The ten hour-long episodes from Company Pictures will be filmed on location against the stunning backdrop of the African plains following the continued success of series six which was screened earlier in the year.

Robert (Downton Abbey, Cold Feet) plays Ed Lynch, a talented veterinary surgeon, who also excels in business. When we first meet Ed, it’s at the animal park he’s been running for the past five years and we discover it’s his vision that has transformed the place from run-down zoo to thriving commercial enterprise.

Although he’s a great vet, he’s also a realist, understanding that sometimes it’s better to save the lives of twenty animals rather than focus on one. It’s a pragmatism he’s learnt in Africa and the contrast of his realism and Danny’s idealism will often cause conflict between two men who are each used to calling the shots. The stage is set for an exciting rivalry and throughout the twists and turns of the series viewers will learn more about Ed and his troubled past.

Robert commented: “I’m very excited Ed is going to be shaking things up in Leopard’s Den. Wild at Heart is one of the most successful dramas of the last decade and I’m thoroughly looking forward to filming the new series and working with the rest of the cast.”

Robert will join series regulars Stephen Tompkinson, Dawn Steele, Hayley Mills and Deon Stewardson when they all return to recreate their much loved characters and face many new adventures and exciting wildlife.

Since its launch in 2006 Wild at Heart has remained in ITV1’s top four dramas. And to date in 2011 Wild at Heart has the highest average audience of any ITV1 drama – 8.0 million viewers and a 26% share of the audience across the series. This represents an increase of 383k viewers (+5%) on the 2010 average.

Most notably since it’s launch Wild at Heart has regularly pulled in audiences of over 8 million to ITV1 and it has never had an episode watched by fewer than 7 million viewers.

Stephen Tompkinson co-executive produces Wild at Heart with executive producers Charles Pattinson, John Griffin, George Faber and Ashley Pharoah. Wild at Heart is produced in South Africa by Adam Friedlander, and series produced in the UK by Charlie Hampton.

The new series will open just a few weeks after Danny, Alice, Caroline and Du Plessis have lost Leopard’s Den. The mining company’s work has stalled following the corruption scandal Danny and Dup unearthed last series, and the family aren’t sure if they’ve lost their home forever. With the women back home in the UK, Danny and Dup set out to find a new place for everyone to live. It’s a fresh start for them, but will they find somewhere suitable for Danny and Alice to re-establish their veterinary practice and game reserve?

Equally, emotions are still running high as unscrupulous mining boss Peeters, played by David Butler, continues to create problems for the family. Significantly, Dup takes a decision that will rock the foundations of their relationship and Danny is put in the predicament of deciding whether he can support his friend and long-term business partner or whether they will have to go their separate ways. The repercussions of this situation will be lead to emotional turmoil in the life of Dup, Caroline and Danny.

Danny Trevanion’s teenage stepdaughter Olivia played by Olivia Scott-Taylor and her boyfriend Thabo (Atandwa Kani) will also return to the series.

The cast and production team film for six months on location at Glen Afric on the borders of Gauteng Province and North West Province.

Wild at Heart has been recommissioned by ITV’s Drama commissioning team Laura Mackie, Sally Haynes and Steve November.

“I am delighted that Wild at Heart will be returning to ITV1 in 2012,” said Steve. “We can look forward to seeing our favourite characters in new and exciting situations and to seeing significant new characters join the mix.”

Wild at Heart writers include Ashley Pharoah, Jack Williams and Chris Murray. The lead Director will be Maurice Phillips.

Since its launch in 2006 Wild at Heart has remained in ITV1’s top 4 dramas. And to date in 2011 Wild at Heart has the highest average audience of any ITV1 drama – 8.0 million viewers and a 26% share of the audience across the series. This represents an increase of 383k viewers (+5%) on the 2010 average.

Most notably since it’s launch Wild at Heart has regularly pulled in audiences of over 8m to ITV1 and it has never had an episode watched by fewer than 7m viewers.

Stephen Tompkinson, Dawn Steele, Hayley Mills and Deon Stewardson will all return to recreate their roles against the stunning backdrop of the African plains.

Created by Ashley Pharoah and produced by Company Pictures, the Wild At Heart production team begin filming 10 new episodes of the successful family drama in South Africa this August for transmission on ITV1 in 2012.

Stephen Tompkinson co-executive produces Wild at Heart with executive producers Charles Pattinson, John Griffin, George Faber and Ashley Pharoah. Wild at Heart is produced in South Africa by Adam Friedlander, and series produced in the UK by Charlie Hampton.

The new series will open just a few weeks after Danny, Alice, Caroline and Du Plessis have lost Leopard’s Den. The mining company’s work has stalled following the corruption scandal Danny and Dup unearthed last series, and the family aren’t sure if they’ve lost their home forever. With the women back home in the UK, Danny and Dup set out to find a new place for everyone to live. It’s a fresh start for them, but will they find somewhere suitable for Danny and Alice to re-establish their veterinary practice and game reserve?

Equally, emotions are still running high as unscrupulous mining boss Peeters played by David Butler continues to create problems for the family. Significantly, Dup takes a decision which will rock the foundations of their relationship and Danny is put in the predicament of deciding whether he can support his friend and long-term business partner or whether they will have to go their separate ways. The repercussions of this situation will be lead to emotional turmoil in the life of Dup, Caroline and Danny.

Danny Trevanion’s teenage daughter Olivia played by Olivia Scott-Taylor and her boyfriend Thabo (Atandwa Kani) will also return to the series.

This series will also feature a new character, Sean, who is introduced as a rival to Danny. The stage is set for a turbulent relationship between the two men and throughout the twists and turns of the plot we learn more about Sean and why perhaps he behaves the way he does.

The cast and production team film for six months on location at Glen Afric on the borders of Gauteng Province and North West Province.

Wild at Heart has been recommissioned by ITV’s Drama commissioning team Laura Mackie, Sally Haynes and Steve November.

“I am delighted that Wild at Heart will be returning to ITV1 in 2012,” said Steve. “We can look forward to seeing our favourite characters in new and exciting situations and to seeing significant new characters join the mix.”

Producer Nick Goding said cast and crew are heartbroken following the sudden death of “playful and charming” Hamley.

The seven-year-old had featured in the show for five years and had already appeared in scenes that were shot for the forthcoming series.

The thunderstorm, which killed Hamley, took place on Monday on the Glen Afric reserve in South Africa.

The series stars Stephen Tompkinson and Dawn Steele as newlyweds Danny and Alice Trevanion.

The cast did not witness the incident, as they were away from the reserve filming scenes elsewhere.

“We are all desperately upset about the passing of Hamley, who has been part of the Wild At Heart family for five years,” said Goding.

“It was a natural disaster, but nevertheless heartbreaking for everyone who has been involved with him – he was a real character.

“Our wildlife is very much at the heart of the series – Hamley was a gentle, playful and charming animal. He will be greatly missed by everybody.”

via BBC News.

The cameras start to roll this week on the sixth series of the hugely popular WILD AT HEART, filmed against the dramatic backdrop of South Africa. With ten new episodes for ITV1, the much loved characters and exciting wildlife face many adventures at Leopard’s Den.

In a series where the animals and stunning landscape share the screen with the colourful cast headed by Stephen Tompkinson, it is a family drama that delivers on all levels. Tompkinson plays Danny Travanion, a British vet who emigrated with his family to set up a veterinary hospital and game reserve in the South African bush.

A surprise location to start the series sees Danny back in London, on honeymoon with his new wife fellow vet Alice (Dawn Steele – Monarch of the Glen, Sea Of Souls). Danny certainly misses the call of the wild, but Alice realises just how much she and her young daughter Charlotte have missed Britain, which is a problem that can only grow as the series unfolds.

After their honeymoon is cut short, Robert, Danny’s estranged father (Warren Clarke), travels back with them to Leopard’s Den and meets the extended family who reside there including: gruff business partner Du Plessis (Deon Stewardson) and his very dear wife Caroline (Hayley Mills), her rebellious teenage grand-daughter Olivia (Olivia Scott-Taylor) and her secret boyfriend Thabo (Atandwa Kani) – and the family’s tame cheetah Jana.

Stephen Tompkinson says: “I first worked with Warren on The Manageress in 1988; he was the club Chairman and I was a footballer – and now I very much look forward to showing him Africa!”

Danny’s aim to improve animal welfare in Africa inspires the government to appoint him as State Vet, which sees him taking on the overall responsibility for all the animals in the district, and immediately brings him into conflicts with humans. Life hardly ever runs smoothly for humans or wildlife and this series sees: animal poaching, a lion breeding programme, orphaned baby rhinos, smuggled wildlife, and the local township being moved on by a mining company – which in turn could jeopardise Leopard’s Den….

Filming for six months the cast and production team once again settle down to life on location at Glen Afric on the borders of Gauteng Province and North West Province, alongside their co-stars: the unpredictable wildlife and glorious scenery.

ITV’s popular Sunday night drama averaged an audience of seven million earlier this year. The sixth series will be back in production this summer and this time there is even more excitement and adventure in store for Danny and Alice Trevanion and their family.

In the first episode we catch up with newly weds Danny and Alice on honeymoon in the UK, where they meet someone from Danny’s past who has a secret which threatens to explode the family.

Returning home to the wilds of South Africa, Danny is distraught when the lions of Leopard’s Den start dying of a mystery illness. Can he save the pride and ensure the future of the lion population at Leopard’s Den?

Meanwhile Alice finds herself questioning her role at Leopard’s Den after her confidence as a wildlife vet is shaken while on duty. Did their recent trip to London make her realise what she is missing back home?

Du Plessis (Deon Stewardson) has his work cut out helping Danny when the future of Leopard’s Den is jeopardised by outsiders. But his typically direct manner comes between him and his wife Caroline and the family face a difficult choice that threatens to tear them apart.

This series Caroline (Hayley Mills) is finding it increasingly tough to keep her granddaughter under control and we’ll discover that although Olivia (Olivia Scott-Taylor) has thrown herself into family life she seems to have given up on her school work. Could this be connected to the return of a certain young offender from series five?

An astounding array of animals will join the cast once again and in the new series Danny faces his biggest challenge yet when he is appointed State Vet and has to deal with an array of fresh dangers and conflicts.