National Geographic Highlights – September 2023

Coming Up

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE MAYA (4 x 60)

The details of the Tikal Maya site pyramid. (Pernel Media)

Fridays at 19:00 from 1 September (ends 22 September)

Despite decades of research, many mysteries remain about the ancient Maya. Now, archaeologists are unearthing new clues that transform long held ideas about how these people came to dominate vast areas of Mexico and Central America. Through immense lost monuments, ancient inscriptions and new forensic evidence, this series tracks the Maya from their earliest origins all the way to the present day, unlocking the dark secrets of the rise and fall of the Maya.

BUILDING IMPOSSIBLE WITH DANIEL ASHVILLE S1 (6 x 60)

Host Daniel Ashville at the Intuit Dome. (National Geographic for Disney)

Tuesdays at 19:00 from 12 September (ends 17 October)

Daniel Ashville travels the world, joining teams in creating some of the world’s most amazing structures: tunnels, bridges, skyscrapers, transport in the air and on the sea, taking hard work, science, technology, and human ingenuity to new heights.

WORLD WAR II: SECRETS FROM ABOVE S2 (6 x 60)

A sunrise over Merville Battery. (Windfall Films/Johnny Shipley)

Tuesdays at 21:00 from 26 September (ends 31 October)

As we fly above the infamous battle sites of D-Day and Dunkirk, soar over hidden Nazi bunkers, and glide across lost battleships and sunken shipwrecks – this new series exposes secrets of World War Two in a brand-new way. Through a unique aerial perspective with exclusive access to key locations today and by matching them to historic aerial archive imagery we will ‘fly back in time’ to recount daring raids and deadly battles in a way that has never been seen before.

RUNNING WILD WITH BEAR GRYLLS: THE CHALLENGE S2 (8 x 60)

Bear Grylls and Cynthia Erivo discuss their strategy to find cave access, as they embark on their journey in Brecon Beacons, Wales. Bear Grylls takes Cynthia Erivo to Brecon Beacons National Park, where she will learn to how to navigate a maze of underground cave systems and traverse a dense forest with raging waterfalls to get to her extraction point and the end of her adventure. (National Geographic )

Wednesdays at 21:00 from 27 September (ends 15 November)

World-renowned survivalist Bear Grylls is gearing up for a new season of thrill-seeking, bug-eating adventures in National Geographic’s Running Wild With Bear Grylls: The Challenge. Continuing to push superstars’ comfort levels, Bear and his guests will venture from the highest peaks of Scotland to unforgiving terrain in Wyoming for more ultimate, life-changing challenges and adventures.

Guests this season include Russell Brand, Bradley Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Daveed Diggs, Cynthia Erivo, Troy Kostur, Tatiana Maslany and Rita Ora. This season, guests will continue to be tested both physically and mentally beyond their limits — like Bradley Cooper spending a night hanging off the side of a cliff, Cynthia Erivo traversing a freezing waterfall, and Troy Kotsur battling raging rivers as Bear’s first deaf guest. Bear teaches each celebrity a key set of survival skills they will then have to master on their own under a high-intensity moment to earn their extraction from the wilderness. Fears will be conquered, and limits will be tested.

CONTINUING SHOWS

DRUG LORDS, THE TAKE DOWN (10 x 60)

Re-enactment of drugs and money. (National Geographic for Disney)

Thursdays at 21:00 from 17 August (ends 19 October)

Hair-raising first-hand accounts of how the biggest and deadliest drug lords on earth were hunted down and taken out, as told by special agents, investigators and cartel insiders. From the slick, Colombian cocaine CEO “Chupeta”, to the murderous Canadian Hell’s Angel “Mom Boucher”, the series gives an insider’s view of the greatest narco’ investigations of all time.

LAST OF THE GIANTS: WILD FISH S2 (8 x 60)

Their guides abandon the crew in a hostile area and they must now trek on foot into uncharted territory that exposes them to true danger when they cross stingray-infested rapids, run into an ominous poachers camp and face down armed, angry hunters. Their scientific research is at stake, and the guys are forced deeper into the jungle than ever before to find the 200-pound giant piraiba they need to sample. But with a colossal fish finally on his line, Cyril is in for the fight of his life when he gets dragged into a river full of giant black piranhas. (Untamed Productions)

Wednesdays at 21:00 from 2 August (ends 20 September)

Cyril and his team of adventure filmmakers embark on punishing and dangerous missions to find, study, and protect the last giant fish on the planet. This season follows the team through the Amazon and the Great North of Canada in pursuit of the prehistoric Pirarucu, the massive armor-plated White Sturgeon, and one of the most endangered freshwater goliaths on the planet, the Piraiba.

LAWLESS ISLAND S6 (16 x 60)

PORT PROTECTION, AK, USA: Sam Carlson secures a floating log with rope and his homemade staples in Port Protection, AK. (Photo Credit: National Geographic Channels/ Corey Cooper)

Mondays at 19:00 from 26 June (ends 9 October)

On a remote Alaskan Island, 65 people have left normal society behind to choose an off-the-grid, isolated lifestyle. The stakes are high, the land is rugged, and the weather is unforgiving. With no roads or government, Port Protection needs the community to survive.

WICKED TUNA S12

The new boats on Wicked Tuna (left to right) Fat Tuna, Kraken, and Wasabi. (PFTV)

Mondays at 19:00 from 15 May 2023 (20 x 60 min, ends 25 September)

This season, the Gloucester captains are restricted to a four-day fishing week, which makes the competition tougher than ever. With a limited fishery, the battle is on to determine who is the Greatest of All Time. The fleet is split between fishing locally or taking a financial gamble by steaming 90 miles to Chatham for an almost-guaranteed fish. Meanwhile, a new all-female crew joins the fleet.