Category: Factual & Arts TV; Daytime
Date: 09.11.2005
Printable version
It's not often that 91Èȱ¬ presenter Chris Packham is lost for words.
But a whale watching assignment for his new programme, Hands On Nature (91Èȱ¬ TWO, Monday to Friday at 3.00pm), found the seasoned frontman literally struggling to regain the power of speech.
Ìý
He said: "It was truly amazing. We were filming for the programme around the island of Mull, off the Scottish west coast, and this beautiful minke whale came along to investigate the boat.
Ìý
"I have never seen anything like it; the whale stayed with us for ages, criss-crossing underneath and really checking us out.
Ìý
"People from the UK travel thousands and thousands of miles for a sight like this without realising just what treasures we have on our own doorstep - and this is exactly what our new programme sets out to do: raise awareness of the depth and diversity of wildlife, fauna and flora around the British Isles."
Ìý
Shot in beautiful locations around the country, the ten-part series - which begins on Monday 28 November - offers tips on where to go to spot some of the most rare and most interesting animals, birds, trees and flowers, how to identify them, and how species survive and thrive in different habitats.
Ìý
Providing the backdrop are some spectacular landscapes, across mountain, seaside, lake and forest - and the very best of what the UK countryside has to offer.
Ìý
Executive producer Tony Parker said: "Our brief was to show people what was out there on their doorsteps - and to demonstrate the beauty and wonder of nature, which is accessible to everyone.
Ìý
"Our primary aim is to encourage viewers to get out, explore and discover more for themselves."
Ìý
As well as whale watching on Mull, Chris and his team of three experts - earth scientist Janet Sumner, zoologist Sanjida O'Connell and botanist Mike Dilger - go swimming with seals off the Isles of Scilly, get up close and personal with pine martens in Scotland, and go in search of a wide variety of wildlife including dragonflies, crayfish, puffins, barn owls, badgers, butterflies and bats.
Ìý
During the course of the series, they visit nature hot spots as diverse as the Cairngorms, the island of Skomer off the Welsh coast, Pocklington Canal in the Yorkshire Wolds, the New Forest, Brecon Beacons, the Lake District and Leighton Moss.
Ìý
Tony Parker said: "This is a 'user's guide' to what's in your own back yard; a practical guide to what you can do, see and learn. Each week we get around the patch and see the UK in all its glory.
Ìý
"Our films all have beauty and charm, with fantastic photography and high production values. But they will also have pace and energy.
Ìý
"Our simple objective is to inspire viewers; to motivate them to explore for themselves, but also to help them grasp a slightly deeper understanding of how nature works."
Ìý
Notes to Editors
Ìý
The ten-part series Hands On Nature can be seen every day on 91Èȱ¬ TWO at 3.00pm from Monday to Friday from 28 November.
Ìý
Presenters: All are available for interview.
Chris Packham lives and works in Southampton;
Janet Sumner hails from Cheshire;
Sanjida O'Connell is originally from Yorkshire and is now based in Gloucestershire;
Mike Dilger comes from Stafford but is now based near Bristol.
Ìý
Locations: the Cairngorms; Dartmoor; Malham; the Hebrides; Herdship Farm, Teesdale; the South Downs; Richmond Park; Harewood; Crom Castle; the New Forest; Abernethy; Suffolk; Dorset Heath; the Brecon Beacons; the Lake District; Skomer; the Scillies; the Farne Islands; Mull; Holy Island; Strangford Loch; Ross-on-Wye; Pocklington Canal; Wicken Fen; Somerset; Leighton Moss; Exeter; the Wash; Spurn Point.
Ìý
