STV Drama

Wild at Heart returns to TV screens this Sunday, after bowing out last year on a real cliffhanger, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats.

And the new series kicks off in similar style, as the family have to face living at opposite ends of the world, deal with old enemies and cope with a serious family accident.

The first episode this weekend opens with Danny and Du Plessis desperately trying to raise enough money to buy a new reserve and make a fresh start in South Africa, while Caroline, Liv and a heavily pregnant Alice have all returned to the UK.

Times are tough, and Danny and Du Plessis have to work in less than ideal circumstances in the Big Five Animal Park as they try to rebuild their lives. Danny finds working under boss Ed Lynch a trial – particularly when decisions have to be made about an elephant that keeps trying to escape, which the two men clash over repeatedly.

Further bad news comes when Danny hears from old enemy Christian Peeters that he’s been unsuccessful in his application for a top job at the National Park; a role which would have freed him from his much-hated position at the Big Five.

A pregnant Alice arrives without any warning, adding to the pressure Danny and Du Plessis are under, as they previously led her to believe they were running the Big Five themselves.

After finding out she’s been lied to, a furious Alice leaves for a B&B in town; and things only go from bad to worse when Du Plessis admits to Peeters that he’s been trespassing on Leopard's Den.

The situation turns sour and Danny punches his old enemy, refusing to apologie. And when Danny later goes missing – and Du Plessis finds a horrific situation involving Peeters - he jump to a terrible conclusion and takes shocking action to put it right.

There’s light at the end of the tunnel for the family, however, when Du Plessis reveals he has purchased an abandoned old house in the hope of helping them start afresh.

But when Fatani receives some terrible news from the UK that Alice’s brother Rowan has been involved in a bad car accident and is intensive care, things seem to go from bad to worse, and Alice and Danny decide to jet home to be by his bedside.

Phew! If you want to catch all the Wild at Heart action in full, make sure to watch the first episode on STV at 8.30pm on Sunday, January 8.

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