Bruce Parry returns to the Tribe for BBC Two and iPlayer

BBC News

17-02-2025

BBC Factual announces that after more than a decade away from TV, filmmaker and indigenous rights advocate Bruce Parry returns to BBC Two and iPlayer. In this brand new three part series, he will travel to some of the most remote corners of the world to visit communities living radically different lives to our own.
Bruce believes indigenous knowledge and wisdom are needed more than ever. His return to the BBC comes at a time when the world faces unprecedented environmental challenges, millions of tribal people have left their communities and the threats to those who remain are escalating.
Against this backdrop, Bruce is visiting three extraordinary communities, diving deep into their traditional ways of life. He is the first foreign visitor to live within each community, and films much of his experience on his own camera.
Bruce says: 'It's been over twenty years since Tribe first aired. Living with people who experience the world in such profoundly different ways was eye-opening then, but today it feels vital. I believe we have so much to learn from those who still live in deep connection with the world around them. It feels a huge privilege that the BBC has allowed me to explore these places and themes once again.'
In episode one, Bruce visits the Waimaha people, who live on a remote tributary of the Amazon, deep in one of the least accessible regions of the rainforest. After rubber tappers and missionaries nearly destroyed their culture in the 20th Century, Bruce is initially eyed with some suspicion. He wants to learn about the Waimaha's deep understanding of nature that allows them to thrive in such a remote region.
In the second episode Bruce ventures deep into the unforgiving Namib desert - only recently accessible after years of civil war and a legacy of landmines. Invited to live with the Mucubal, Bruce is the first white person some of the villagers have ever seen. In a desert that is hot and getting hotter Bruce sees how climate change is affecting life for the Mucubal and their cattle.
In episode three, Bruce stays with the residents of the remote paradise island of Sumba in Indonesia. They follow an ancient religion called Marapu where powerful ancestral spirits demand blood sacrifice from its followers. Invited to stay by the priest, Bruce lives in an ancient hilltop village where the houses are constructed amongst megalithic stone tombs of their dead relatives.
Tom Coveney, Commissioning Editor, Specialist Factual, says: 'The original trailblazer of immersive documentary-making is back. I'm thrilled Bruce will once again entertain and inspire our viewers with his unquenchable thirst for adventure and infectious curiosity; this series is both a great watch and a chance to learn invaluable lessons at this critical time for our planet.'
Jamie Balment, Creative Director, Frank Films, says: 'I'm not sure how, but the years – and too many litres of jungle intoxicants – have not dimmed Bruce's passion and curiosity for those living lives vastly different from our own. The energy and willingness to have a go remains - however extreme the task. Yet his time away has brought a new wisdom, his return has a greater urgency as these communities become ever more precious.'
Tribe with Bruce Parry, a 3x60' for BBC Two and iPlayer, is made by Frank Films. It was commissioned by Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual, and the Commissioning Editor is Tom Coveney. The Executive Producer is Jamie Balment, the Series Producer is Alice Henley and the Series Director is Will Lorimer. Global distribution will be handled by Banijay Rights.
Notes
Twenty years ago Bruce immersed himself with 15 different tribal communities whilst making three groundbreaking series of Tribe, twice nominated for BAFTA Best Factual Series. In 2007 he spent an entire year travelling along the Amazon to explore the forces affecting the world's largest rainforest and its people. Amazon went on to win Bafta Best Factual Series 2009.
CT2