attenborough (Mammals, Planet Earth III), the cinematic series, Asia, explores each corner of this remarkable part of our planet and journeys through Asia’s most stunning landscapes, uncovering stories of extraordinary unseen animal behavior.
Across seven episodes plus a “making of” special filmed over the course of nearly four years, this is the first time that Asia — home to the highest mountain range, the deepest ocean, the tallest jungles, and the biggest cave — has been the focus of a BBC America landmark wildlife series.
From elephants in Sri Lanka that have learned to become highway thieves to get food from bus passengers, to sea snakes in the Western Pacific that have learned to team up with fish to hunt, and from the vast Gobi Desert and the jungles of Borneo, to the polar wilderness of Siberia and the coral seas of the Indian Ocean, Asia showcases the amazing wildlife, natural wonders, and breathtaking diversity of the continent’s wildest places.
The program will also explore the conservation challenges facing the planet’s largest continent and shine a light on the potential solutions being championed by the region’s conservation heroes.
Asia premiere in the US on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at 8pm ET/PT, on BBC America, with same-day streaming available on AMC+.
Here’s what we can look forward to:
Episode 1 — “Beneath the Waves” (Saturday, January 25, 8pm ET/PT) — Asia has the longest coastline of any continent and the most abundant coral reefs on Earth. Its seas are connected by some of the world’s most powerful currents and are home to over sixty percent of all marine species. This episode features the charismatic creatures of Asia’s oceans, never-before-seen spectacles, and brand-new animal behavior. From giants in the deep ocean to tiny fish that climb trees, from squid that glow in the dark to grey reef sharks that hunt in their hundreds, Asia’s waters are as spectacular as they are diverse.
Episode 2 — “Above the Clouds” (Saturday, February 1, 8pm ET/PT) — Asia is the most mountainous continent on earth. From the forested slopes of the tropics to the hostile heights of the Himalaya, Asia’s mountains are home to an astonishing abundance of specialized plants and wildlife. In India, elephants live in high-altitude tea plantations. In Thailand, mountainous caves hide the planet’s greatest gathering of swifts. In Pakistan, markhor live life truly on the edge, fighting for mates atop towering cliffs. And in Nepal, the forested foothills of the Himalayas provide hiding places for one of Asia’s shyest but most adorable mammals: the red panda.
Episode 3 — “The Frozen North” (Saturday, February 8, 8pm ET/PT) — In northern Asia, life defies hostile extremes. In Russia’s Lake Baikal, a seal pup must take evasive action when its ice den starts to melt. Hokkaido’s thermal springs are a haven for dancing red-crowned cranes. On the Tibetan Plateau, a lone Himalayan wolf hunts antelope. Fish owls thrive in the forests where Russia and China meet. On the Kamchatka Peninsula, brown bears hunt salmon in preparation for winter. Elsewhere in Japan, bats hibernate beneath snow, while red foxes and sea eagles compete for food. In Arctic Russia, polar bears wait on isolated islands for the return of sea ice.
Episode 4 — “Tangled Worlds” (Saturday, February 15, 8pm ET/PT) — Asia’s jungles are exceptionally diverse, but while they provide shelter, food and opportunity, they are also full of dangers and hidden threats. In monsoon forests, tigers tenaciously hunt their prey, and prehistoric-looking rhinos play courtship games akin to “kiss chase.” In tropical rainforests, female orangutans must search far and wide to find their perfect mates. And in the little-known forests of Iraqi Kurdistan, a new Persian leopard population is growing amidst minefields.
Episode 5 — “Crowded Continent” (Saturday, February 22, 8pm ET/PT) — In Asia, the most densely populated continent, animals have developed extraordinary ways to seize the opportunities of the human world — from tigers entering a city to hunt easy prey, to elephants stopping traffic to demand food from motorists. A small park in central Bangkok supports three hundred giant lizards, while a flying squirrel in Taipei has made a cozy home in a school. Yet, the changing human world creates unprecedented challenges: proboscis monkeys are forced to venture uncomfortably closer to humans, and swifts in Jerusalem face tough competition for nest sites.
Episode 6 — “The Arid Heart” (Saturday, March 1, 8pm ET/PT) — In the heart of Asia lie vast arid lands. These deserts and dry grasslands are so hostile, they push life to the limit. Here, one of the rarest animals on earth, the Gobi Bear, searches desperately for water, and bizarre-looking long-eared jerboas use their striking features to catch insects. Asiatic lions must do whatever it takes to find food, and juvenile cormorants resort to cannibalism to survive. On the arid grasslands, Pallas cats need ingenious ways to get close to their prey, Mongolian Gazelles must battle harsh winters and human barriers, and takhi horses are terrorized each night by Mongolian wolves. Life in the arid heart demands extraordinary resilience; those that live here are Asia’s great survivors.
Episode 7 — “Saving Asia” (Saturday, March 8, 8pm ET/PT) — Remarkable people are dedicating their lives to saving Asia’s extraordinary wildlife, using ingenious solutions. In Borneo, we follow a sun bear being released back into the wild, and in Java, we see how a breeding program is saving the Javan green magpie. In Japan, orphaned shark embryos are being raised in an artificial uterus, and off Bali, fishermen are trialing new technology that could stop rare species being caught in their nets. We also witness a Nepali police raid disrupting the illegal wildlife trade, and join a 24-hour wildlife rescue team saving Sunda pangolins in urban Singapore.
Episode 8 — “The Making Of Asia” (Saturday, March 8, 9pm ET/PT) — This episode goes behind the scenes with the production team of Asia.
Produced by BBC Studios Natural History Unit for BBC One and iPlayer, co-produced with BBC America, ZDF, and France Télévisions, Asia was commissioned by Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual. The Executive Producer is Roger Webb, the Series Producer is Matthew Wright, and the Commissioning Editor is Sreya Biswas, Head of Commissioning, Natural History. BBC Studios is handling global distribution and facilitated the co-production deals with BBC AMERICA, ZDF and France Télévisions.
__________________
As an affiliate of Amazon and other cos, affiliate links on this blog allow us to earn income from qualifying actions (at no extra cost to you).
Sign up for free trials to streaming channels on Prime Video Channels
Students & young adults, get a 6-month trial of Prime for $0! Sign up now!
Check to see if you’re eligible to access all of Prime for just $6.99/month.
Sign up for Amazon Business to help reduce costs at your business.