Wild At Heart

ITV1's massively successful vets-in-Africa drama returns for series seven with 10 episodes picking up with the team having lost their livelihood and home Leopard's Den to an unscrupulous mining company.

Wild at Heart regulars Stephen Tompkinson, Dawn Steele, Hayley Mills and Deon Stewardson will be joined by new arrivals Robert Bathurst (Downton Abbey, Cold Feet) and Jill Halfpenny (Waterloo Road, EastEnders).

Also back is Lucy-Jo Hudson in her role as Danny’s eldest daughter, Rosie Trevanion.

Jill joins the cast towards the end of the series intent to shake things up in Leopard’s Den as Ed Lynch’s feisty ex-wife Fiona.

Jill said: "I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the cast of Wild at Heart in Africa. Fiona Lynch is certainly a fun and feisty character and will no doubt cause quite a few headaches for Ed and Danny... I can't wait!”

Robert plays Ed Lynch, a talented veterinary surgeon, who's been working in South Africa for five years running a very successful animal park. Not afraid to make difficult decisions, he’s a dynamic new presence in the show, however he’s also Danny’s new boss. Sparks will fly when his veterinary ideology clashes with Danny’s.

The new series opens just a few weeks after Danny, Alice, Caroline and Du Plessis have lost Leopard’s Den. The mining company’s work has stalled following the corruption scandal Danny and Dup unearthed, and the family aren’t sure if they’ve lost their home for ever.

With the women back home in the UK, Danny and Dup set out to find a new place for everyone to live. It’s a fresh start, but will they ever find somewhere for Danny and Alice to re-establish their veterinary practice and game reserve?