Macaque: Monkeys In The Mountains: BBC release date, trailer, and how to watch Attenborough Dynasties special

A new Dynasties special, focusing on the Macaque monkeys, will air on BBC One and iPlayer on Friday 30 December.

The one-off special, hosted as ever by David Attenborough, follows a group of Barbary macaques living in the Atlas mountains of Morocco.

Here’s everything you need to know about Macaque: Monkeys In The Mountains – A Dynasties Special.

What is Macaque: Monkeys In The Mountains about?

The official BBC One synopsis for the Dynasties special explains that “high in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco lives a group of Barbary macaque monkeys. The alpha male, known as Mac, has just battled to win the leadership of the troop. He must now lead and protect them while fending off rivals who still want his crown.”

“Mac leads his troop through his first year as alpha, facing both the scorching summer drought, and snowy frozen winter, all while trying to defend his throne. Mac will have to make decisions, forge alliances, face challenges and battle the elements in a bid to hold on to his crown, and keep his huge extended family safe. But by overcoming the challenges he faces, he is able to sire a possible future heir to his throne and start his own dynasty.”

Who was involved in the documentary?

David Attenborough narrates, as he has done with previous Dynasties documentaries. Now 96, Attenborough has been narrating nature documentaries since Zoo Quest in 1954; interestingly, Attenborough is the only person to have won BAFTA Awards in black and white, colour, high-definition, 3D and 4K resolutions.

Mike Gunton, a producer at the BBC Natural History Unit, was an executive producer on this series also. Gunton has previously worked on a number of similar documentaries, from The Green Planet to Prehistoric Planet to Planet Earth II; he’s also the creator of the Dynasties series, which has been hailed as essentially a new genre of natural history documentary.

Rosie Thomas, who previously directed episodes of The Green Planet, is a producer on Macaque: Monkeys In The Mountains. Mary Melville, meanwhile, has directed this particular Macaque Dynasties special.

Is there a trailer?

Yes, there is! You can watch it right here.

When and how can I watch the Dynasties special?

Macaque: Monkeys In The Mountains will air on BBC One on Friday 30 December at 7:30pm. You’ll also be able to watch it on demand on BBC iPlayer.

In Northern Ireland, it’ll play at the slightly later time of 8pm. There’s also going to be a BBC Two repeat at 7:20am on Monday 2 January, in case you miss this and you’re up quite early then.

What is its runtime?

The new Dynasties special is just under an hour long at 58 minutes.

Where is it set?

The Barbary Macaque monkeys who feature in this Dynasties special live in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.

The Macaques are native to the mountain range, and can be found in Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Morocco; there’s also a small population in Gibraltar, which is the only place they can be found in Europe.

Are there any other upcoming Attenborough specials?

There are! A few major Attenborough projects have already been announced for 2023 (and no doubt there’s still a few more we don’t know about yet).

You’ll want to keep an eye out in particular for Wild Isles, a five-part BBC documentary about the natural animals in the British Isles and Ireland, and Our Planet II, a four-part Netflix documentary about wildlife across the planet.

Why should I watch Macaque: Monkeys In The Mountains?

As ever, it’s one to check out if you’re a fan of David Attenborough documentaries, especially if you’ve enjoyed previous instalments of the Dynasties series.