[wildlife-warrior]

New to the boards, so hi everyone!!!

I've been wondering for months why they havent brought such a good series back, and after listening to Jonathan Scott's podcast it seems the BBC don't think it will draw in a substantial audience and the program needs updating. I wouldn't agree with this at all, the situations the cats got into were pure entertainment themselves like Toto and the baboons. Im a big fan of Jonathan and Simon King and I loved Big Bear Diary too. Your thoughts?

[Hawk_Eye]

Firstly welcome to the forum.

Secondly the Beeb seem to has lost interest in such series preferring 3 episode ones such as Yellowstone, Madagascar and the current Ocean Giants and putting many other science programmes on BBC4. They also seem to have a lot more quiz/game/contestant shows on many of which are rather boring. While the BBC still maintains a high quality in the natural history programmes they produce, they seem too interested in competing with ITV and Channel 4 with "entertainment" shows. Given that there has been a call for better scientific education in this country the BBC should be leading the media with programmes rather than putting many on the backwater channel BBC4.

While the BBC seems to have put science on a back burner on TV they still produce some of the best science based magazines available specifically BBC Wildlife and BBC Focus.

[cabbage]

Hi and welcome to the forum

I must admit I was getting bored with the big cat diary series, I dislike the idea of attaching human made stories and drama to animal's lives and I only really watched a few episodes. I'm actually a bit bored of series focussed on the African big cats in general - despite me counting these cats as amongst my favourite species! What, me fickle? Never!

Having said that though I wouldn't argue that there isn't a place for this kind of stuff and I'm actually surprised they've stopped making it. Much as I dislike the drama elements they're a hell of a lot more interesting than anything that's ever happened in Eastenders or River City!

There's just far too little wildlife/ecology type programmes on tv in general IMO. As far as I can tell the BBC seem to be among the best in the world in producing them, while their drama and entertainment programming is a bit second rate so I wouldn't mind a bit more of my licence fee being diverted to reinforce this success.

Firstly welcome to the forum.

Secondly the Beeb seem to has lost interest in such series preferring 3 episode ones such as Yellowstone, Madagascar and the current Ocean Giants and putting many other science programmes on BBC4. They also seem to have a lot more quiz/game/contestant shows on many of which are rather boring. While the BBC still maintains a high quality in the natural history programmes they produce, they seem too interested in competing with ITV and Channel 4 with "entertainment" shows. Given that there has been a call for better scientific education in this country the BBC should be leading the media with programmes rather than putting many on the backwater channel BBC4.

While the BBC seems to have put science on a back burner on TV they still produce some of the best science based magazines available specifically BBC Wildlife and BBC Focus.

I think the BBC are concentrating on the short 3 episode series because they're much more commercial for selling abroad. They can be easily cut down into standalone documentaries for foreign markets (The Americans for example showed 'Yellowstone' as a 2hr single episode documentary) Other countries who don't have a lot of money to spare for natural history stuff may be more likely to buy a shorter, cheaper run than a big long series. Plus I'd assume it makes it easier to find production partners - a lot of the recent BBC stuff has been co-produced with Discovery. I think thats also why most shows are now 45 minutes long with a 'making of' bit stuck on the end to make up the hour. It allows channels who show adverts to make a full hours programme out of them without having to edit.

[scrappycat11]

I am a new member too-I joined because I got tired of stumbling around on the web trying to get a straight answer to my simple query: Has Big Cat Diary been canceled or not? I have been a BCD fan for a long time; when I heard that the show was canceled I was stunned. I have always admired the BBC for having the sort of programing integrity that seems to be absent here in the States. Big Cat Diary is shown at 4:00am here in California, and if I'm not up at that hour I record the episodes-ALL of them. Anyone who believes that Jonathan Scott or Simon King crossed some line by getting too close to the big cats (Cheetas on the cars, etc.) have apparently not seen any of the embarrasing American nature programes that have popped up on tv recently. I started to watch one episode about lions in Africa that was filmed by an American company, starring a crew of Americans who followed a pride of lions who were hunting at night. I was mortified by the unprofessional behavior of the crew. They rode in cars, headlights blazing, shining flashlights in the eyes of every animal in their path, and yelling at each other about which way the pride was going. I had to change the channel-I couldn't stand to watch those morons embarrass themselves or their entire nation any longer. I don't know what the name of the show was and it really doesn't matter. Americans are making all sorts of moronic "Nature" shows: one such show is "I Shouldn't Be Alive" (you're right, you shouldn't. I wish the shark had won that fight.). I really hope that that the BBC will reconsider the path that it seem to be taking, trying to make nature shows that are longer, but with fewer episodes, etc. We "Ugly Americans" have a saying: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

[Hawk_Eye]

Hi scrappycat.

You know I've never heard of anyone complaining about Simon and Jonathon in Big Cat Diary. You can see when watching one of the programmes that while they do get close they remain respectful of the animals. Besides the animals in question never seemed to have a problem with and with some of the cheetah's they used the cars to their advantage. What helped in regard to the filming of BCD was that Simon and Jonathon, and late Saba Douglas-Hamilton, had all spent lots of time in that area - both Jonathon and Saba live in Kenya I believe. Plus if the animals didn't like what was going on they'd disappear into the bush.

One of the key aspects of BBC nature documentaries is that, for the most part, the way they film is to find a spot, sit and observe. Of course there have been many times when BBC film crews have had to follow hunts and migrating animals but they still remain respectful of the animals.

I think that "I Shouldn't Be Alive" has been shown over here on Discovery or one of the similar channels. Never watched it though.

[girl_with_cheetah_tattoo]

I am deeply saddened that Big Cat Diary has been cancelled. Of all the shows out there (whether about wild cats, whales, horses, yellowstone.... whatever) Big Cat diary was definitly my favorite. And I have watchd tons and tons of those types of shows... Pretty much anythng to do with animals. Nothing intrigued me more than following Simon King and Jonathon Scott, and Saba Hamilton. They perfectly narrated the lives of three of the most spectacular animals on earth. Watching them was as if each viewer was on the safari with them. (Tha't's how I felt anyway.) What they managed to do, along with the dozens of other people who helped them, is portray what a day in the life of these animals is truly like. You don't get that from one, drawn out series that follows a multitude of different animals. They specifically would choose each individual and follow them, respectfully. What they do, see, eat... how they hunt, raise their young, live and function in their society, and the life and death struggles that they face everyday. Not only was it entertaining and very informative, but also it gave those cats a voice that they too, like us, live day to day, just trying to make it in this harsh, unforgiving, and sometimes down right unfair world. No better a place to show this in its raw form than in Africa where the drama of life and death happens right before our eyes. I liked what Jonathon Scott said in one of the episodes, "They are each individuals, not just 'a lion' or 'a cheetah', or 'a leapord'" That is what really set apart this series from others. I felt as if I was a part of it too, in the truck with them, following and falling for the stars of the show. Pulling for that single cheetah mom to catch that baby impala for her 3 little cubs.... gut wrenching moments of suspense as a couple of new male lions move in on another male lion and his pride, watching two leapord cubs play with their mum wondering if both will make it to adulthood.....
My heart is sad that we won't be seeing any more updates on the families of animals from that show. But as I've earned from that show, the cycle of life always continues, whether its caught on a camera or not. Hope they come back someday. It may be the only chance I and many others ever have of going on a safari I hope I am not the only one who feels this way, and if anyone who worked on or with that show reads this, I hope what I am saying makes a difference. Please continue fighting for Big Cat Diary