“I hope that viewers’ minds are blown while watching Secrets of the Penguins as much as mine was during the making of it,” enthuses Bertie Gregory, the charismatic Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning filmmaker and Nat Geo explorer, who hosts National Geographic’s wildest new travel-and-animal adventure series. “It is like nothing you’ve seen before,” affirms Gregory about this cinematic penguin powerhouse, which unravels some of nature’s mysteries and reveals first-time-ever-filmed animal behaviors. Narrated by actor Blake Lively, it premieres April 20 on National Geographic. All three episodes—“Heart of the Emperors,” “Survival of the Smartest” and “Rebels With a Cause”—stream April 21 on Disney+ and Hulu. Disney Channel airs the first episode on Earth Day, April 22. Penguins are popular, particularly in pop culture. However, if your assessment of penguins defines them as merely cute waddling tuxedos, then hold on for a rollicking, eye-opening Nat Geo ride. These flightless (their wings evolved for swimming rather than aerial action), aquatic birds are exceedingly accomplished free divers with sophisticated characteristics.
Over a two-year span of intensive global touchdowns—in Antarctica, Argentina, the Galapagos Islands, Namibia and South Africa (any of these destinations on your vacation bucket list?)—Gregory steered more than 70 top scientists and film crew members. On one expedition, for instance, a three-person team bunked on the Ekström Ice Shelf in Antarctica for a stunning 274 days, recording the struggles and successes of 20,000 emperor penguins. Across extremely varied and challenging environments, the intricate stories of penguin species—such as rockhoppers, gentoos, macaronis and Magellanic—are unveiled. There is also an exceptional and endearing mixed-species romance to spy; the improbable results of which is the unexpected birth of a hybrid rockaroni chick—perhaps a sign of evolution and what may turn out to be a brand-new species. Cheers to National Geographic for continuously raising the bar. Its travel and animal programs, pushing visual and narrative envelopes, transform and transcend expectations. Your tuning-in goal? Relax, lean back and lean in—to feel transported to the intimacy and grandeur of far-flung lands. Via Zoom, I recently interviewed Gregory, who lives in England.
Secrets of the Penguins: Rare, Remarkable Footage
Laura Manske: “There are many surprises in this show. What dazzled you most?”
Bertie Gregory: “I was very familiar with how impressive penguins are as individuals. What I found most surprising is their relationships with one another—and how those relationships help them to survive. In the case of the emperor penguins, the bond between the male and female couple has long been documented, as well as the relationship of the mother, father and their chick. Yet the most fascinating bond—and arguably an even stronger one—is between unrelated chicks. They are introduced to one another by the parents very early on and they make these little friendships. Adults abandon chicks when they’re about five months old, but they have each other. Kind of heartwarming. You see it in action, how [those peer relationships] help them to overcome obstacles together. So cool. They gain confidence from each other, ultimately taking their first swim together. It is magic.”
Manske: “You were underwater with a leopard seal that had teeth like a grizzly bear! A precarious proximity to danger.”
Gregory: “I don’t feel in danger diving with leopard seals. It is fun and exciting. Of course, they are potentially a very dangerous animal. Very big. Yet they are an ambush predator. If they really want [to do me harm], they would come out of nowhere. Since the male leopard seal was presenting himself to me, it meant that our encounter was one of curiosity. He was investigating me. They do get bolder the longer you spend in the water with them. I’d describe and analyze their behavior a bit like if you were in a rowdy bar. As the night goes on, the bar gets louder and at some point you know that bar fights are going to break out. So it’s all about knowing when to leave the bar before the fight breaks out. With the leopard seal you need to get out of the water before it gets too curious and excited—reading its body language just like you read human body language.”
Manske: “When and where were you happiest filming this show?”
Gregory: “Two highlights. One was camping near the Antarctic colony of 20,000 emperor penguins. It is in a remote place with 24-hour daylight. We had big storms, but when the sun was shining, you can hear the busyness of the penguins’ city. That was magic, too. Another highlight was in the Galapagos Islands, where we filmed a group of penguins working together to corral a ball of fish. There was chaos underwater! Fish and penguins everywhere. It was very cool to be amongst the action—a penguin masterclass in fish corralling.”
Manske: “That splashy herding scene of sardines is dramatic. Like a penguin opera.”
Gregory: “Like a ballet.”
Manske: “There are intriguing peeks at a courageous rockhopper penguin fending off a hungry South American sea lion; nimble Galapagos penguins stealing fish out of pelicans’ pouch-like beaks; and a first-ever glimpse at a secluded cave colony of African penguins. My favorite footage, which is both startling and spellbinding to watch: the gutsy leaps of hundreds of emperor penguin chicks off a 50-foot ice-cliff.”
Gregory: “Just when I think penguins have hit their limit, they do something extraordinary.”
Manske: “With the Antarctic emperor penguins, the tallest and heaviest species, I was in awe that partner couples, as well as parents and their offspring, recognize each other even after they have spent weeks and months apart. They find one another again and again in colonies of thousands of penguins. How is that possible?”
Gregory: “Emperor penguins have an amazing voice box. They can make two calls at once, so it is like an internal a cappella group. They can encode more info than we could in one noise at a time. They all have unique calls. That is how they locate one another. When a chick is left alone—for example, when the adults go swim, hunt for food or if a storm comes—the chick moves around quite a lot. There is a shuffling [within the colony]. Emperors are not like other species of penguins, which have specific nests. They very much move around on the ice. So their vocalization is important. They can pick each other out in a crowd. It’s really astounding.”
Manske: “You have been to many breathtaking natural destinations. Where do you vacation?”
Gregory: “You know that phrase ‘do something you love and then you’ll never have to work a day in your life’? That is complete rubbish. We work hard, crazy hours to film these animals. Yet animals are my passion. When I’m not filming animals for work, I’m often looking for animals in those same places for fun. The difference is that I’m paying to travel rather than being paid.”
Manske: “What is best about your job?”
Gregory: “One of the best parts about my job is that as well as getting to hang out with cool animals, I get to hang out with cool people. It’s a huge team effort: in the field with logistics, safety, filming, sound, directing; then back in London with the post-production company.”
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Secrets of the Penguins is executive produced by National Geographic explorer-at-large and Academy Award-winning filmmaker James Cameron and Emmy and BAFTA winners Ruth Roberts and Martin Williams from Talesmith, a stellar, innovative film production company in London.
Gregory’s creative trajectory is exemplified in Secrets of the Penguins. For more in-depth scoops behind his career, read What’s It Like To Be A National Geographic Photographer? Bertie Gregory Of ‘Animals Up Close’ Talks Wild Ideas. Plus, catch this previous Nat Geo journey: Love To Travel? Wild About Nature? ‘Animals Up Close With Bertie Gregory’ Will Astonish You.