BBC Studios Natural History Unit

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BBC Studios Natural History Unit
BBC Studios Productions

The BBC Studios Natural History Unit (NHU) is a department of BBC Studios that 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, starting with 1979's Life on Earth.

The Natural History Unit is a specialist department within

NBC Universal. Content is marketed internationally under the BBC Earth brand. Original content is also broadcast on the Earth Unplugged YouTube channel.[2]

The Unit has been based in Broadcasting House, Bristol since its formation in 1957, and has been headed by Jonny Keeling since 2021.[3]

History

First steps in natural history broadcasting

Former BBC Studios Natural History Unit logo.

The BBC natural history unit's links to

Birds in Britain
.

By the early 1950s, Hawkins had been promoted to Head of Programmes, West Region and was keen to 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

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

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 (1954–1963) 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 Lotte 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

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 (1962–1983), 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

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 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 (1969–1982) 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

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

orang-utans and bears in a nightly wildlife soap opera. Among of the longest-running programmes has been Wildlife on One
(1977–2005) 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 eighteen years, including Spirits of the Jaguar (1996), 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 conservation-themed 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.

Modern Era

Post 2010, a greater emphasis was placed on climate change, which several special programmes broadcast focusing on the issue. More broadly, series looked at the negative effects of climate change and habitat destruction within series that did not focus solely on the topic.

In 2016, BBC's non-news content production, including natural history, was separated into a commercial subsidiary BBC Studios.[12] NHU head Wendy Darke departed[12] and was succeeded by Julian Hector.

Filmography

Main article: BBC Studios Natural History Unit 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[13] 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 television series currently in production:

  • The Americas (10-part series for NBC, transmission in Spring 2024) [14]
  • OceanXplorers (6-part series for National Geographic, co-produced with James Cameron and OceanX, transmission in 2024) [15]
  • Big Cats 24/7 (6 x 60min, co-produced by PBS, transmission on BBC Two in 2024) [16]
  • Asia (7 x 60min, co-produced by BBC America and ZDF, transmission on BBC One in 2024) [17]
  • Kingdom (6 x 60min, transmission on BBC One in 2025) [18]
  • Blue Planet III (6 x 60min, transmission on BBC One in 2026)[19][20]
  • Home (produced for Disney+ and National Geographic, transmission dates to be announced. Billed as "the most ambitious and definitive portrait of life on Earth ever attempted", with 9 seasons filmed over a decade)[21]
  • Lion (produced for Disney+ and National Geographic in conjunction with Jon Favreau, transmission dates to be announced)[22]

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 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".[23]

NHU filmmakers are regularly nominated and rewarded at film festivals such as

BAFTAs, and the Prix Italia on three occasions.[24] [25]

Recognition has also come in the form of high

audience appreciation index (AI) rating for a factual programme.[27]

New customers and audiences

Since launching commercially, the Natural History Unit has won commissions from international broadcasters including

Prehistoric Planet[29]), Discovery Channel (Endangered, narrated by Ellen DeGeneres[30]), NBCUniversal (The Americas previously known as The New World), National Geographic (Ocean Xplorers[31] in partnership with James Cameron), and PBS (Wild Scandinavia, narrated by Rebecca Ferguson[32]
), as well as producing for the BBC.

Content is marketed internationally under BBC Studios' BBC Earth brand. Original content is also broadcast on the BBC Earth YouTube channel.[33]

Staff

Heads

According to[34]

Other

References

  1. ^ "Directory of Production Companies". The International Association of Wildlife Filmmakers. Archived from the original on 29 August 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2007.
  2. ^ "BBC Earth presents Earth Unplugged: A digital nature channel for YouTube". BBC Media Centre. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  3. ^ "BBC Studios appoints new Head of Natural History Unit". BBC Media Centre. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Countryfile 14/10/2012". Countryfile. 14 October 2012. BBC. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  5. ^ "Heroes of the Environment: David Attenborough". Time. 17 October 2007. Archived from the original on 12 April 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
  6. ^ "IBC Honours BBC Natural History Unit For Contribution To Wildlife Film". 4rfv.co.uk. 21 September 2007. Archived from the original on 8 January 2009.
  7. ^ "Saving Planet Earth - The Fund". BBC. Retrieved 3 January 2008.
  8. ^ a b Byrne, Ciar (26 October 2007). "BBC flagship Natural History Unit to be cut by a third". The Independent. London. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  9. ^ "BBC cuts natural history budget". Wild About Britain. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  10. ^ "No extinctions at the BBC when it comes to broadcasting natural history". The Independent. London. 3 March 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  11. ^ Holmwood, Leigh (24 October 2007). "Shock at BBC Natural History Unit cuts". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  12. ^ a b Conlan, Tara (1 May 2016). "BBC Studios: a win for talent or an own goal?". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  13. ^ "Miracles of Nature". Western Daily Press. 21 February 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
  14. ^ "Tom Hanks to narrate BBC Studios Natural History Unit event series "The Americas"". BBC Media Centre. 15 May 2023.
  15. ^ "National Geographic Announces Intrepid Team for Groundbreaking Ocean Exploration Series, 'OceanXplorers'". National Geographic Partners. 9 February 2021.
  16. ^ "BBC Studios reveals rich content slate ahead of Showcase 2024". BBC Media Centre. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  17. ^ "BBC Studios reveals rich content slate ahead of Showcase 2024". BBC Media Centre. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  18. ^ TVZone (4 March 2022). "KINGDOM: BBC ANNOUNCE NEW NATURAL HISTORY SERIES FOR 2025". TV Zone UK. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  19. ^ "BBC announces Blue Planet 3 and Rose Ayling-Ellis documentary". Radio Times. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  20. ^ "Blue Planet III needs YOU". British Sub-Aqua Club. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  21. ^ "BBC team behind Attenborough documentaries to make natural history series for Disney+ after licence fee freeze". iNews. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Nat Geo Reveals Premium Slate Exclusively For Disney+". TVReal.com. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  23. ^ "RTS Programme Awards - 2001". Royal Television Society. Archived from the original on 22 March 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
  24. ^ "BBC Studios Awards". BBC Studios. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  25. ^ "Ready to launch: Mark Linsey on the future of BBC Studios". Royal Television Society. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  26. ^ Robinson, James (9 April 2006). "BBC finds a treasure in Planet Earth". The Observer. London. Archived from the original on 13 August 2007. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  27. ^ "Tiger: Spy in the Jungle - Sunday 8pm BBC One". NatureWatch blog. 1 April 2008.
  28. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (21 April 2021). "David Attenborough's 'The Year Earth Changed' Special Tops Apple TV+'s Unscripted Viewership Charts In Debut". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  29. ^ "'The Jungle Book' Director Jon Favreau Teams with BBC Studios' NHU to Produce Doc Series 'Prehistoric Planet' for Apple". 8 May 2019.
  30. ^ "Here's how drone technology provides a stunning new glimpse into nature in Seven Worlds, One Planet". Critical Hit. 24 March 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  31. ^ White, Peter (11 January 2020). "NBC Heads To 'The New World' With 'Planet Earth' Producer BBC Studios Natural History Unit – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  32. ^ Anderson, John (9 May 2023). "'Wild Scandinavia: Life on the Edge' Review: Nordic Nature on PBS". Wall Street Journal.
  33. ^ "BBC Earth - YouTube". Retrieved 17 August 2021 – via YouTube.
  34. ^ Great Wildlife Moments (2003)
  35. ^ "BBC Studios appoints new Head of Natural History Unit". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  36. The Post, Bristol
    . Retrieved 28 March 2013.

Sources

External links
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