BBC Natural History Unit

The BBC Natural History Unit (NHU) is a department of the BBC dedicated to making TV and radio programmes with a natural history or wildlife theme, especially nature documentaries.

The NHU has been based in Clifton, Bristol since its formation in 1957. The Unit is presently headed by Neil Nightingale as part of the BBC's Vision Studios. Every year it makes about 100 hours of television and 50 hours of radio making it the largest wildlife documentary production house in the world [cite web|url=http://www.iawf.org.uk/directory.aspx?page=5&dcatid=1000|title=Directory of Production Companies|work=The International Association of Wildlife Filmmakers|accessdate=2007-07-06] .

A commercial arm of the NHU, Wildvision, produces a variety of programmes for both the BBC and external broadcasters, notably Discovery's Animal Planet digital channel, in which the BBC is a joint partner with Discovery Networks.

History

First steps in natural history broadcasting

The BBC’s natural history links to Bristol date back to the 1940s, when Desmond Hawkins, 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 "Birdsong", "Out of Doors" and "Birds of 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 in the audiovisual form. 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 Film Unit. One of the first programmes was an outside broadcast from Slimbridge in 1953, the first TV collaboration between the BBC and Peter Scott. Occasional programmes continued the following year, but it wasn’t until 1955 that a regular studio-based series presented by Scott began: it was called "Look".

One of the early problems for the Film 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. 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.

The Unit is formed

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 impeccable 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" (1954-1963) series whilst the NHU built up its own portfolio of specialist wildlife films from around the world.

Nicholas Crocker, a senior producer with West Region, was installed 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.

The first series broadcast under the banner of the new unit was "Faraway Look" featuring Peter Scott in Australia. Over the next few years, the output was to diversify. "On Safari" with Armand and Michaela Denis introduced viewers to East African wildlife, and "Undersea World of Adventure" with Hans and Lottie Hass did the same for marine creatures. "Animal Magic" (1962-1983), a series for children presented by Johnny Morris and Tony Soper. Gerald Durrell allowed his animal-collecting expedition to Australia and New Zealand to be filmed by the BBC for the series "Two in the Bush" (1963).

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.

Colour transmission finally arrived in 1967 on BBC Two 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 "Private Life of a Kingfisher" (1967), produced by Jeffrey Boswall.

Attenborough wanted to make a strong statement on BBC Two 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 blockbuster

One of Attenborough’s main achievements as Controller of BBC Two was to commission "" (1969), a major series on art history presented by the respected Kenneth Clark. It was a resounding success with critics and the public and spawned the birth of the ‘blockbuster’ documentary series. 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 blockbuster 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 hadn’t been for computerised airline schedules, the series would have probably been impossible to film. When it finally broadcast in 1979 on BBC One, "Life on Earth" drew an audience of 15 million people in the UK and was seen by an estimated 500 million people worldwide. [cite web |url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1663317_1663319_1669883,00.html |title=David Attenborough biography |publisher=BBC website |accessdate=2008-03-11]

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 went on to seal its reputation as one of the foremost production companies for popular natural history films in the following decades. A succession of 'blockbuster' series have followed the format established by "Life on Earth", often presented or narrated by Attenborough and transmitted on BBC One. "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. One of the longest-running programmes was David Attenborough's "Wildlife on One" (1977-2005) which broadcast in a regular early evening slot.

The "Continents" strand on BBC Two has featured series on all the world’s major land areas over the past fifteen 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 filmmaking

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. [cite news|url=http://www.4rfv.co.uk/industrynews.asp?id=66138|title=IBC Honours BBC Natural History Unit For Contribution To Wildlife Film|date=2007-09-21|publisher=4rfv.co.uk]

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. [cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/savingplanetearth/aboutus/index.shtml|title=Saving Planet Earth - The Fund|accessdate=2008-01-03]

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 below-inflation increase in the television licence fee. The cutbacks were widely condemned by industry and media figures and by programme-makers including David Attenborough. [cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/bbc-flagship-natural-history-unit-budget-to-be-cut-by-a-third-395352.html |title=BBC flagship Natural History Unit to be cut by a third |date=2007-10-26 |publisher=The Independent] [cite web |url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91248-1301626,00.html |title=Sir David Attenborough attacks BBC over wildlife budget cuts |date=2008-01-21 |publisher=Sky News]

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". [cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/no-extinctions-at-the-bbc-when-it-comes-to-broadcasting-natural-history-790434.html |title=No extinctions at the BBC when it comes to broadcasting natural history |date=2008-03-03 |publisher=The Independent] Titles affected by the cuts include the BBC Two "Wild" strand, adventure-style series such as "Amazon Abyss" (2005) and "Incredible Animal Journeys" (2006) and the long-running "Big Cat Diary" (1996-2008), which is only likely to return for one-off special editions. [cite news|url=http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,2198273,00.html|title=Shock at BBC Natural History Unit cuts|date=2007-10-24|publisher=The Guardian] [cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/bbc-flagship-natural-history-unit-budget-to-be-cut-by-a-third-395352.html |title=BBC flagship Natural History Unit to be cut by a third |date=2007-10-26 |publisher=The Independent]

Filmography

In production

Television

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 major commissions currently in production:

* A three-part, high-definition series provisionally titled "Expedition New Guinea" has been commissioned for BBC One. An expedition team explore the island, filming birds of paradise displays, exploring new cave systems and encountering remote tribes. [cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/11_november/08/expedition.shtml |title=BBC charters new territories with two new Expedition series |date=2007-11-08|publisher=BBC Press Office]

*The Natural History Unit is collaborating with BBC Entertainment for the first time to produce "To The Ends of the Earth". Presenter Nick Knowles follows eight individuals passionate about wildlife as they compete to win a job at the Unit. The eight-part series of 60-minute programmes will air in 2009 on BBC One. [cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/08_august/20/earth.shtml |title=BBC One goes To The Ends of the Earth |date=2008-08-20|publisher=BBC Press Office]

* "Nature's Great Events" will be an in-depth portrait of six natural phenomena from around the globe, including the Alaskan salmon run and the greening of the Okavango Delta. [cite web|url=http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/terrestrial/2008/01/bbc_to_explore_forces_of_nature_worldwide.html|title=BBC to explore forces of nature|work=Broadcast|accessdate=2008-01-28] It is expected to air in 2009 and is the first BBC co-production with Spain's Wanda Films. [cite web|url=http://www.imca.fr/blog/archives/blogs/|title=Nota Buzz #82 - March 12th 2007|work=IMCA Blog Archive|accessdate=2007-07-06]

* Also in 2009, the BBC will screen a special season of programmes to mark the bicentennial of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his work "The Origin of Species". The Natural History Unit are contributing "Life", a 10-part series for BBC One which will show the diversity of life on Earth in high-definition. It will be narrated by David Attenborough, who is also filming a single authored documentary on Darwin, provisionally titled "Tree of Life". [cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/07_july/03/darwin.shtml |title=The BBC announces a major season marking the life and work of Charles Darwin |date=2008-07-03|publisher=BBC Press Office]

* "Yellowstone" is a portrait of the USA's famous National Park for BBC Two which will adopt the recent format of a three-part series on locations rich in wildlife ("Galápagos", "Ganges"). [cite web|url=http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/bbc_natural_history_heads_to_yellow_stone.html|title=BBC natural history heads to Yellowstone|work=Broadcast|accessdate=2008-01-28]

* In April 2007, filming began on a six-part series for BBC Two called "South Pacific". Production is expected to continue until late 2009. [cite news|url=http://media.guardian.co.uk/bbc/story/0,,2056954,00.html |title=BBC sets sail for South Pacific |date=2007-04-16|publisher=The Guardian]

* "Gorillas" (provisional title) will follow the efforts of scientists and conservationists to protect the last remaining mountain gorillas in Africa. The three part series will be broadcast on BBC Two in 2010. [cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/09_september/23/gorillas.shtml |title=Gorillas, a new documentary series for BBC Two|date=2008-09-23|publisher=BBC Press Office]

* "The Frozen Planet" is a second new collaboration with David Attenborough. Six episodes filmed in high-definition will present the most comprehensive study of life in the polar regions ever filmed. Billed as the follow-up to "Planet Earth" [cite news|url=http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,,2174349,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=4 |title=Attenborough is back - again |date=2007-09-21|publisher=The Guardian] , filming began in late 2006 with a shoot on South Georgia, enlisting the help of Royal Navy helicopters for aerial footage. It is due to air on BBC One in autumn 2011 and on The Discovery Channel the following year.

The Natural History Unit increasingly provides original content for cross-genre programming. As well as the aforementioned "The One Show", it will be contributing footage to "Oceans" (2008) and "The Human Planet" (2009), both forthcoming series on BBC Two.

Feature Films

Following it's first steps in feature film production with the spin-off documentaries "Deep Blue" (2003) and "Earth" (2007), the Unit has finished production on its first original feature, "The Meerkats", set in the Kalahari Desert. Co-produced by BBC Films and The Weinstein Company and directed by James Honeyborne, it will aim to build on the popularity of the Animal Planet/Oxford Scientific Films series "Meerkat Manor". [cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/11_november/01/meerkats.shtml |title=The Meerkats: BBC Films and the BBC Natural History Unit collaborate on ambitious first feature film |date=2006-11-01|publisher=BBC Press Office]

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 "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" [cite web|url=http://www.rts.org.uk/awards_det.asp?id=1366&sec_id=337|title=RTS Programme Awards - 2001|work=Royal Television Society|accessdate=2007-07-01] .

NHU filmmakers are regularly nominated and rewarded at film festivals such as Wildscreen, the [http://www.wildlifefilms.org/ Missoula International Wildlife Film Festival] and the [http://www.jhfestival.org/ Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival] 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 [cite news|url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,,1749763,00.html |title=BBC finds a treasure in Planet Earth |date=2006-04-09|publisher=The Observer] . 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 [cite web|url=http://naturewatchuk.blogspot.com/2008/04/tiger-spy-in-jungle-sunday-8pm-bbc-one.html |title=Tiger: Spy in the Jungle - Sunday 8pm BBC One |publisher=NatureWatch blog |date=2008-04-01] .

Heads of the NHU

* Nicholas Crocker (1957 - 1959)
* Bruce Campbell (1959 - 1962)
* Nicholas Crocker (1962 - 1973)
* Mick Rhodes (1973 - 1979)
* Christopher Parsons (1979 - 1983)
* John Sparks (1983 - 1988)
* Andrew Neil (1988 - 1992)
* Alastair Fothergill (1992 - 1998)
* Keith Scholey (1998 - 2003)
* Neil Nightingale (2003 - present)

References

;General referencesInformation 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 0-56348-780-1

The list of Heads of the Natural History Unit is taken from the following source:
* BBC/2entertain "Great Wildlife Moments" DVD (2003). Bonus feature: Heads of the BBC Natural History Unit

External links

*bbc.co.uk|id=sn|title=BBC Science and Nature
* [http://www.tvfactual.co.uk BBC Factual Programmes unoffical site]
* [http://www.wildfilmhistory.org Wild Film History]