Shocking scenes of walruses jammed together “out of desperation” on an ice-depleted beach, a consequence of climate change, have emerged as the defining image of Netflix’s high-profile natural history documentary, Our Planet.
Some 20 years in the making, Sally’s Wainwright’s new television drama, Gentleman Jack, was originally rejected by every broadcaster she took it to. The story of an openly gay woman who farmed in 19th-century rural Yorkshire was considered a non-starter by TV networks. Starting this month, the topic is getting eight hours of BBC One Sunday-night primetime.
It’s common for writers to describe their latest work as a “passion project” – often industry-accepted shorthand for what they hope is infectious enthusiasm for their new offering.
Based on the famous London heist which took place in April 2015, Hatton Garden follows Brian Reader (Kenneth Cranham) as he leads a gang of ageing thieves organising the theft of a lifetime.
When he’s not jetting across the world to tackle some of nature’s harshest conditions, the 44-year-old survival expert can be found with his family on a remote island off the coast of Wales, living a life you can only imagine is the real-life equivalent of The Wild Thornberrys (minus the talking animals).
He was able to correspond from a mountain in Switzerland in what could possibly be the most Bear Grylls-esque setting for an interview you could imagine.
Sex on Trial examines high-profile student sexual assault cases in the US and explores the impact they have had on the people making the accusations and the accused.
The first episode investigates the claims made by Nikki Yovino, who accused two fellow students of assaulting her at a university party.
The range of programmes features a children's series about food around the world, a series shining a light on remarkable people whose deaths were not reported on and a film adaptation of David W. Blight's novel Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom.
The commissions also include documentaries exploring America's disability rights movement, and the story of a Chinese billionaire who faces problems opening a factory in a post-industrial Ohio.
Exploring stories of immigration, choreographer and dancer Akram Khan takes a trip back in time to the curry houses from his childhood.
Khan meets with the Bangladeshi chefs who moved to the UK and created the curry house culinary institution, even in the face of racism.
Following a screening of the Our Planet episode Frozen Worlds, members of the crew, including series producer, Keith Scholey, producer Sophie Lanfear, camera operator Jamie McPherson and assistant producer Olly Scholey, spoke to Lynn Barlow about how the episode was made.
The panel shared their experiences working on the nature series and how it was created.
The sequence – a huge topic on social media - was described by award-winning natural history cinematographer Jamie McPherson as “the most powerful he’s ever shot.”
McPherson was discussing the series, which launched on the streaming service on April 5, at a joint RTS-Wildscreen screening of the Frozen Worlds episode, which featured the walruses.
“The sequence has become a symbol of climate change,” said Keith Scholey, series producer of the eight-part Our Planet, which is narrated by David Attenborough.
The six-part series will tell the story of the origins of football, and how the people behind the game’s beginnings overcame class divides to make it the world’s most popular sport.
Also starring in the series, which is currently shooting in the UK, are Line of Duty’s Craig Parkinson, James Harkness (The Victim), and Henry Lloyd-Hughes (Indian Summers).
