Get Ready to See Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story on YouTube for Free

Charlie Hamilton James’ Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story charmed audiences and critics when it premiered at this year's SXSW. The feature-length documentary follows Billy Mail, who rescued an adorable otter he soon dubbed Molly. Like the Otter Love Story director himself, Billy always had an affinity for wildlife, which was reawakened by the arrival of the injured Molly. As the pair became inseparable, they healed each other’s wounds, literal and figurative.

It’s a lovely story of communing with nature in Scotland’s Shetland Islands, where Billy lives with his wife Susan, who quickly took to the new addition to their little family (though she jokingly wonders why Molly’s Wi-Fi use takes precedence over her own). Following its SXSW premiere, the National Geographic-produced documentary made its way to Disney+ and Hulu, where it found a new audience. Today, on World Otter Day — one of the more adorable days of observance — Primetimer is exclusively sharing the news that Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story will be free to stream for U.S. audiences on YouTube beginning June 7.

This is far from the first time a premium programmer has made a series or film more accessible after a festival/platform rollout. But in this case, there are no three-minute clips broken up across TikTok posts, just the complete endearing feature-length documentary available to watch at your leisure. Billy, Susan, and Molly are all engaging subjects — and let’s not forget about their dog Jade — in this story of unlikely animal companions (humans are animals, too). But it’s the special bond between Billy and Molly that will capture viewers.

The doc, which Nat Geo produced with Silverback Films, continues the cabler’s tradition of insightful looks at how we interact with nature. James is a veteran wildlife photographer (and regular Nat Geo collaborator) and TV cameraman, having worked on David Attenborough’s The Trials of Life at the age of 16. If you're in the U.S., look for Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story June 7 on YouTube.

Danette Chavez is the Editor-in-Chief of Primetimer and its biggest fan of puns.