Born To Be Wild: Meet the Narrator
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Hugh Bonneville backstage at the Coronation Concert held in the grounds of Windsor Castle on May 7, 2023 in Windsor, England. The Windsor Castle Concert is part of the celebrations of the Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms that took place at Westminster Abbey yesterday. High-profile performers will entertain members of the royal family and 20,000 guests including 10,000 members of the public (Image via Getty)Apple TV’s upcoming wildlife documentary series Born to Be Wild is narrated by British actor Hugh Bonneville, recognized for his roles in Downton Abbey, Paddington, and The Secret Lives of Animals.
As per Apple TV's announcement, the six-episode show was shot over a span of years in different locations around the world and tells the story of six young and endangered animals, starting from their birth or rescue and continuing till their release into nature.
The camera has been directed towards the lives of young elephants, cheetahs, a baby ring-tailed lemur, a little moon bear, Iberian lynx toddlers, and African penguins that got help.
It shows each animal's life cycle, the difficulties they encounter, and the actions of the caretakers who are in charge of their rehabilitation and trying to give them a chance to survive.
Born to Be Wild premiered worldwide on Friday, December 19, on Apple TV.
Who is Born To Be Wild narrator Hugh Bonneville
Hugh Bonneville’s early career
Hugh Richard Bonneville Williams was born on November 10, 1963, in London, England. He studied at the challenging National Youth Theatre, the famous University of Cambridge, and the well-known Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.
Actor Bonneville stepped on the professional stage for the first time at the National Theatre in 1987 and shortly after was playing at the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he was Laertes in Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet.
His road to fame included the small screen in 1990. He made guest appearances on the ITV channel in the drama series Chancer from 1990 to 1991, and that same year, he was also on the BBC in the comedy Dodgem. PBS aired his next performance in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes in 1994.
Other early TV spots had him in recurring roles such as The Vet on the BBC in 1995, Married for Life on ITV in 1996, Get Well Soon on the BBC in 1997, and Mosley on Channel 4 in 1998.
Film and television roles
In 1994, Bonneville started his film career with Frankenstein and went on to play minor parts in Notting Hill and Mansfield Park, both of which were released in 1999.
He was the recipient of a Best Supporting Actor nod from BAFTA for his performance as John Bayley in Iris, released in 2001.
Among those chosen were Blow Dry in 2001 and TV roles in Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairy Tale on Hallmark Channel in 2003, Stage Beauty in 2004, and Ben Hur on ABC in 2010.
In 2008, Bonneville was cast as Mr. Bennet in Lost in Austen on ITV, and he played Robert, Earl of Grantham, in Downton Abbey on ITV from 2010 to 2016. He received both a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination for his performance in the role.
He was also in the cast of The Robinsons on BBC2 in 2005, Courting Alex on CBS in 2006, Five Days on BBC from 2007 to 2010, Bonekickers on BBC in 2008, Twenty Twelve on BBC4 from 2011 to 2012, Doctor Who on BBC from 2005 onward, and Rev. on BBC2 from 2010 to 2014.
Narration and voice work
Bonneville has voiced various TV shows, such as Ruth Watson’s Hotel Rescue on Channel 4 in 2009 and Country House Rescue on Channel 4 from 2008 onwards.
His bilingual proficiency in French and English opened the door to numerous voice-over assignments.
Apple TV credits him as the narrator for Born to Be Wild and he assists the viewers in grasping the behind-the-scenes of the endangered animals' birth and rehabilitation process.
The viewer's experience emphasizes the humanity involved in caring for the orphaned or rescued animals and their training for release into the wild.
Production details
Born to Be Wild is a co-production between Tailfeather Productions and Offspring Films for Apple TV.
Lucy van Beek is the head of production for Tailfeather Productions, while Alex Williamson and Isla Robertson head Offspring Films as executive producers.
The narrative revolves around animal conservation and care; it highlights not only cheetahs, penguins, lynxes, baby elephants, a moon bear, and a baby lemur.
Apple TV+, which was launched on November 1, 2019, displays its own films, series, and documentaries to worldwide viewers.
The service has already been honored more than 640 times and has received 2,872 nominations for its productions, including Ted Lasso and CODA, among which are the most notable ones.
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TOPICS: Born To Be Wild, Born To Be Wild Hugh Bonneville, Apple TV