ANIMALS UP CLOSE WITH BERTIE GREGORY has been renewed for a second season. The series which is hosted by Nat Geo Explorer and award-winning filmmaker Bertie Gregory will be taking viewers to more destinations around the world and showcase the animals that live there. The National Geographic Explorer is already filming content for the second season of the series. The first season is currently streaming on Disney+.
The announcement of this second season comes after Bertie released footage of emperor penguins at the Ekström Ice Shelf in Antarctica. The footage was released as a part of Nat Geo’s ourHOME Earth Month celebration in April. It will be a part of SECRETS OF THE PENGUINS, premiering April 2025 as part of Nat Geo’s annual Earth Day celebration.
Bertie’s natural history connects with viewers. In fact, it does this so effectively that four of the videos he captured were in the top 10 most-viewed videos on Nat Geo’s Instagram account this past year. The emperor penguins video has nearly 57 million views. The second-highest is wave-washing orcas with 56 million. This is followed by killer whale spy hop behavior with almost 42 million views. The dramatic footage of Petaka the puma has over 28 million views. The last three are all a part of the first season of ANIMALS UP CLOSE.
Looking forward to the second season of ANIMALS UP CLOSE, there will be even more personal stories as Gertie travels. Disney shared the following about the upcoming season:
In the newest season of ANIMALS UP CLOSE, fans can expect to witness Bertie travel the world on a new set of adventures to capture wildlife behaviors like never before, showcasing an intimate picture of animals’ daily battles. Previously, Bertie immersed audiences in the gripping real-life dramas of iconic animals. Now, he’s making it personal, choosing the stories that matter the most on our rapidly changing planet to provide a more intimate and awe-inspiring view of the natural world.
The immersive and unique wildlife series will continue to capture the challenges of natural history filmmaking and show the behind-the-scenes moments Bertie and his team face while adapting to unpredictable wildlife in remote environments where filming rarely goes as planned. Like last season, there is no script for ANIMALS UP CLOSE, but Bertie will bring the audience with him every step of the way.
About Bertie Gregory
Bertie is a British wildlife filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer who began his career when a childhood nature obsession earned him the Youth Outdoor Photographer of the Year title. After earning a Zoology degree from the University of Bristol, he began assisting legendary National Geographic photographer Steve Winter. He has since produced and hosted eight Nat Geo TV projects, including the original series ANIMALS UP CLOSE and EPIC ADVENTURES, both streaming on Disney+. In 2020, he became BAFTA’s youngest cinematography winner for his work with David Attenborough on BBC’s “Seven Worlds, One Planet.” In 2023, PEOPLE Magazine included Bertie in their annual “Sexiest Man Alive” issue for the sexiest at age 30.
Are you excited about a second season of ANIMALS UP CLOSE coming to Disney+? Have you watched the first season yet? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
