BBC 2 has had hit shows on their hands, live nature reality shows, for which they take a big crew and lots of live cameras and cover an ecosystem – a river or a meadow – for a duration of time, broadcasting whatever they find out there in the wild.
It’s been a smash that’s spawned quite a few spinoffs, the flagship for which is called Springwatch.
The BBC has partnered with PBS (and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is their local homebase) and is now filming a Springwatch show called Big Blue Live, aiming at the mass return migration of feeding whales, sharks, dolphins, sea otters and seals, following schools of fish and plankton during the rich upwelling of the Monterey Submarine Canyon. They hope to capture the proliferation of great whites or the rare minke whale.
“Blue whales are the unicorn,” says BBC Executive Director Tim Scoones.
Because it’s mostly live, whatever fickle and unpredictable animal presence or behaviors that happen during the time of airing is what viewers will see. But the two broadcasters are super prepared, with a crew of 100 ready in boats, underwater, at the Aquarium, and in planes, all patched through to editing suites to sort out the footage. The BBC has already done their segment. The PBS portion begins airing Aug. 31, for three days.
PBS senior programming director Bill Margol says, “Springwatch is like golf. This is like NASCAR.”
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