BBC Specialist Factual has commissioned Hamza’s African Birds of Prey from Silverback Films for BBC One and iPlayer.
The film follows wildlife cameraman and presenter Hamza Yassin on a journey across Kenya, exploring the story of African birds of prey. It serves as a follow-up to 2023’s Strictly Birds of Prey.
Jack Bootle, head of commissioning for specialist factual, noted, “Hamza has a gift for getting people excited about the natural world. His film Strictly Birds of Prey, in which he introduced us to his favorite British raptors, was a huge hit in 2023—enthralling over 7 million viewers to date. In this follow-up program, his mission to make us fall in love with birds of prey continues—this time in Kenya.”
Jeff Wilson, EP at Silverback Films, added, “The success of Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles gave us the confidence to take Hamza’s passion for birds of prey and go international, and there is no better place than Kenya to fall in love with raptors. Hamza’s unique ability to be both a fantastic wildlife cinematographer and a superb communicator with both scientists and local communities brings so much magic to this special documentary, and there is no doubt by the end of the film he’ll have convinced our audience to love them as much as he does.”
The one-hour film will air this year. Silverback Films is now part of Banijay Entertainment following the Banijay/All3Media merger.
