ITV Factual commiions Animal Mums and the Hedgehog Hotel

ITV has commissioned two new natural history series and a single film looking at wildlife and those devoted to studying nature.

Richard Klein, Director of Factual at ITV and Andrew O'Connell, Commissioning Editor have ordered six hours from Oxford Scientific Films (OSF) and a specialist single from Dragonfly.

Animal Mums is a 3 x 60' series following a variety of expectant creatures at every stage; from giving birth alone and bonding to making sure her offspring learn important lessons that will help keep them alive in a world where at any minute, they could become someone else's dinner.

From aardvarks to gorillas, elephants to otters, animal mums everywhere are doing an amazing job bringing up their babies. The series follows what it takes to be an animal super mum. Across three themed episodes, babies, toddlers, and growing up, Animal Mums captures on camera some incredibly rare and intimate moments, from gorilla mums teaching their young good manners to a herd of elephants rushing to rescue a baby in distress.

Set to air later this year, the executive producers are Caroline Hawkins and Alice Keens-Soper.

Caroline Hawkins, Creative Director, OSF, said: It was wonderful to be able to focus simply on mothers in the animal kingdom and discover that the strong bonds they form with their offspring and the ways in which they nurture and protect their young are not so very different from our own.

OSF's Nature Nuts with Julian Clary launched on Sunday (August 2). The 3 x 60' series sees Britain's most beloved camp comedian Julian Clary in search of Britain's most fanatical wildlife lovers, affectionately referred to as his Nature Nuts'.

Julian travels all over the UK discovering an extraordinary range of nature fans obsessed by the creatures in their backyards and beyond. Julian and his expert film crew, boasting some of the UK's most talented natural history cameramen and women, play fairy godmother to our Nature Nuts by capturing sight of their favourite creatures in ways they've never seen before. With some of the best new technology including starlight, high speed, mini aerial and underwater cameras, the Nature Nuts are given once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch their favourite animals in their natural habitat.

Alice Keens-Soper, Head of Specialist Factual OSF, said: This series was a pure delight to make; it combines the best of Julian's outrageous humour with the most enthusiastic amateur naturalists and the most adorable creatures that the UK has to offer.

Single film The Hedgehog Hotel offers a rare and magical glimpse into the mysterious moonlit world of one of our best loved animals. The 1 x 60, set in an idyllic country garden, follows a prickly cast of rescued hedgehogs as they prepare to return to the wild, revealing every aspect of their hidden lives, from noisy courtship and grumpy confrontations, to the intimate moments between a mother and her baby hoglets.

Co-Executive Producer, Dragonfly, Clare Mottershead said: Hedgehogs are a treasured British species, but their population is declining. This film will celebrate this unique spiky animal and its special abilities, from hibernating and rolling into a ball and inform audiences about how to make their gardens more hedgehog-friendly, to help this much loved animal survive in the future. Edwina Silver is also Executive Producer.

Andrew O Connell, Commissioning Editor, Factual at ITV said: "These new natural history series are truly affectionate and aspirational. Animal Mums features fascinating and intimate footage which reflects just how amazing mums are in the animal kingdom while Nature Nuts is a warm hearted look at people who are captivated by the wildlife and nature in their own back gardens. The Hedgehog Hotel will offer our viewers a warm, funny and intimate insight into these prickly curled up little bundle s we all adore."

LINK:	http://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/itv-factual-commissions-...
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