The Saga Continues as Pint-Sized Creatures Return to Animal Planet for Season 2 of Meerkat Manor Programming Highlights / Animal Planet Posted by RAD on Aug 27, 2006 - 05:13 PM It's back! This September Animal Planet gets reacquainted with Africa's quirkiest mob when Meerkat Manor 2 premieres Monday, September 4 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT. Meerkats, as seen in Meerkat Manor 2 After making it through a year of triumph and tragedy, the Whiskers mob of meerkats are back to continue another season of love, intrigue and drama on the African plains. Narrated once again by Bill Nighy (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest; Love Actually), Season 2 of the critically acclaimed series features more adventures of the Whiskers family, as they are joined by a new cast of friends... and enemies. Each episode of the 13-part series follows the real life soap opera dramas of this zany group of meerkats as they fight for power, dominance and survival in Africa's Kalahari Desert. "Meerkat Manor has been a breakthrough hit for Animal Planet as the only program of its kind on television today," said Bruce Cowley, Director of Programming for Animal Planet. "The truly innovative production style of this series captures the drama, the relationships and the intrigue of the animal kingdom as we've never seen before. Meerkat Manor struck a chord with our audience and - like any drama on hiatus - viewers are excited for its return." Picking up where Season 1 left off, Season 2 follows the real life drama of this unique cast of characters who inhabit one of the hottest and driest places in the world. No more than 30-centimetres long, these sociable creatures live as groups in underground burrows and survive on a diet of worms, insects and lizards. Each episode of the series provides an intimate glimpse into the day-to-day activities of these mammals. From family squabbles to illicit love affairs, witness the intricate relationships of these lovable characters unfold each day at the manor. Filmed in cooperation with Cambridge University, Animal Planet presents the lives of the meerkat mob from the perspective of the meerkats themselves. With no humans featured in the series, film crews were housed in specially built sheds to capture every aspect of meerkat life. Using fibre-optic cameras, crews filmed inside the deep meerkat burrows delving deeper into the real drama unravelling at Meerkat Manor. Highlights from the first episodes include: Meerkat Manor 2 - Episode 1 Mon., Sept. 4 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT It's winter and there's been a tragedy at Meerkat Manor. Shakespeare - the Whiskers' loyal hero - hasn't reappeared since the rival Lazuli meerkat gang attacked the babysitting burrow. Sadly, it's presumed that he died defending Flower's pups. Big Si, the dominant male of the Lazuli mob, has also died, leaving Cazanna, their dominant female, without a mate. Beaten by his brother Zaphod once again, hapless Youssarian heads in her direction and is hoping to become the Lazuli's dominant male. Meerkat Manor 2 - Episode 2 Mon., Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT The Whiskers matriarch Flower's new pups are on their first foraging trip when they are caught out in the open by a gang of war dancing meerkats. Meanwhile, two roving Whiskers males vying to mate with Lazuli females join Youssarian. The prize meerkat is Cazanna, the dominant female of the Lazuli - but will any of them be successful? Meerkat Manor 2 - Episode 3 Mon., Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT A new enemy group, the Commandoes, spend the night on the Whiskers patch. With the Whiskers, the Lazuli and the Commandoes in close proximity, a vicious fight for territory breaks out. Will it end with tragic consequences? Meerkat Manor 2 - Episode 4 Mon., Sept. 25 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PT Having spent more than five weeks at the same burrow, Flower decides it's time for a move. With her on-going pregnancy, she's in no mood for compromise. Flower's three daughters, Kinkajou, Daisy and Mozart, need to be careful around their mother or they'll face eviction from the gang. Meerkat Manor 2 is produced for Animal Planet International by Oxford Scientific Films (OSF). Caroline Hawkins is the executive producer for OSF. Mark Wild is the executive producer for Animal Planet International. Meerkat Manor 2 is filmed by award-winning Director of Photography, Gavin Thurston. Animal Planet is an animal lover's paradise. Whether cats and dogs or lemurs and elephants, Animal Planet focuses on what makes the relationship between humans and animals so special. The channel launched in Fall 2001. This article is from CHANNEL CANADA   http://www.channelcanada.com/ The URL for this story is:   http://www.channelcanada.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1520