BBC Natural History Unit

BBC Natural History Unit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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BBC Natural History Unit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Natural_History_Unit
Coordinates: 51.461006N 2.608005W
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The BBC Natural History Unit (NHU) is a department of the BBC

which produces television, radio and online content with a natural
history or wildlife theme. It is best known for its highly regarded
nature documentaries, including The Blue Planet and Planet Earth,
and has a long association with David Attenborough's authored
documentaries, notably Life on Earth.
The BBC Natural History Unit's logo.
The Natural History Unit is a specialist department within BBC Factual Production, which is itself part of
BBC Television Productions. Each year it produces around 100 hours of television and 50 hours of radio
programmes, making it the largest wildlife documentary production house in the world.[1] The BBC
commissions programmes from the Unit for broadcast on five terrestrial television channels (BBC One, BBC
Two, BBC Four, CBBC and CBeebies) and BBC Radio 4. Content is marketed internationally under the
BBC Earth brand by the corporation's commercial arm, BBC Worldwide. Original content is also broadcast
on the Earth Unplugged (http://www.youtube.com/user/EarthUnpluggedTV) channel on YouTube.[2]
The Unit has been based in Broadcasting House, Bristol since its formation in 1957, and is currently headed
by Dr Wendy Darke.[3]
Contents
1 History
1.1 First steps in natural history broadcasting
1.2 Unit formation
1.3 Colour television arrives
1.4 Birth of the 'personal view' series
1.5 Building on success
1.6 50 years of wildlife film making
2 Filmography
3 In production
4 Awards and recognition
5 Heads of the NHU
6 Staff
7 References
8 Sources
9 External links
History
First steps in natural history broadcasting
The BBC natural history unit's links to Bristol date back to the 1940s, when Desmond Hawkins, then a
young producer, joined the West Region staff. His personal interest in the subject led to a radio series called
The Naturalist, which began on the Home Service in 1946 and proved an immediate success, later
augmented by Out of Doors and Birds in Britain.
By the early 1950s, Hawkins had been promoted to Head of Programmes, West Region and was keen to
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translate his success to the developing medium of television. At the time, radio still commanded much higher
audiences than the fledgling television service, but Hawkins was not alone in recognising the potential for
natural history programmes for the newer medium. His vision was shared by Frank Gillard, the regional
Head, and the two men would become the driving force behind the establishment of the Natural History Unit
(NHU) in Bristol.
Until such formalities were completed, natural history programmes were the responsibility of the Features
office of the West Region. One of the first programmes was an outside broadcast from the Wildfowl and
Wetlands Trust's centre at Slimbridge in 1953, the first TV collaboration between the BBC and Peter Scott.
Occasional programmes continued the following year, but it was not until 1955 that the BBC began a regular
studio-based series, Look, presented by Scott.
One of the early problems for the Unit was the difficulty in sourcing film stock. At the time, the only wildlife
cameramen were amateurs, and the footage wasn't always good enough for broadcast. The embryo unit's first
film camera, a clockwork Bolex, was bought from a Bristol camera shop with petty cash by Desmond's
assistant, Tony Soper. Some of Scott's own expedition films were used for early episodes of Look. One
particularly outstanding film from 1955, shot by Heinz Sielmann, showed woodpeckers inside a nest hole.
Unit formation
By 1957, with Look firmly established and Gillard and Hawkins lobbying hard, the BBC management in
London approved the official formation of a Natural History Unit. Gillard was on the search for a senior
producer to head the new Unit, and asked David Attenborough to take on the role. Attenborough had good
credentials (he was a trained zoologist) but declined, having recently settled in London with his young
family. Instead, he was placed in charge of the newly formed Travel and Exploration Unit, striking a deal
which would allow him to continue to film his popular Zoo Quest (19541963) series alongside natural
history output from the fledgling Bristol unit. The Travel and Exploration Unit in London also introduced
viewers to more exotic wildlife, and made household names of the first natural history presenters. Armand
and Michaela Denis filmed East African wildlife for their On Safari programmes, whilst another pioneering
husband-and-wife team, Hans and Lottie Hass, created some of the first underwater films.
Nicholas Crocker, a senior producer with West Region, became the Unit's first Head in September 1957.
Founder members included Tony Soper (producer) and Christopher Parsons (assistant film editor), both of
whom would go on to play a major part in the Unit's development.
Although much of the Unit's early output concentrated on British and European wildlife, one of its first
productions to be broadcast was Faraway Look featuring Peter Scott in Australia. The early programmes
were limited by the available technology, but it was also a time of great experimentation in style and content,
bringing the Unit notable success. Animal Magic (19621983), presented by Johnny Morris and Tony Soper,
was a successful format for young audiences which ran for over 20 years. The Unit also collaborated with
Gerald Durrell on several films of his animal-collecting expeditions, beginning with the studio-based series
'To Bafut for Beef' (April 1958), using African footage shot by Durrell.
Colour television arrives

In the early 1960s, natural history filmmaking was being held back by the limitations of the available
technology, particularly the restrictions of shooting often fast-moving subjects in poor light and spectacularly
colourful subjects in black and white. The second of these problems was about to be resolved.
Around the same time, the technology to broadcast and receive colour television was being developed, and
the BBC made funds available to begin filming in colour to allow filmmakers to experiment with the latest
equipment in preparation for the switchover. The Major (1963), produced by Parsons and filmed largely by
New Forest cameraman Eric Ashby, told the story of an ancient English oak and was the Unit's first colour
production. This was one of six films made for the BBC by part-time film-makers Ron Peggs and Leslie
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Jackman. Leslie filmed the insect sequences at his home in Paignton using specimens collected by John
Burton.
Colour transmission finally arrived in 1967 on BBC 2 under the stewardship of David Attenborough, who
had retired from programme-making to move into BBC administration. The first natural history film to be
shown in colour was Ron Eastman's The private life of the Kingfisher (1968), written and produced by
Jeffery Boswall.[4]
Attenborough, by then controller of BBC 2, wanted to make a strong statement on BBC's second channel of
the boundless possibilities that colour television offered, and recognised that natural history was the obvious
subject matter to choose. He commissioned a series called The World About Us (19691982) that would
broadcast in a 50-minute Sunday evening slot. Because of the challenge of producing enough colour
material, the commission was shared between the NHU and London's Travel and Exploration Unit. The
extended opportunities offered by the 50-minute format and improvements in film technology and expertise
finally allowed the NHU to begin showcasing its talent.
Birth of the 'personal view' series

One of Attenborough's main achievements as Controller of BBC 2 was to commission Civilisation (1969), a
major series presented by the respected art historian Kenneth Clark. It was a resounding success with critics
and the public, pioneering the 'personal view' form of documentary films for television. Parsons, by then an
experienced producer with the NHU, recognised the potential for a similar treatment with natural history as
the subject and approached Attenborough in 1970 with the idea. Attenborough was receptive, even to the
idea that he should present the series, but both men realised at that time that it was beyond the scope of the
Unit's capabilities.
When Attenborough resigned from his administrative duties to return to programme making at the start of
1973, planning for the proposed series resumed. It was another three years before the resourcing and
financing were agreed, the outline episode scripts written (by Attenborough) and a production team in place.
Parsons would serve as series producer and share production duties for the individual episodes with Richard
Brock and John Sparks. Filming took place in 39 countries, featured over 650 different species and involved
over 1 million miles of travel. Attenborough himself has said that if it had not been for computerised airline
schedules, the series would have probably been impossible to undertake. When it was finally broadcast in
1979 on BBC 1, Life on Earth drew an audience of 15 million people in the UK and was eventually seen by
an estimated 500 million people worldwide.[5]
Building on success
The Natural History Unit made its name with Life on Earth, and was rewarded by being awarded
departmental status by BBC management in December 1979. Christopher Parsons, by then its most
experienced producer, became the first official Head of the Unit. It celebrated its silver jubilee in 1982 with
the miniseries Flight of the Condor, and sealed its reputation as one of the foremost production companies
for popular natural history films in the following decades. A succession of series have followed the format
established by Life on Earth, often presented or narrated by Attenborough, and transmitted on the BBC's
main channel. The Blue Planet (2001) and Planet Earth (2006) typify these signature programmes,
characterised by high production values, specially-commissioned musical scores and often ground-breaking
footage of wildlife from around the globe.
The NHU has also diversified into other programme formats. Its Diary series have featured African big cats,
elephants, orang-utans and bears in a nightly wildlife soap opera. Among of the longest-running programmes
has been Wildlife on One (19772005) which was broadcast in a regular evening slot.
The Continents strand on BBC Two has featured series on all the world's major land areas over the past
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eighteen years, including Land of the Tiger (1997), Andes to Amazon (2000) and Wild Down Under (2003).
Also on BBC Two, the annual Springwatch (since 2005) and Autumnwatch (since 2006) series have brought
live pictures of British wildlife into millions of homes.
50 years of wildlife film making

In 2007, the Unit celebrated its 50th anniversary and was rewarded with a special award at the International
Broadcasting Convention in recognition of its unique contribution to wildlife film and documentary
making.[6]
On television, the anniversary was marked with the broadcast of Saving Planet Earth, a conservationthemed series which helped to raise over 1.5 million for the BBC Wildlife Fund.[7]
In October 2007, the BBC announced that the NHU would suffer cuts of a third in both staff numbers and its
37 million annual budget, as a result of the Government's decision to impose a lower than inflation increase
in the television licence fee. The cutbacks were widely condemned within the media industry and by
programme-makers, including David Attenborough.[8][9]
In response to the criticism, Keith Scholey, Factual Controller of BBC Vision, promised that the BBC would
"continue to make and show the ambitious, large-scale, truly memorable series that audiences associate with
BBC natural history output".[10] Titles affected by the cuts include the BBC Two Wild strand.[8][11]
Productions already underway were not affected by the cuts, so the following year came Wild China,
Pacific Abyss, Lost Land Of The Jaguar and Big Cat Live, as well as the Unit's most ambitious radio event
to date, World On The Move. Natural World also received a three-year commission from BBC Two on its
25th anniversary.
Filmography
Main article: NHU Filmography
Since its inception in the 1950s, the Natural History Unit has produced a wealth of material for television,
radio, and more recently, cinema. Being the first and the largest production unit devoted to natural history
programme making, it maintains an extensive archive of images[12] and sound recordings as well as film
materials. The filmography article presents a chronological summary of the Unit's major television and film
productions.
In production
As well as returning series such as Natural World and Springwatch and natural history content for BBC
One's The One Show, the Unit has a number of television series currently in production:
Oceans and One Planet - two landmark series for BBC One, billed as sequels to The Blue Planet and
Planet Earth
Alaska, Japan, Patagonia and New Zealand - four, three-part series on wildlife-rich locations from
around the globe.
The Snow Wolf Family and Me - Gordon Buchanan attempts to be accepted by a wild wolf pack.[13]
Awards and recognition

The Natural History Unit as a whole was awarded the Gold Medal at the 2001 Royal Television Society
awards for its "outstanding contribution over the past 44 years to broadcasting about the natural world". It
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was praised for being "a national resource for people's understanding and love of wildlife on our planet, and
a symbol of both quality and talent in public service broadcasting".[14]
NHU filmmakers are regularly nominated and rewarded at film festivals such as Wildscreen, the Missoula
International Wildlife Film Festival (http://www.wildlifefilms.org/) and the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film
Festival (http://www.jhfestival.org/) and their output has been recognised by the wider broadcasting industry
too, winning several Emmys and BAFTAs and the coveted Prix Italia on three occasions. Further details are
provided in the relevant articles for specific series.
Recognition has also come in the form of high audience viewing figures and audience approval ratings,
particularly for 'blue-chip' series such as Planet Earth. When first screened in the UK it was watched by
more than 8 million people.[15] In 2008, episodes of Life in Cold Blood and the Wildlife Special miniseries
Tiger: Spy in the Jungle both reportedly achieved the highest-ever audience appreciation index (AI) rating
for a factual programme.[16]
Heads of the NHU

Nicholas Crocker (19571959)
Bruce Campbell (19591962)
Nicholas Crocker (19621973)
Mick Rhodes (19731979)
Christopher Parsons (19791983)
John Sparks (19831988)
Andrew Neal (19881992)
Alastair Fothergill (19921998)
Keith Scholey (19982003)
Neil Nightingale (20032009)
Andrew Jackson (20092012)
Dr Wendy Darke (2012present)
Staff
Richard Matthews, BBC Natural History wildlife filmmaker[17]
References
1. "Directory of Production Companies"
(http://www.iawf.org.uk/directory.aspx?page=5&
dcatid=1000). The International Association of
Wildlife Filmmakers. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
2. "BBC Earth presents Earth Unplugged: A digital
nature channel for YouTube"
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/worldwide
/161112earthunplugged.html). BBC Media Centre.
Retrieved 14 April 2014.
3. http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/people
/wendy-darke-to-lead-bbc-nhu/5039870.article
4. "Countryfile 14/10/2012" (http://www.bbc.co.uk
/programmes/b01nh58w). Countryfile. 2012-10-14.
BBC. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
5. "Heroes of the Environment: David Attenborough"

(http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article
/0,28804,1663317_1663319_1669883,00.html).
Time. 2007-10-17. Archived
(http://web.archive.org/web/20090412144724/http:
//www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article
/0,28804,1663317_1663319_1669883,00.html)
from the original on 12 April 2009. Retrieved
2009-03-07.
6. "IBC Honours BBC Natural History Unit For
Contribution To Wildlife Film"
(http://www.4rfv.co.uk
/industrynews.asp?id=66138). 4rfv.co.uk.
2007-09-21.
7. "Saving Planet Earth - The Fund"
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/savingplanetearth/aboutus
/index.shtml). BBC Online. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
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8. Byrne, Ciar (2007-10-26). "BBC flagship Natural

History Unit to be cut by a third"
(http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media
/bbc-flagship-natural-history-unit-budget-to-becut-by-a-third-395352.html). London: The
Independent. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
9. "Sir David Attenborough attacks BBC over
wildlife budget cuts" (http://news.sky.com/skynews
/article/0,,91248-1301626,00.html). Sky News.
2008-01-21.
10. "No extinctions at the BBC when it comes to
broadcasting natural history"
(http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media
/no-extinctions-at-the-bbc-when-it-comesto-broadcasting-natural-history-790434.html).
London: The Independent. 2008-03-03. Retrieved
2010-04-26.
11. Holmwood, Leigh (2007-10-24). "Shock at BBC
Natural History Unit cuts"
(http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story
/0,,2198273,00.html). London: The Guardian.
Retrieved 2010-04-26.
12. "Miracles of Nature"
(http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/wdp/lifestyle
/Miracles-nature/article-714533-detail/article.html).
Western Daily Press. 2009-02-21. Retrieved
2009-03-07.
13. "BBC NHU gets up close and personal with Arctic

wolves" (http://www.televisual.com/news-detail
/BBC-NHU-gets-up-close-and-personal-with-arcticwolves_nid-4308.html). Televisual. Retrieved
14 June 2014.
14. "RTS Programme Awards - 2001"
(http://www.rts.org.uk
/Info_page_two_pic_2_det.asp?art_id=6144&
sec_id=3482). Royal Television Society. Archived
(http://web.archive.org/web/20090322020147/http:
//www.rts.org.uk
/Info_page_two_pic_2_det.asp?art_id=6144&
sec_id=3482) from the original on 22 March 2009.
15. Robinson, James (2006-04-09). "BBC finds a
treasure in Planet Earth"
(http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story
/0,,1749763,00.html). London: The Observer.
16. "Tiger: Spy in the Jungle - Sunday 8pm BBC One"
(http://naturewatchuk.blogspot.com/2008/04/tigerspy-in-jungle-sunday-8pm-bbc-one.html).
NatureWatch blog. 2008-04-01.
17. Clensy, David (2013-03-07). "Bristol wildlife
cameraman killed in Namibian plane crash"
(http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Bristol-wildlifecameraman-killed-Namibian-plane/story18346156-detail/story.html#axzz2OsHppvJG). The
Post, Bristol. Retrieved 2013-03-28.
Sources
Information in the History section is largely drawn from the following sources:
Parsons, C. (1982) True to Nature: Christopher Parsons looks back on 25 years of wildlife filming
with the BBC Natural History Unit. Patrick Stephens Limited. ISBN 0-85059-530-4
Attenborough, D. (2002) Life on Air: Memoirs of a Broadcaster. BBC Books. ISBN 0-563-48780-1
The list of Heads of the Natural History Unit is taken from the following source:
BBC/2 entertain Great Wildlife Moments DVD (2003). Bonus feature: Heads of the BBC Natural
History Unit
External links
BBC Nature (http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature) at BBC Online
Wild Film History (http://www.wildfilmhistory.org)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=BBC_Natural_History_Unit&oldid=674131515"
Categories: BBC Television
This page was last modified on 1 August 2015, at 21:28.
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