ABC has confirmed a Tuesday, July 15 premiere for its new six-part natural history series Dr. Ann’s Secret Lives, airing at 8.30pm and streaming in full on ABC iview.
Fronted by zoologist and wildlife broadcaster Dr. Ann Jones, the series takes audiences deep into the hidden behaviours of Australia’s most elusive and occasionally dangerous animals. Across six episodes, Jones joins scientists and researchers in the field—from Queensland to Borneo—uncovering how animals adapt, survive, and interact in rapidly changing environments.
Shot on location in some of the region’s most biodiverse ecosystems, the series offers encounters with a heavily pregnant bull shark, a trio of sea turtle species in Western Australia, and even the endangered dugong in Moreton Bay. It’s part travelogue, part field science, with Jones’ first-hand perspective placing viewers at the centre of the action.
Dr. Ann’s Secret Lives joins a growing slate of presenter-led factual content commissioned by ABC, aligning with its broader push to showcase Australian science, wildlife, and environmental storytelling. The show follows recent factual offerings like Back to Nature and Wild Australia, and reflects a strategic commitment to accessible, locally produced specialist content that can drive both linear viewership and iview engagement.
The timing is deliberate: July is traditionally a strong window for family-oriented and educational programming, and the broadcaster is clearly banking on Jones’ credibility and connection with audiences to anchor a winter run with long-tail digital value. Production was led in-house by ABC, with Elle Gibbons as Series Producer and Penny Palmer serving as Executive Producer under the Documentary and Specialist unit.
For viewers, it’s a chance to see the natural world in rarely captured moments—streamable on demand or watchable weekly on linear. For ABC, it’s another calculated move in a broader editorial strategy focused on factual depth, public value, and platform reach.
