There will be three natural history productions and a historic crime programme…
There will be a landmark five-part series, Hidden Planet and a four-part series with wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin both for BBC One also a single film, Expedition Killer Whale for BBC Two.
Jack Bootle, Head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual:
“These are three thrilling projects that demonstrate the breadth of Natural History programming on the BBC. I’m committed to ensuring that we remain the place where wildlife filmmakers do their best work, and I love collaborating with the creatives of Bristol. The city is an extraordinary global hub of talent, and its Natural History producers are the envy of the world. I look forward to making more programmes with them in the future.”
Twenty years after the ground-breaking series Life in the Undergrowth, Hidden Planet will dive into the secret world of the most successful and important animals on Earth – Insects. Building on the remarkable advances in camera technology pioneered by The Green Planet, the series reveals the beautiful and dramatic lives of insects in unprecedented detail.
Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles sees Hamza find and film incredible species and spectacles hidden amongst both our urban and wilder landscapes. From hidden nocturnal encounters, to perfectly camouflaged creatures hiding in plain sight, he will reveal that wildlife is everywhere; you just need to know where to look for it and in Expedition Killer Whale a fascinating deep dive into the complex hunting methods and communication techniques of the ocean’s greatest predator – the killer whale.
In a remote corner of Antarctica, a group of killer whales capture their prey in the most extraordinary fashion. But now these whales are under threat. A team of experts travel to the whales’ hunting grounds in a notoriously remote location in Antarctica. It’s an unprecedented expedition – allowing unique access to these compelling animals. Using the latest technology, scientists and camera teams record everything they can about the killer whales, decoding the language they use to co-ordinate their hunting rituals and assessing their chances for survival in the modern world.
In other factual there will be a two-part series for BBC Two with Cold Case Investigators: Solving Britain’s Sex Crimes. This unprecedented access-based series looks at the cutting-edge science identifying the suspects in previously unsolved sex offences, following the determined detectives hot on their trails and the emotional stories of the victims at the heart of these cases.
Using the latest DNA techniques, a remarkable team of detectives from Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire’s Major Crime Unit reinvestigate unsolved sexual offences dating back to the 1970s. Can they hunt down the offenders and finally get justice for their victims? Across the UK, there are hundreds of thousands of unsolved sexual offences lying dormant in police archives*; some go back decades. This dedicated unit has thrown its weight behind a pioneering forensic and investigative project – to look once again at 5,400 unsolved rape and sexual assault cases from the last 50 years.
By harnessing the power of modern DNA techniques, this exceptional group of detectives has been achieving what was previously impossible – identifying perpetrators and getting justice for victims whose crimes happened years ago.
Tom Coveney, Head of Commissioning, Science:
“I hope our viewers are inspired and captivated by the work of the cold case investigators in this series. The detectives’ skill and dedication and the meticulous work of the forensic scientists are extraordinary. But ultimately these investigations are about delivering justice for victims, and we’re incredibly grateful to those who’ve chosen to share their stories with our audience.”
