In a legendary feat of leadership and perseverance, polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton kept his crew of 27 men alive for over a year despite the loss of their ship in frigid pack ice in 1915. Over a century later, a team of modern-day explorers set out to find the sunken ship.

The Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust organised and funded the expedition to locate the shipwreck off the coast of Antarctica, where the Endurance sank in 1915. The ship remained inaccessible and undiscovered for over a century until its discovery on 5 March 2022 ― 100 years after Sir Ernest Shackleton’s death. The expedition was led by polar geographer Dr. John Shears with marine archaeologist Mensun Bound as director of exploration and Nicolas (Nico) Vincent as expedition subsea manager. 

“We have dedicated our careers to telling stories about the edge of human experience, exploration and possibility,” said directors Vasarhelyi and Chin. “Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance is the definitive true story of adventure and survival against all odds. With the discovery of his long-lost ship — which sank over 100 years ago in the unforgiving Weddell Sea — by a group of fearless explorers and scientists, we are able to revisit Shackleton’s story of hardship, bravery and leadership with a fresh lens. We are thrilled to be able to work with Nat Hewit and the team and look forward to using cutting-edge technology to bring this story of friendship, grit, inspiration and discovery to contemporary audiences of all ages.”

For over a century, Disney has created stories that celebrate the wonders of the world we all share. And for more than 136 years, National Geographic has been synonymous with inspiring a deeper connection to our world. This year, these two powerful legacies are coming together to celebrate this beautiful planet we call home and the power within each of us to create change for the better.

ourHOME will bring compelling stories to the forefront, including highlighting efforts being undertaken as part of Disney Planet Possible, our commitment to taking meaningful and measurable action to support a healthier planet for people and wildlife. A new digital series will be released spotlighting three Disney Planet Possible stories with National Geographic talent visiting Walt Disney World Resort to see the work firsthand.

Disney+ marks the occasion with the launch of an ourHOME content collection, featuring some of the very best storytellers and content creators celebrating the planet, including the critically acclaimed series Queens, A Real Bug’s Life, Incredible Animal Journeys, along with the full library of Disneynature films.

Additionally, on Earth Day, 22 April 2024, the latest installment of Nat Geo’s Emmy^® Award-winning Secrets Of… franchise, Secrets of the Octopus, narrated by Paul Rudd, will premiere on Disney+ and on National Geographic Wild. The full series will broadcast from 18:00 (DSTV 182, StarSat 221).

Streaming on Disney+, Disneynature’s all-new feature film Tiger, narrated by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, will journey alongside a young tigress raising her rambunctious cubs in the fabled forests of India, also from 22 April. 

A dedicated ourHOME television spot, featuring the voice of Morgan Freeman, will air throughout the month across the Disney owned television stations, on social media feeds and selected digital platforms across South Africa.

“National Geographic is one of the most beloved and trusted global brands with a combined social media following of more than 750 million people. We harness this reach to remind people that the world is an amazing and miraculous place, filled with beauty, awe and wonder,” said Courteney Monroe, President, National Geographic. “This Earth Month, we hope, by sharing this passion, that we can also inspire others to protect, restore and celebrate our home.”

“Disney is committed to putting possibility into practice and inspiring optimism for a brighter, cleaner and more environmentally sustainable future,” said Yalmaz Siddiqui, Vice President, Environmental Sustainability, The Walt Disney Company.  “We hope the ourHOME campaign with Nat Geo helps bring greater awareness of the beauty and majesty of our planet to audiences everywhere.” 

As a former biology teacher, he’s always known the valley as the world’s greatest hub for wildlife. The chance to trek 800 kilometers through its diverse wilderness in migration season and survive out in the open amongst magnificent animals, is a life-long dream. Along the way, Audel will cross grasslands, caves, mountains and river valleys, on foot, in his quest to experience Africa’s greatest natural spectacle, the great Wildebeest migration in the Serengeti.

Traversing the challenging landscapes of east Africa, Audel encounters desert nomads, tracks elephants, navigates treacherous waters, searches for rare black rhinos, explores coastal caves, and forages for food, all while collaborating with local nomadic tribes and facing the formidable forces of nature. Along the way, he is reminded that survival in the wild requires not only physical endurance and survival skills, but also a deep understanding and respect for the indigenous peoples and ecosystems of Africa.

The episodes include:

Primal Survivor: Extreme African Safari: Desert Nomads

For the first leg of his journey through East Africa’s Great Rift Valley, wilderness explorer Hazen Audel treks into the Chalbi Desert. Dropping down from surrounding cliffs he’s plunged into an unforgiving arid expanse, dodging snakes and hyenas as he searches for the nomadic Gabra tribe. To make it across the desert he needs to find their treasured singing well and reach a migrating camel train. 

Primal Survivor: Extreme African Safari: Valley of Giants

In the second leg on his journey through East Africa’s legendary Great Rift Valley, wilderness explorer, Hazen Audel, descends the western wall in search of a revered herd of elephants. Harnessing survival skills and vital knowledge from the local tribe, he makes his way down the treacherous escarpment to a join a group of spear fishermen who know the elephants well. With their help he tracks the herd on the banks of the Kerio River. 

Primal Survivor: Extreme African Safari: Deadly Waters

On the third leg of his extreme African safari, wildlife enthusiast and survivalist Hazen Audel takes on mighty Lake Baringo. Determined to witness a million strong flock of flamingos before they fly south, he enlists the help of master boatsmen, the Il’Chamus tribe. Dodging hippos and crocodiles, he builds a raft to compete in a tribal lake race and win the right of passage to see the mega flock. 

Primal Survivor: Extreme African Safari: Rhino Mountain

Wilderness explorer and survival expert Hazen Audel reaches Hell’s Gate gorge at the heart of the Great Rift Valley, on a quest to find rare black rhino. A group of forest foragers send him towards Mt Suswa, but to reach it he must navigate a warren of forests, caves and canyons. He’ll need all his survival skills to make it to a Maasai village and find the magnificent black rhino.  

Primal Survivor: Extreme African Safari: Untamed Coast

On the penultimate leg of his extreme African safari, wilderness explorer and survival expert Hazen Audel tackles East Africa’s Tropical Coast. Enlisting the help of the Indian Ocean masters, the Mijikenda people, Hazen embarks on a gruelling ocean voyage to reach a network of coastal coral caves, home to the largest multi-species bat colony in the world. 

Primal Survivor: Extreme African Safari: Serengeti

In an epic finale, wilderness explorer Hazen Audel closes in on the Serengeti. With the help of the hunter-gatherer Hadza tribe he battles through harsh terrain and past apex predators to reach the lush eden of the central savannahs. His ultimate goal, the Great Migration, is finally sight but time and the rains are against him. Can he make it to Africa’s greatest natural spectacle? 

Primal Survivor: Extreme African Safari is produced by Icon Films for National Geographic. Executive producers for Icon Films are Harry Marshall, Laura Marshall, Rob Rawlings and Nicholas White. Hazan Audel serves as a consulting producer. For National Geographic, Carolyn Payne and Sarah Peat are executive producers and Tom McDonald is executive vice president, global factual and unscripted content.

Four previous seasons of Primal Survivor with Hazen Audel are currently streaming on Disney+.

From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer-at-Large James Cameron, the series travels the world — from the Savannahs of Africa to the urban landscapes of Asia — to discover thestrategic thinking, complex emotions and sophisticated language of elephants. Narrated by Academy Award®-winning actress Natalie Portman and featuring renowned National Geographic Explorer and elephant expert Dr. Paula Kahumbu, the four-part series not only reveals the extraordinarylives of different families of elephants but also highlights how similar they are to us. Secrets Of The Elephants will change everything you thought you knew about elephants forever.

Episodes include:

Desert

This episode reveals the secrets of Namibia’s last remaining desert elephants. When droughts, sandstorms and even floods threaten them, their shared knowledge passed down from generation to generation keeps them alive. This is the toughest place on earth to be an elephant, and their story is one of triumph in a land of extremes.

Savanna

Big families and strong relationships are the basis of success for savanna elephants. As we uncover their secrets, we start to understand their remarkable language. It’s not just noise; they communicate like us. Good leadership and close friendships help them through the hard times as they scale cliffs, find their place in the hierarchy and mourn their dead.

Asia

As humans encroach ever further into their environment, Asian elephants are learning to adjust to the challenges facing them. They know how to use tools to break down electric fences, strike deals with farmers, and develop a cooperative arrangement on tea plantations where they do the weeding without damaging the crops.

Rainforest

The Congo rainforest is home to one of the world’s most elusive species, the African forest elephant. Everything about them—their bodies, their behaviors, their families—is adapted to life in the rainforest. But surviving here means more than just adapting. These elephants have shaped the forest around them to their needs and, in doing so, have created a habitat unlike any other on Earth.

Restaurants at the End of the World follows Chef Kish as she searches for the secret ingredients – people, places, culture and traditions – within the world’s most remote restaurants in Boquete, Panama; Svalbard, Norway; North Haven Island, Maine; and Paraty, Brazil.

Running any successful venture takes a certain tenacity and grit, but those who set up deep in the wild, cut off from the grid and normal supply lines, are in a class all their own. Chef Kish goes behind the scenes and embeds herself with local purveyors, farmers, herders, kitchen crew, managers and head chefs to listen to their stories and witness the day-to-day balancing act required to bring unique food to the table, meal after meal. She then dives into the depths of the land to forage only the freshest ingredients and, along the way, unearths the culture and heart behind the cuisine. 

“Food has an unparalleled power to bring us together and teach us about one another and the world around us, and we see that firsthand by going to restaurants in the world’s most remote areas,” says Chef Kish. “Filming this series with National Geographic was an adventure of a lifetime that taught me so much about an industry I’ve been steeped in my whole life. I can’t wait for viewers to come along on the journey with us and experience these dishes at restaurants most never even knew existed.”

The chefs profiled in the series are inspired by the surrounding land and local resources to make dishes that reflect their culture. Because their menus rely so much on the environment, they are constantly challenged to improvise, adapt and become tougher in pursuing their passions. With dishes ranging from reindeer tongues to buttermilk biscuits topped with lobster salad to kimchi sorbet, the menus featured in Restaurants at the End of the World are a fusion of curiosity, playfulness and relentless dedication, giving viewers a taste of faraway worlds through food.

Chef Kish competed on Bravo’s “Top Chef” Season 10, where she took home the top prize. Since winning, she launched her first cookbook “Kristen Kish Cooking”in October 2017 and partnered with LINE Hotels in 2018 to launch her first restaurant Arlo Grey in Austin.

Restaurants at the End of the World is produced for National Geographic by World of Wonder and Cinetic. For World of Wonder, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Tom Campbell and Jeremy Simmons are executive producers. For Cinetic, Ross Fremer, Brian Oakes and Christine O’Malley are executive producers. For National Geographic, Betsy Forhan is executive producer and Charlie Parsons is vice president of development.

The exciting content features the best and brightest scientists, explorers, photographers and filmmakers in the world. The coming months’ content highlights offer something for everyone, as several new natural history series, feature documentaries, and programming stunts will showcase the wonder of the natural world, take them on exhilarating adventures and illuminate historical figures who epitomize the strength and triumphs of humankind.

In National Geographic’s first locally produced pan-African children’s production, Team Sayari, viewers will follow a group of young conservationists, along with Akili – an AI computer represented as a large DNA helix – as they become Africa’s protectors, working from a fun and high-tech base known as Sayari basecamp. Airing each Saturday at 13:00, Team Sayari premieres on 24 September and each episode promises adventures and investigative missions, visiting exciting places across Africa, meeting interesting people, sharing knowledge about the continent’s biodiversity and exploring the need to become champions for conservation.

Viewers will enjoy a new perspective of Europe through the changing seasons across a year in Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Romania Serbia and Scotland when Season 4 of Europe from Above premieres on Wednesdays at 19:00, from 28 September, revealing how tradition, engineering and natural wonders have shaped this fascinating continent, in a vibrant portrait of the region and the people who keep it alive.

In Lost Treasures Of Arabia, premiering Friday 28 October at 19:00, we investigate AlUla’s unsolved mysteries and unravel the many dramas that played out on this ancient stage. This television special features reveals the historical heritage, exquisite natural assets and the immense legacy of art that continues to inspire future generations in this middle eastern city.

Meanwhile, 100 miles south of Atlanta, Dr. Hodges and Dr. Ferguson are two longtime friends who own and operate the Critter Fixer Veterinary Hospital. Between emergency visits to the office and farm calls throughout rural Georgia, the Critter Fixers and their loving staff are constantly bombarded with unique cases only seen in the country. Critter Fixers S2 premieres on Fridays at 18:00 from 11 November on National Geographic Wild.

For the world’s top adventure athletes, the line between triumph and tragedy is sometimes razor thin. The epic 10-part series, Edge Of The Unknown by Academy Award®-Winning executive producers E. Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, will takes audiences inside the minds of pioneering adventure athletes as they recount the most consequential moments of their lives on their journey to perfect the mastery of their craft, will premiere Sundays at 21:00 from 25 December on National Geographic.

“The exciting line up of National Geographic programming delivers on our core purpose to tell exceptional stories that ignite wonder and inspiration for people of all ages, enabling them to better understand the world and their place in it,” said Christine Service, Senior Vice President and General Manager of The Walt Disney Company Africa. “We can’t wait to bring these wildly entertaining documentary series, feature documentary films and extraordinary natural history shows from the best storytellers in the world to viewers across the continent, and especially in HD for the very first time.”

We’ve only mentioned just a portion of what’s to come, to view the entire exciting programming, check here.

The series charts the discoveries of archaeologists spread out across the ancient Roman Empire over an entire dig season. From crawling beneath Pompeii, to unearthing an enormous lost coliseum, and hauling a 2000-year-old battleship ram from the depths of the ocean, they race to unlock the secrets of this ancient civilization. Drone photography, passionate researchers and 3D CGI will bring the sites and their discoveries vividly to life.

Episodes include:

Hidden Secrets of Pompeii

Archaeologists embark on new digs in Pompeii, to unravel the stories of the people that lived and died here. They work around the clock to unearth a sacrificial skull, uncover clues from the tomb and mummified body of a curiously wealthy freed slave, and venture into stiflingly narrow tunnels beneath the central bathhouse.

Rome’s Sunken Secrets

How did Rome rise to dominate so much of the ancient world? Off the coast of Sicily, investigators discover traces of a crucial naval battle. Using divers, an underwater robot and a crane, they haul a long-lost battleship relic to the surface. In Terracina, south of Rome, a team of archaeologists dig inside an ancient mountaintop temple, and in Carthage, Tunisia, clues reveal how one deadly rivalry tilted the scales of power in favour of Rome.

Secrets of the Colosseum

How did the Colosseum – an arena for bloody gladiatorial battles – become the greatest symbol of the Roman Empire? Archaeologists venture into the Colosseum’s ruins, and launch digs across the Empire, to hunt for clues. As teams descend into hidden tunnels and unearth long-lost amphitheatres in Tuscany and Britain, they piece together the surprising truth about Rome’s iconic Colosseum.

Nero’s Lost Palace

Buried beneath Rome lies a forgotten treasure: the Golden House – a vast palace built in the first century AD. It was the most extravagant construction in the history of Rome. Why was it buried? And what can its fate reveal about its builder – Rome’s most notorious emperor – Nero? As experts race to save the remains of the Golden House, archaeologists uncover new clues to its fate and its connection to Nero’s reputation.

Pompeii’s Lost Twin: Herculaneum

The deadly volcanic eruption that buried Pompeii in AD79 also claimed another victim: Herculaneum. Positioned closer to the Vesuvius crater, this seaside town was covered in ash five times as thick as Pompeii, yet miraculously is even better preserved. Now, the discovery of an intact skeleton here, the first excavated in 25 years, helps investigators piece together the final hours of Herculaneum and unravel why Vesuvius stuck so violently here.

Each new episode features a different heart-warming and inspiring story from owners who deserve the chance to have their treasured classic motor fully restored back to its prime condition, with parts-blagging car enthusiast Tim Shaw and master mechanic Fuzz Townshend who are joined by special guest stars, including ex-England football legends Bryan Robson and Wes Brown, who are on hand to lend their time, energy, and moral support to a very special Car S.O.S reveal at Old Trafford football stadium.

Other celebrity Car S.O.S fans who make cameo appearances in the series are David Beckham, Sir Paul McCartney, TV mechanic and motoring specialist Edd China and Emmerdale actress Natalie J. Robb.  

The much-anticipated tenth series begins with an incredible makeover of a Fiat Uno Turbo, which was once the pride and joy of Gerry who recently discovered that he was suffering from a rare form of blood cancer, leaving unable to fix-up his car. Gerry underwent several months of chemotherapy which initially helped – however sadly it was then discovered that the cancer had spread to his spine.

The Car S.O.S team battled through a series of setbacks to get the car back to its former glory, and the result of all their persistence and hard work will leave even the most hardened of petrolheads amazed.   

Also featured in the series is the story of Ash, an electrician from Huddersfield. Ash owned a 1992, VW Corrrado, which was his pride and joy. However, after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, then being close to death from sepsis, Ash was left too weak to be able to keep the car in shape. It ended up rotting away behind an industrial estate. His wife Kristina knew how much the car meant to Ash and wrote to Tim and Fuzz to see if they could help get the car back on the road and bring some much needed joy into Ash’s life.

Details of the special 100^th Car S.O.S renovation are currently under wraps, but audiences can look forward to an incredible makeover of a classic car that is brought back from the brink to live out a new life as a top of the range eclectic car.

National Geographic Documentary Films partnered with acclaimed filmmaker Dawn Porter (“The Way I See It,” “Good Trouble: John Lewis”) and Trailblazer Studios on the feature documentary that sheds new light on a century-old period of intense racial conflict. Rise Again: Tulsa And The Red Summer comes just over one hundred years after the two-day Tulsa Massacre in 1921 that led to the murder of hundreds of black people and left thousands homeless and displaced.

Award-winning Washington Post journalist and Oklahoma native DeNeen Brown is at the heart of the film, reporting on the search for a mass grave in her native state. Digging into the events that led to one of the worst episodes of racial violence in America’s history, Brown reveals insights into racial-conflict incidents that erupted in the early 20th century.

National Geographic will also premiere the documentary special, Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship about the most intact slave shipwreck found to date and the only one for which we know the full story of the voyage, the passengers and their descendants.  In July 1860, on a bet, the schooner Clotilda carried 110 kidnapped Africans to slavery in Alabama. The traffickers tried to hide their crime by burning and sinking the ship, but now, for the first time since Clotilda arrived in America, maritime archaeologists enter the wreck. 

Additionally, National Geographic has launched a powerful new podcast, Into The Depths, that uncovers the deep history of the transatlantic slave trade as it follows a group of Black divers who are dedicated to finding and helping to document slave shipwrecks. The podcast series trailer is now available on Apple Podcasts and wherever podcasts are found, as well as at http://natgeo.com/intothedepths.

“What I was experiencing was this sense of longing. I think this is a unique thing for African Americans. Where is home for us?” she asks in the fourth episode of the series. The question leads her on this life-changing journey. “Into The Depths is a profound and personal exploration of identity and history as told through the lens of Black scientists and storytellers eager to deepen our understanding of American history,” says Davar Ardalan, executive producer of Audio for National Geographic.

This year, the spotlight will be placed on world-renowned local filmmakers Dereck and Beverley Joubert, with a celebration of their prolific and impactful work, including brand new films. The multiple Emmy-award winning Joubert’s have made more than 35 films for National Geographic, published 12 books, half a dozen scientific papers, and have written multiple articles for the National Geographic Magazine.

On Sunday 5 February at 18:00 (CAT), National Geographic Wild (Dstv 182, Starsat 221) kicks off Big Cat Monthwith Relentless Enemies,that chronicles an epic story of how buffalo and lions survive and adapt to each other. A buffalo herd of over 1 200 is forced to move through three lion territories while being confined by the flood waters on a small island in the Okavango. As the buffalo strategize their advancements, the lions react every move they make, all captured through the Joubert’s lens from their home base in Botswana.

“Big Cat Month continues to be an exciting annual television event, and certainly a firm fan-favourite. This year we are delighted to honour prolific local filmmakers Beverly and Dereck Joubert, whose lifetime of impactful and thought-provoking documentaries have brought viewers a greater appreciation for Africa’s big cats,” says Christine Service, Senior Vice President and General Manager of The Walt Disney Company Africa. “Families can look forward to a month of fascinating, premiere, in-depth programming that reveals astounding new insights into these remarkable creatures, as well as highlighting the threats they face and the urgent action needed to conserve and protect our big cats for future generations” she added.

The documentary will premiere on Nat Geo (DStv 181, Starsat 220) on Sunday 27 June 2021 at 21:00 (CAT). As an introduction to this moving and heartening special and the women that are featured, a six-part short-form series is available on Youtube. Watch these first short films here.

“These are important, powerful stories of brave women demonstrating compassion, humanity, and resilience that deserve to be told and celebrated,” said Gadot. “I feel it is both my honour and duty to give these remarkable women from around the world a platform to showcase the work they are doing in the face of overwhelming hardships. More than ever, we need to see the good that is being done by everyday people in extraordinary circumstances. I am a big believer in the ripple effect, and with this project we aim to create a community for people who want to help others. I am proud to have the opportunity to help amplify their voices, and I hope viewers are left as inspired and empowered as I am.”

“National Geographic believes in the power of storytelling to showcase and celebrate the human condition in the context of a changing world,” said Evert van der Veer, Vice President, Media Networks, The Walt Disney Company Africa. “The IMPACT documentary special shows the true power of the human spirit through these incredible women, and we are excited to share their inspiring stories of tenacity, courage and perseverance in the midst of challenging circumstances with viewers across the continent” he added.

To find out more info about this one including all six episodes then check here. One to definitely slot in your watching catalogue.

While she dives deeper and deeper into these underworlds, Mariana reveals — with characteristic boldness and empathy — that the people operating these trafficking rings are often a lot more like us than we realise. Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller premieres on National Geographic (DStv 181, StarSat 220) on Thursdays at 21:00 (CAT) on 21 January 2021.

“I couldn’t be more excited to share Trafficked with viewers around the world,” said Mariana van Zeller, who has spent the better part of the last 15 years reporting on the global underworld. “People do not realise that black markets are all around us, hidden in plain sight. And what fascinates me most is how normal, law-abiding people — people like you and me — get pulled into these criminal worlds.”

“Mariana shows remarkable courage and unique insights as she navigates these underworld networks, knowing exactly how to gain the trust of the people involved so that she can share what she learns with viewers. Her investigations and discoveries are truly astounding” said Evert van der Veer, Vice President, Media Networks, The Walt Disney Company Africa.

In one episode, Mariana uncovers a lethal supply chain of American firearms being smuggled into the hands of drug cartels and fueling record levels of gun violence in Mexico. A journey filled with jaw-dropping access to gunrunners, mules, cartel bosses and assassins takes an even more terrifying turn when the son of the world’s most notorious drug lord, El Chapo Guzman, is arrested and the cartel that Mariana infiltrates decides to violently revolt.

Additional episode topics include counterfeiting, cocaine, scams, steroids and much more. Tune in to watch on DSTV channel 181 or StarSat: 220 on DTH, 220 on DTT (249 on DTT in Uganda), Thursdays at 21:00 (CAT) on 21 January 2021.