ITV

Tag: Natural History

  • Sony BBC Earth hosts the extraordinary Natural History Producer and Global Storyteller, Jonny Keeling, in India

    Sony BBC Earth hosts the extraordinary Natural History Producer and Global Storyteller, Jonny Keeling, in India

    MUMBAI: Sony BBC Earth, India’s No. 1 factual entertainment channel and home to the most iconic and premium content, continues to deliver to its promise of making the viewers ‘feel alive’. The channel gives the opportunity for viewers in India to meet the global storyteller and Natural History Producer, Jonny Keeling, and find out what it takes to bring the incredible, never before-seen wildlife stories to the TV screens. 

    Jonny Keeling comes with 22 years of experience as an acclaimed Natural History Filmmaker who has worked on award-winning series like Planet Earth II, Deadly Pole to Pole, among others. These shows air exclusively on Sony BBC Earth in India. He is the man behind some of the most iconic, incredible and never-seen-before wildlife sequences, including the BAFTA-winning ‘Must-See Moment’ – Snake-Iguana chase from Planet Earth II series.

    With the help of advanced cutting-edge technology, Jonny with his team has captured and covered the vast tapestry of Earth by going where few humans dare to and highlight wonders of the natural world. Jonny’s travel tales include India where he and his team captured some of the most iconic scenes of Planet Earth II– from the snow leopards in Ladakh to Langurs in Jodhpur and Leopards in Mumbai.

    Jonny will be addressing the students at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. He will be giving them insights and sharing behind-the-scene stories that go into making award winning series like Planet Earth II. On social media, Jonny will be engaging with his fans by answering a few select questions received from across India, about natural history filmmaking and his unique experiences.

  • BBC celebrates 50th anniversary of Natural History Unit with ‘Saving Planet Earth’ initiative

    MUMBAI: UK pubcaster the BBC will commemorate the 50th anniversary of its Natural History Unit with a show Saving Planet Earth. This will be a wide-reaching series supporting animal conservation and airs in the UK later this year. It will be anchored by Sir David Attenborough and Alan Titchmarsh.

    The show will have celebrities participaiting including Carol Thatcher, Fiona Bruce, Phil Tufnell and Saira Khan. They will explore the work of global conservation charities before appealing for public donations. The Saving Planet Earth season then culminates in a live fund raising finale.

    Using previously unseen footage from BBC One’s series Planet Earth Sir David explains how destruction of crucial habitat is affecting the future of many of the planet’s animals.

    He says, “Some scientists suggest that up to a quarter of animal species could be extinct by 2050. But it’s not too late – you can be involved in Saving Planet Earth. If you are a child, this is your future. If you’re a parent, it’s your legacy. The time to act is now.”

    Titchmarsh joins Sir David to present the celebrity expeditions, featuring nine UK-based charities raising cash for global issues. The endangered animals featured in the documentaries are:

    Crocodiles – Edith Bowman highlights how Cambodian crocodiles are threatened by the leather trade;

    Tigers – Fiona Bruce travels to India where tigers are suffering because of habitat loss and poaching;

    Turtles –- Saira Khan explores the problems of turtle egg stealing in Sri Lanka;

    Orang-utans – Nick Knowles discovers that orang-utans in Borneo are suffering from the deforestation of their habitat for commercial crops;

    Ethiopian wolves – Graham Norton reveals that Ethiopian wolves’ numbers are being threatened by domestic dogs;

    Elephants – Jack Osbourne finds that Namibian elephants are in competition with man for food and water;

    Albatross – Carol Thatcher sees how long-line fishing is reducing albatross numbers in the Falklands;

    Rhinoceros – Phil Tufnell travels to India to highlight the plight of rhinos still hunted for their horn;

    Gorillas – Will Young finds out about the problems faced by lowland gorillas who are hunted for bushmeat and whose habitat, in Gabon, is being destroyed by logging.

    Saving Planet Earth will also feature on CBBC and local BBC programming and on bbc.co.uk.

    On CBBC seven kids have won the chance to step into Sir David’s distinguished shoes to become part of the Saving Planet Earth team, reporting on the plight of globally endangered animals in the wild. And a host of celebrities, including Brian Blessed, Tom Conti, Sean Hughes, Myleene Klass and Shobna Gulati explore the plight of threatened wildlife across the UK.

    From basking sharks in the South West of England to eagles in Scotland, the regional programmes will show how viewers can make a difference to their local patch and play their part in Saving Planet Earth.

    Visitors to bbc.co.uk/savingplanetearth can find how they can join in the team effort to help endangered animals. These will range from details of the off-air fundraising events running throughout the summer to support Saving Planet Earth, ways of donating to the Saving Planet Earth fund and links to the conservation projects featured.

  • BBC to make big screen wildlife film on ‘The Meerkats’

    BBC to make big screen wildlife film on ‘The Meerkats’

    MUMBAI: BBC Films will collaborate with the BBC Natural History Unit to produce their first ever feature film together, The Meerkats.

    The film is set to start principal photography this month in the Kalahari Desert. The Weinstein Company are co-financing the project, and will distribute the film internationally.

    The Meerkats is directed by James Honeyborne, with Joe Oppenheimer and Trevor Ingman as producers. BBC Natural History Unit head Neil Nightingale and BBC Films head David M Thompson will serve as executive producers with co-president of production, Michael Cole and director of development and production Rhodri Thomas overseeing the project on behalf of The Weinstein Company.

    The BBC Natural History Unit has been involved in feature films emanating from their own television series – Blue Planet and the forthcoming Planet Earth. But this is the first time such a project has been produced as a feature film right from the outset, asserts an official release.

    The Meerkats is a revealing look at one family’s daily struggle for survival in the harshest environment on earth. But what makes these natives of the African plains even more remarkable is a family dynamic which bears an uncanny resemblance to our own.

    Whether they are going through the routines of daily life or locked in a very real battle to stay alive, The Meerkats is a look at how one family’s connection to each other and their surroundings stands as a model of resilience and fortitude.

    Talking about the film Thompson said, “This is a tremendously exciting collaboration. The Natural History Unit is the best in the world at what they do and we’re really thrilled to be working with them at last. The film has huge emotional appeal and will really travel internationally. It’s a great story, with a fantastic team behind it, and we hope this will be the start of a great partnership for the future.”

    Nightingale added, “I am very excited about the potential of this film project, combining the talents of the BBC Natural History Unit and BBC Films. With a strong and emotional story, featuring some of the most charismatic of wildlife characters, this film will appeal to a very broad cinema audience, in Britain and around the world.”

    BBC Films is the feature film-making arm of the BBC, developing, producing and financing an average of eight feature films each year.