Doctor Foster actor Bertie Carvel is the new narrator for Walking With Dinosaurs as the trailer for the award-winning programme’s return after more than a quarter of a century is released.
The BBC show, which uses “cutting-edge science” to reveal how the reptiles lived, hunted, fought and died, had been narrated by Oscar-winning filmmaker and actor Sir Kenneth Branagh during the 1999 series.
Each of the 2025 episodes, using the latest visual effects (VFX), will tell the prehistoric story of an individual dinosaur whose remains are being unearthed by palaeontologists.
Carvel said: “I am beyond thrilled to be a part of this exciting new reimagining of Walking With Dinosaurs.
“The BBC is a world-leader in creating groundbreaking and innovative science programming which I’ve admired all my life, so I’m incredibly excited to be a part of the team bringing the stories of these prehistoric creatures to life.”
The 47-year-old Olivier Award-winning actor is known for starring as Suranne Jones’s unfaithful husband in BBC show Doctor Foster, playing a magician in BBC series Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and being the lead detective in Channel 5 show Dalgliesh.
He has also played Tony Blair in The Crown, and is set to appear as Prince Baelor Targaryen in HBO’s upcoming Game Of Thrones prequel A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms.
The trailer for the six-episode run of Walking With Dinosaurs shows the landscapes such as the mountainous forests in Alberta and the red rock canyons of Utah the programme will travel to.
Among the dinosaurs featured is the plant-eating Pachyrhinosaurus, which bears a relation to the Triceratops, a trio of Albertosauruses, a relative of the Tyrannosaurus rex and herbivore Lusotitan.
Jack Bootle, senior head of specialist factual commissioning at the BBC, said: “This series shows how dinosaurs really lived – and the true story is more dramatic, intense, and surprising than anything Hollywood could dream up.
“Using the latest science and stunning visuals, we’re bringing their world to life like never before.”
Andrew Cohen, executive producer at BBC Studios Science Unit said: “We are incredibly excited to be bringing Walking With Dinosaurs to a whole new generation of audiences around the world.
“Brought to life with the very latest cutting-edge science, world class VFX and the world’s best science storytellers, this is the ultimate dinosaur show.”
The original natural history-style documentary won multiple awards including Emmys, Baftas and a Peabody and was a ratings hit, with more than 13 million viewers watching the first episode.
Carvel is the recipient of two Olivier Awards, the first of which he won for best actor in a leading role in a musical for his role as cruel headmistress Miss Trunchbull in Matilda the Musical in 2012.
In 2018 he won best actor in a supporting role for his performance as media mogul Rupert Murdoch in James Graham play Ink, which also earned him a Tony award.
BBC Factual and PBS are behind the series, which will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer later in 2025.
