The BBC has denied a report from The Guardian that it has opted not to broadcast an episode of Sir David Attenborough’s flagship new series on British wildlife over fears of a rightwing media backlash.
Titled “Wild Isles,” the series explores the beauty of nature in the British Isles. Attenborough narrates the series which is expected to be a big hit for the broadcaster and has five episodes scheduled for primetime slots on BBC One.
According to the paper, a sixth episode was also filmed that is said to offer a “stark look at the losses of nature in the UK and what has caused the declines”.
They add it is understood to include some examples of rewilding, a form of ecological restoration with an emphasis on recreating an area’s natural, uncultivated state – restoring ecosystems that only require passive management.
That concept has reportedly been controversial in some circles, as has the documentary series being part-funded by nature charities the WWF and RSPB. The paper’s sources claim the decision has angered the programme-makers and BBC insiders who fear the corporation has “bowed to pressure from lobbying groups with ‘dinosaurian ways'”.
They indicate the episode will instead be available only on the BBC’s iPlayer service. Silverback Films (“Our Planet”) produced the series in collaboration with the BBC Natural History Unit.
The BBC has strongly denied the report to the paper, saying “this is totally inaccurate, there is no ‘sixth episode’. Wild Isles is – and always was – a five-part series and does not shy away from environmental content.”
They add that: “We have acquired a separate film (titled ‘Saving Our Wild Isles’) for iPlayer from the RSPB and WWF and Silverback Films about people working to preserve and restore the biodiversity of the British Isles.”
Silverback Films then issued its own statement to the paper indicating The BBC commissioned the series back in 2017, with the RSPB and WWF not joining as co-producers until the following year.
Then in late 2021, the two charities commissioned Silverback Films to make that ‘separate film’ for them which The BBC acquired for iPlayer earlier this year.
The BBC Press Office doubled down on its denial in a tweet and referred to an August 2022 press release which confirms the show is a five-part series.
It follows on from a rough few days for the broadcaster on various fronts, with the biggest controversy being its suspension of presenter Gary Lineker following tweets in which he criticised government’s proposed asylum laws.
