Dynasties is a landmark BBC natural history series from the producers of Planet Earth II, narrated by Sir David Attenborough. The series follows five of the world’s most celebrated and endangered animals, Chimpanzee, Emperor Penguin, Lion, Painted Wolf, and Tiger, focusing on the extraordinary challenges each dynasty faces to survive and pass on their legacy to the next generation.
The Series
Each of the five episodes is dedicated to a single species, immersing viewers in intimate and often dramatic stories of family, leadership, and survival. The series was produced by the BBC Natural History Unit and first broadcast on BBC One from November 2018, attracting between 6.9 and 8.24 million viewers per episode. Filming took the production team from Senegal and Kenya to Zimbabwe, India, and the frozen expanses of Antarctica, across a total runtime of five hours.
Picture and Sound
This 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray release presents all five episodes in native 2160p HEVC-encoded video with HDR10 high dynamic range, delivering a visibly superior depth of colour, contrast, and detail compared to standard Blu-Ray. The wide colour gamut is particularly striking in nature footage: the rich earth tones of African savannah, the icy blues of Antarctica, and the dense greens of Indian jungle all benefit from the expanded dynamic range. Audio is presented in English Dolby Atmos, the series’ preferred home theatre format, with Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 also included. English SDH subtitles are provided.
Disc Content
The set comprises four discs: two BD-66 discs carrying the 4K Ultra HD episodes and two BD-50 Blu-Ray discs. Bonus content includes the ‘On Location’ documentary (50 minutes), which provides behind-the-scenes access to the production teams who spent months in the field with each animal family. Both the 4K and standard Blu-Ray discs are region free, making this edition compatible with all Blu-Ray players worldwide.