Source: BBC Radio 4: Today Programme
URL: N/A
Date: 13/07/2015
Event: Martin Hughes-Games: wildlife programmes are "almost like cocaine"
Credit: BBC Radio 4
People:
Sarah Montague: In the last 40 years, the world has lost half of its wildlife. And yet it's a time period when wildlife television programmes have been very popular and when they were expected to makes us more interested in conservation. The Springwatch presenter Martin Hughes-Games blames the programmes, the way they're made and those who commission them, and he joins us from Bristol, now, Good morning.
Martin Hughes-Games: Very good morning, Sarah.
Sarah Montague: And that's right, is it, that the programmes are not up to tackling this fact that - what, people are not interested enough to save wildlife?
Martin Hughes-Games: I think it's exactly as you suggested. We thought - it was a fond dream for the last 40 years - that by making people aware of the natural world, we would encourage conservation. But, as you say, that report last year from the World Wildlife Fund and the Zoological Society of London clearly showed that we'd lost 50% of the world's wildlife in the last 40 years, which exactly coincides with, sort of, epic and magnificent wildlife programmes like Life on Earth. Um, the concern is: yes, what we've done is we've kind of created - it's like a drug, it's almost like cocaine, people love these wonderful, Utopian, escapist programmes where you can just disappear into a world untouched by humanity, ignoring the reality. And of course, they're great shows and it's good we can do those, but we've singularly failed to deal with that reality, of what's really going on out there.
Sarah Montague: Okay, so, and is that because a cameraman who's deliberately framing his shots on a very narrow, beautiful view that makes great telly but doesn't portray actually what's going on, on either side of the lens, which is a great deal more destructive?
Martin Hughes-Games: Well, that's often what she or he is paid to do [laughs] and I've heard cameramen, camerawomen say "Look, I'm paid to look straight ahead, not side to side". Um, I think the issue is that we need to be really brave in our commissioning now, and we have to get BBC commissioners - and not just BBC, of course, this is a worldwide phenomenon - we have to get them keen to commission environmental programmes, alongside the beautiful programmes. And if we know, as programme-makers, that that desire is there for that type of programming, it is then our job to create interesting, intriguing, entertaining programmes that deal with these subjects. And I have to say, you know, it's not impossible. In the States, Showtime Television created a series called Years of Living Dangerously, which was incredibly popular - it was looking at the impacts of climate change, they had Barack Obama, Harrison Ford, Matt Damon, they used celebrity to deal with a really difficult subject, and they won awards for it - it can be done.
Sarah Montague: And is Springwatch is not doing it, this, you're including Springwatch, which has been very popular and which, you know, you're a large part of, in your criticism?
Martin Hughes-Games: Springwatch is actually quite a unique proposition, because unlike - if you hear about what's going on with tigers, the last census in India, there were 2,226 tigers left, that was last year - there were over 100,000 in 1900. Now when you hear figures like that, it's really frustrating for all of us, because what can we do? Absolutely nothing - well, very little, anyway. But with Springwatch, I think people can do things, and that's part of its appeal. You can do something and see the results of what you do.
Sarah Montague: So you are excluding it from your criticism?
Martin Hughes-Games: Er, yes I am - I think it works very well, but it's unique, because it's a British programme and we are able to, to encourage people to do things and they can see the results of their endeavours.
Sarah Montague: Okay, but - so it's: commissioners take note. Martin Hughes-Games, thanks very much.