Meerkat Manor - The Burning Question

Are the Producers reading our posts on the forum?

Yes we certainly are. It's very interesting reading what you all have to say. To prove it let us help you out with the US/UK air dates issue. By the way, did you know that Animal Planet US turned down Meerkat Manor FOUR TIMES before they were finally persuaded to take it? Series one was already drawing 950% more viewers than the slot average here in the UK and we were embarking on series 2. So, historically, Meerkat Manor has always aired in the UK and Europe BEFORE it airs in the US. That is until series 4. It's only changed because of the movie and constraints on when that can be aired over here. We're pretty sure that a series 5 would revert to norm.

When can we expect to see Meerkat Manor series 5?

Until series 4 has aired in Europe there won't be a decision on series 5. Sorry! We'll all have to wait until Spring 2009.

When will Meerkat Manor - The Next Generation (series four) be aired in Europe?

Latest word from Animal Planet International is that it will start in February 2009

Why has Stockard Channing replaced Sean Astin as the narrator of the US version of Meerkat Manor?

OK, so it's like this. Meerkat Manor is a British production. The series is made in London, UK. In it's pure, original form each episode runs twenty-two to twenty-three minutes with just one ad break and is narrated by BILL NIGHY. This is exactly how it leaves us and how it arrives through the doors at Animal Planet. Now, when it reaches Animal Planet US they have to adapt it slightly for the American market. They nip out a few sequences here and there to allow for more ad breaks. They also replace any words that are too quirky British AND re-record the narration with an American narrator.

So, you see, we have nothing to do with the choice of narrator on your show. Nor do we in any of the other squillions of countries it's shown in. So please don't be mad at us, it's not our fault!

The music sounds different in Meerkat Manor series 4. What’s new about the musical score?

Brolly the composer replies:
Just as language develops the more it is used so does music. When you have to write lots of repeated actions such as chase sequences (and don't forget we have written 52 episodes of Meerkat Manor so far) you try to find fresh new ways of telling the story which often sends you into new unexplored territory. Also since series one, four years ago, technology has improved tremendously so the palette of sounds we now use are more sophisticated, richer and more realistic.