Meerkat Manor

7.6

2005•24m

Production

Meerkat Manor is a British television programme produced by Oxford Scientific Films for Animal Planet International that premiered in September 2005 and ran for four series until its cancellation in August 2008. Blending more traditional animal documentary style footage with dramatic narration, the series told the story of the Whiskers, one of more than a dozen families of meerkats in the Kalahari Desert being studied as part of the Kalahari Meerkat Project, a long-term field study into the ecological causes and evolutionary consequences of the cooperative nature of meerkats. The original programme was narrated by Bill Nighy, with the narration redubbed by Mike Goldman for the Australian airings and Sean Astin for the American broadcasts. The fourth series, subtitled The Next Generation, saw Stockard Channing replacing Astin as the narrator in the American dubbing.

Seasons

13 Episodes • Premiered 2006

1. A Family Affair

Flower, as the dominant female of the group, has a lot to worry about, including her wounded son, Shakespeare, rivals, and her children's affiliation with the rivals.

2. Love Thy Neighbor

After being bitten by a puff adder, Shakespeare continues his struggle to survive. Carlos, a male from a rival family, threatens Flower's pups. The Whiskers have a territorial dispute with the Lazuli family. Daisy becomes overly friendly with Carlos.

3. Some Like It Hot

Flower's daughter has pups, making the Whiskers a family of 37. Flower must decide whether to keep all the pups or allow them to die so her own litter can survive. While searching for food, the wounded Shakespeare becomes separated from the group.

4. Revolution

Survival takes center stage following Youssarian's decision to move the family from the burrow. To add to the problem, a thunderstorm threatens the family.

5. Childhood's End

Mozart is evicted from the Whiskers family by Flower, and she is forced to leave her pups behind. Territorial drama ensues when the family takes shelter from the storm in one of the burrows formerly inhabited by the Lazuli family.

6. Boys Will Be Boys

Mitch becomes sick after he steals poisonous insects from his siblings. Mozart is given a reprieve and is allowed to return to Meerkat Manor after her eviction.

7. Divided Loyalties

The Whiskers family gets separated when they go out foraging for the first time since they became a party of 40. The rival Lazuli tribe continues to cause problems.

8. The Good, the Bad and the Desperate

Now that the Whiskers have split into two groups, the struggle for survival gets more intense. Daisy and Tosca begin a rivalry, but Flower solves the problem by evicting Tosca from Meerkat Manor.

9. Daisy's Choice

As the Whiskers family is finally recovering from the split, more problems are created when Daisy gives birth to her pups in the wrong burrow and she needs help. Youssarian goes to her rescue.

10. Flower Power

Two young male meerkats are in charge of Meerkat Manor when Flower has a new litter of pups. Evicted Tosca attempts to rejoin Whiskers. While the Whiskers are out foraging, they come across a burrow belonging to their enemies, the Lazuli, with a litter of small pups.

11. An Awfully Big Adventure

Flower's new litter ventures outside for the first time to learn about the world they inhabit in the Kalahari, but since they are Flower's pups, just about all of the adults are on guard.

12. The Calm Before the Storm

Evicted Tosca realizes she probably will not be allowed to return to Meerkat Manor, so she considers starting a group of her own. Flower leaves Shakespeare in charge when she leads the family on a search for food.

13. Moving On

When the Whiskers family returns from foraging, they must fight off an attack by the Lazuli family rivals. The pups are safe, but Shakespeare has disappeared.