Philip Stevens looks into producing live nature series Springwatch in extraordinary times
By Philip Stevens
Published: June 3, 2020
Philip Stevens looks into producing live nature series Springwatch in extraordinary times
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Philip Stevens looks into producing live nature series Springwatch in extraordinary times
https://www.tvbeurope.com/production-post/keeping-a-watch-during-lockdown title=Share via Email class=share-email>
Springwatch returned to BBC Two on Tuesday 26th May for a three-week run. The series, produced by BBC Studios, is broadcast Tuesdays to Fridays until 12th June, along with three daily live digital shows every weekday, in addition to the 24-hour live streams.
Now in its 15th year, this educational, entertaining, live, nature series is designed to give audiences a fascinating insight into the science behind the UK's wildlife.
However, as with many other programmes, production has been affected by the restrictions required to cope with Covid-19.
We are continuing to provide best of British wildlife viewing with expert presenters, hidden cameras and, this year, stories from special guests' presenters based all over the UK, explains BBC Studios executive producer Rosemary Edwards. At a time when many UK residents may be suffering a sense of isolation, this year's Springwatch is helping to alleviate some feelings of loneliness as it joins the nation through stories of our doorstep wildlife. The series is offering people a chance to join in the celebration of our native wildlife during this period of lockdown.
Rigging for bird's nests requires a head for heights Edwards goes on to say that because of the coronavirus crisis the BBC needed to find an innovative new way to ensure the series' core USP (Unique Selling Point), to stream live on social media, BBC iPlayer and the Springwatch webpages continued for a month - alongside the live BBC Two broadcasts. In addition, with the presenters no longer able to gather together at a Springwatch hub, they are filming on home-turf and broadcasting live from their local areas, across the country.
Across the UK The presenters broadcast live from around the UK. Chris Packham is in the New Forest, Iolo William is in the west Wales, and Gillian Burke is at the Cornwall Beaver Project near her home.
Chris Packham, Gillian Burke and Iolo William present this year's Springwatch In addition to this, we have three guest presenters - wildlife presenter Steve Backshall joins the team from his home patch on the Thames, ecologist Ellie Harrison from her Cotswold base and wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan covers nature stories from Loch Lomond and The Trossochs National Park, Scotland, explains Edwards. Michaela Strachan, who is in lockdown in South Africa, also appeared in the first episode, calling in from South Africa to present some of her favourite moments from past series. There are very small camera crews with each of the presenters, that includes guest presenters.
Throughout the making of this series the Springwatch team followed all the advice laid out by the UK government to ensure no one was put at any risk. These guidelines include maintaining the appropriate social distance at all times, only travelling to film when necessary, and constantly interrogating the distance people needed to travel.
The series also features a number of pre-recorded films, captured prior to the Government restrictions on social distancing. More recent content being shot in accordance with official guidance.
The habitats Part of the appeal of the series is the live shots of various wildlife habitats. So, has this been possible to the same extent with the revised format?
Yes. We have a highly experienced wildlife and nest camera team who have been working together for over a decade, says Edwards. This year the extra guidelines on social isolation and travel have been considered when choosing locations where remote cameras could be sited. Together they have successfully rigged cameras in two key wildlife areas of the UK, one in the Mendip Hills and the other in Monmouthshire, Wales. Using new technology, we have been able to ensure the team that monitor these cameras 24 hours a day are able to individually view them remotely in a safe environment. The output is then fed into the live gallery in London where staff are also following strict social distancing measures.
Specialist teams install cameras to capture 24-hour coverage. A small team of key production workers are required to travel to this centralised gallery. The BBC has ensured that the same team has been kept together to further avoid multiple contacts and has travelled to the studio location independently. As the gallery environment is large this can accommodate crew across multiple rooms to ensure social distancing.
There are currently no government guidelines on wearing of face masks. However, should that advice change then they will be provided. We are constantly reviewing government guidance, says Edwards.
World class Julian Hector the head of BBC Studios Natural History Unit added, We are so proud to be able to share the wonderful wild characters of British wildlife to the nation. Live natural history television is testing at the best of times, so to broadcast Springwatch during a global pandemic is driving our teams' imagination, innovation and technical expertise to a new level - and all within the social distancing instruction of the UK government. The world class Springwatch team bring the joy of our natural world to everyone in a surprising and utterly brilliant way.
Edwards concludes, In these extraordinary times, we have found ourselves engaging with the wildlife in our nearby surroundings like never before. We're thrilled at how well Springwatch is do
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
02/03/2026
NBC Sports selected Imaginary Forces to create the main title sequence for the M...
02/03/2026
The NFL announces the launch of the NFL Draft Innovation Challenge, a new crowds...
02/03/2026
The World Teleport Association (WTA) has named Skyline Communications' DataMiner SatOps solution as a finalist for the 2026 Teleport Technology of the Year ...
02/03/2026
Ventum Tech announces a strategic partnership with Pixotope, a real-time graphic...
02/03/2026
Victory , a free, ad-supported sports streaming service, announces the launch of...
02/03/2026
Global powerhouse Delta Goodrem to represent Australia at this year's Eurovi...
02/03/2026
SBS brings together prominent voices to discuss rising social division and seek ...
02/03/2026
NITV Unveils Wednesday Night Sport Night
Media releases
A Midweek Hub for Blak Sport
Flagship NRL program Over The Black Dot moves to Wednesdays at 9:30pm
...
02/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates FR1-FR3 carrier aggregation, advancing 6G readiness Rohde & Schwarz and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have reached another pivotal ...
02/03/2026
MELBOURNE, Fla., March 2, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) today announc...
02/03/2026
Harvey Norman tops New Zealand's biggest ad spenders as retail leads and telcos and beverages sure Auckland March 3, 2026 - Nielsen's New Zealand'...
02/03/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, and Arqit Quantum Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQQ, A...
02/03/2026
Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, has appointed Jody Boatwright as Chief Strategy Of...
02/03/2026
Lightware, an industry leader in signal management, is reinforcing its commitment to simplifying complex AV environments with the continued evolution of its TPN...
02/03/2026
ZEISS Cinema opens its doors to an exclusive screening, filmmakers Q&A and hands-on showcase of the new ZEISS Aatma lens family on Tuesday, March 10, 6:00-9:00 ...
02/03/2026
To expand the creative potential of the compact Astera QuikBeam, DoPchoice introduces the SNAPBAG Round. The new light-shaping accessory transforms the powerfu...
02/03/2026
Douglas Dubler
On a rooftop in New York City, veteran photographer Douglas Dubler watched the sun's angle shift across the urban landscape, his internal cl...
02/03/2026
ZEISS is expanding its Otus ML lens family with the introduction of the new ZEISS Otus ML 1.4/35. This manual-focus lens is designed for photographers who live ...
02/03/2026
Matthews Studio Equipment now offers the new Dinkum Systems White FlexiMount and Phone Mount Kit, a compact, highly adaptable setup for mobile content creation...
02/03/2026
Luxembourg, February 26, 2026 - SES and Africa Mobile Network (AMN) have expande...
02/03/2026
02 03 2026 - Media release Ausfilm and Screen Australia launch joint UK market initiative
Ausfilm and Screen Australia have announced Partner with Australia (...
02/03/2026
Monday 2 March 2026
Saturday Night Live UK announces writing team
L-R: Jonno Johnson; Charlie Skelton; Celya AB; Omar Badawy; Gr inne Maguire; Laura Claxton; ...
02/03/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Trailer for 53 Sundays, the New Film by Cesc Gay
Entertainment
02 March 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Dis...
28/02/2026
With two features seen in Formula 1 coverage, the broadcaster aims to bring view...
28/02/2026
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addresses a crowd of approximately 1,500 L3Harris employees in Camden, Arkansas, as part of his Arsenal of Freedom tour....
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/02/2026
Berklee Presents Mambo Mania: Eguie Castrillo and the Berklee All-Stars Big Band...
28/02/2026
Berklee Announces Two New Summer Programs in Los Angeles The Berklee Music Business Program and Electronic Music Production and Sound Design Workshop bring imme...
28/02/2026
AI-RAN is moving from lab to field, showing that a software-defined approach is ...
28/02/2026
Autonomous networks - intelligent, self-managing telecommunications operations -...
28/02/2026
Back to All News
Final Trailer for BEASTARS Final Season Part 2' Roars Tow...
28/02/2026
New way to intentionally discover molecular glues could expand drug discovery Scripps Research scientists and colleagues show how drugs that eliminate certain d...
27/02/2026
The E.W. Scripps Company names Oliver Gray as Vice President, Network Sports and...
27/02/2026
The Gotham Sports App, the exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming home of MSG Networks and the YES Network, is now available for purchase through Prime Video fo...
27/02/2026
ESPN and the Horizon League announce a new multi-year, multi-platform media rights agreement, continuing a 38-year collaboration that began with the 1988 Midwes...
27/02/2026
At the 2026 NAB Show in Las Vegas, NETGEAR will highlight its new switch models and major updates to its Engage Controller software. The company's network d...
27/02/2026
Riedel Communications announces that Fondazione Teatro alla Scala has deployed a...
27/02/2026
Lyuno specializes in media localization, including translation, dubbing, subtitling, and voice-over services for a wide array of entertainment content. The comp...
27/02/2026
Chyron Weather 2.3, the latest edition of Chyron's weather visualization suite for broadcasters and meteorologists, recently launched.
The release includes...
27/02/2026
Telestream, which concentrates in media workflow technologies, announces expanded practical AI enhancements across its Vantage, Vantage Cloud, EDC, Stanza, and ...
Philip Stevens looks into producing live nature series Springwatch in extraordinary times
