Abstract
Dark Days in Monkey City (2008) was a 13-part television series produced by Dunedin-based factual documentary company NHNZ Ltd, for American cable channel Animal Planet. This thesis deconstructs and analyses Dark Days in Monkey City’s production and processes within the framework of a wider political-economic context using a critical media studies approach and industry level research. Extensive interviews with Animal Planet executives, as well as NHNZ managers, producers and crew members reveal the complex interplay of internal and external forces which affected the production. The objective is to determine key factors that influenced the outcome of the series, and, by doing so, to reveal the issues and challenges faced by natural history documentary makers working within the realm of commercial television.