We have more ancient oak trees than the whole of Europe put together [Source: Hebrian Plants, Oxford University] Wild Isles - Behind the scenes secrets and wildlife stories from the new series, presented by Sir David Attenborough The team had to make tiny windows in the sides of the flowers to film the structures within. Thermal cameras captured glowing images of plants heating up to lure in the flies and the team could also feel the heat by placing their face next to the plant. It required carefully timed observation, as each plant heats up for just four hours before it starts to wilt the following day. Sir David said: “In my long lifetime, I have travelled to almost every corner of our planet. I can assure you that in the British Isles, as well as astonishing scenery there are extraordinary animal dramas and wildlife spectacles to match anything I have seen on my global travels.” Britain and Ireland have some of the most diverse and beautiful landscapes on Earth. We have more ancient oak trees than the rest of Europe put together; sixty percent of the world’s chalk streams flow in southern England; our remaining flower meadows are a vital refuge for breeding birds and butterflies; and our coasts are home to internationally important numbers of seabirds. Yet our wildlife is increasingly fragmented and fragile – this series explains the challenges nature faces today, and what can be done to make our wild isles even wilder in the future.

You also filmed Lords and Ladies plants that release a foul-smelling scent to attracts flies, what technology did you use for this scene? Capturing the whole hunt required a co-ordinated team of specialist long lens camera people and wildlife spotters. The white-tailed eagles ranged over vast areas, so the team had to keep in close communication working in hides positioned at eagle hot spots around Islay. It took several trips and more than 70 days filming. Filming Feat/Remarkable Behaviour Gisle Sverdrup is a natural history filmmaker specialising in programmes about the underwater world. His passion for the oceans has previously seen him film all around the world, working on major projects for the BBC, Netflix and Disney. He combines his knowledge of biology and technology to find engaging stories and tell them in new and exciting ways, often using equipment developed specifically for each project. Credits

Interview with Hilary Jeffkins (Series Producer & Episode One Producer)

Diverse geology: Cumbria ; Lake District ; Dorset ; Scottish Highlands ; Skye ; Yorkshire Dales ; North Pennines ; Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland

Tanya Steele, Chief Executive of WWF, says: “The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world – we need to change that. Our aim is that this stunning series featuring some of our best loved species will inspire people to take action to safeguard and restore nature for future generations.” Sir David says: “In my long lifetime, I have travelled to almost every corner of our planet. I can assure you that in the British Isles, as well as astonishing scenery there are extraordinary animal dramas and wildlife spectacles to match anything I have seen on my global travels.” Power, Ed (12 March 2023). "Wild Isles, BBC One, review: Attenborough's local series sits proudly along his more far-flung adventures". i . Retrieved 15 September 2023. The RSPB is protecting habitats, saving species and helping to end the nature and climate emergency. Nature is in crisis. Together we can save it. www.rspb.org.uk

We are working on solutions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within our own industry, protect the biodiversity of the world we interact with, while also enhancing our audiences’ understanding of climate change and what’s needed to transition to Net Zero. Alastair Fothergill, Executive Producer, says: “I have always wanted to make a landmark series that really does justice to our own extraordinary wildlife. I am sure people will be amazed at what is happening right on their own doorstep”. Filmed in extraordinary detail across the country, we see new behaviour from animals we think we know well, and from others whose existence here may come as a surprise. Killer whales hunt for seals in our seas, rare golden eagles scavenge in snowy mountains, puffins are chased by greedy gulls that try to steal their hard-won catch and sinister woodland plants hold unsuspecting insects hostage. For Producer Nicholas Gates, a lifelong naturalist, the opportunity to work on a blue-chip series about the wildlife of Britain and Ireland was a huge career goal. Nicholas has worked in natural history television for a decade, on shows ranging from The One Show to Springwatch, to international series for National Geographic and Animal Planet, but he has a particular soft spot for nature “at home” here. Nicholas hopes that this series will surprise the public with the extraordinary wildlife spectacles here in Britain and Ireland, highlight how threatened much of our nature is and encourage people to help restore it for future generations. Outside of his television work, Nicholas is also a published author and keen wildlife gardener. Do you think people will engage with the extraordinary wildlife on our doorsteps as much as they have with natural history programmes about other parts of the world?

The five part series will have an introductory episode, explaining why Britain and Ireland are globally important for nature, while the remaining four episodes will celebrate our isles’ four key habitats - woodlands, grasslands, freshwater and marine.

Series Stats

White-tailed eagles hunting is a behaviour rarely seen in the wild and only snippets of this had ever been filmed before. Capturing the whole story required a co-ordinated team of specialist long lens cameramen and wildlife spotters. This included top wildlife cameramen John Aitchison, Jesse Wilkinson and Hamza Yassin. The white-tailed eagles ranged over vast areas on the island and beyond, so the team had to keep in close communication via walkie talkies, working for long hours in hides positioned at eagle hot spots around Islay. It took several trips and more than 70 days filming to capture the first ever complete sequence of wild white-tailed eagles hunting barnacle geese. Beccy Speight, Chief Executive of the RSPB, the UK’s largest nature conservation charity, said: “Wild Isles will be essential viewing at a time when we are facing into a nature and climate emergency. Showcasing the UK’s spectacular places and wonderful wildlife gives us a powerful platform to build the broadest and most diverse movement for nature there’s ever been.” I hope that after watching this series our audience will be wowed by the wildlife and spectacular places in Britain and Ireland but also that they get a strong sense of how fragmented and fragile they are. I want the audience to come away with a sense of pride and hope for the future too.

White-tailed eagles are a good example of how the restoration of habitats and the reintroduction of species has enabled us to film lost behaviours [Source: The Wildlife Trusts]The BBC will be inviting local communities to Get Into Nature, be that for their mental or physical health, for their community, for the environment or simply for fun. BBC Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will also be reflecting the focus on nature in their output. A pleasurable anthology that reflects nature writing over two centuries. Prose, not poetry. Many novelists appear, Hines, Lee, Hardy, Grahame, Williamson, Woolf (as novelists), Fowles and Maitland (as essayists). The real stars, however, are the nature writers. Jay Griffith's contributes a beautifully written essay on Clare -- "Kith". Excerpts from Clare's autobiographical writings are deeply moving.