The Northern Territory's iconic saltwater crocodile is the star in this week’s Animal Planet Monster Month special.

The locally-produced television special Lair of the Killer Crocs will premiere in Australia and New Zealand this Thursday September 15 @ 9.30pm.

In the show, US alligator expert Paul “Gator Boy” Bedard joins forces with Australia’s most experienced crocodile wrangler “Crocodile Mick” Pitman to track down a monster reptile that has been stalking workers and killing cattle at Annaburroo station, south-east of Darwin.

Part of the cattle station borders the Mary River, the most crocodile infested river in the world. There are not only large numbers of crocs patrolling the river, there are some serious monsters lurking in the muddy waters.

Weave Films' Emma Masters said she’s always been fascinated with crocodiles but had become increasingly concerned by reports of the growing number of big beasts in local waters.

“Tragic crocodile attacks in recent years have been a serious wake-up call that crocodiles are moving into places they’ve never been seen before and they’re getting bigger,” Ms Masters said.

“As a filmmaker and journalist in the Top End, I’m interested in public conversation about how we live alongside crocodiles in a situation that is slowly shifting.

“So when we knew there were moves to try to capture one of the big crocodiles lurking at Annaburroo, it was the perfect opportunity to investigate the issue.”

The show was seeded locally at a Screen Territory/Screen Australia workshop with Alison Black (Blackwatch Productions) and quickly became international when Earth Touch (US) got involved.

“We’re thrilled Earth Touch and Animal Planet saw the value of idea and having Paul "Gator Boy” Bedard on board meant we learned a lot about the situation in the US while he was meeting Territory locals at the front line,” Ms Masters said.

“It was also a great opportunity to grow the Territory film industry and we had a fantastic local crew to help give the production that extra Aussie flavour.

“We’re also extremely thankful for the fantastic support we received from the local crocodile industry, businesses, the Northern Territory Government and Screen Territory.”

Film productions are always a team effort and this show is no exception. 

Lair of the Killer Crocs will premiere in Australia and New Zealand on Thursday September 18 at 9.30pm