Page 50 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #12
P. 50
THE OCTONAUTS
Q&A
Ferne
Corrigan
The CBeebies presenter on
the eternal appeal of wildlife
TV for younger viewers.
How have wildlife
programmes for
children changed?
I think children are so clued up
now, compared to when I was
Tweak and the crew growing up. With the ease of Ferne Corrigan
help a sea turtle to studied zoology
escape a hungry access to information through before becoming a
tiger shark. technology, they literally have TV presenter. Below:
Steve Irwin gets up
a world of information at their
close to a crocodile.
fingertips. So many of the
Tiger sharks are the stories we can tell them they
already know through the internet. but, by handling these animals,
‘waste baskets’ of It needs to be surprising and novel, you got to see that not everything
so I think our programmes are was scary and ‘out to get you’.
the ocean, so that becoming a bit more structured.
What are the challenges
became a story. What wildlife programmes when it comes to making
did you watch as a child? programmes for children?
I always watched mainstream shows Children are the perfect audience
it relates back to my experience, teaching and was never really focussed on for wildlife programmes – we just
my own son how to swim by pretending children’s TV, per se. The wildlife need to go about it in the right way.
to be sperm whales that have to dive shows I watched were the typical Subtle educational values
deep to get their food. ones, starring big names like David throughout, without it being too ‘in
Once children get into an idea, it can take Attenborough and basically their faces’ that they are learning.
over. “My daughter immediately wanted to anything he was involved in.
have an episode, too,” says Adam. “So she Young people can watch and What do you think appeals
would pitch me ideas every day! She would love natural history without it to children when it comes
go: ‘Hey, have you done a fiddler crab?’ And necessarily being tailored to them. to wildlife programmes?
I’d say, ‘yeah, we’ve done that,’ which was I think they appeal because the world
kind of hard. But eventually she said: ‘Have Who inspired you? we live in is, and always will be,‘on
you done a tiger shark?’ and I replied, ‘well, When I was young, a big name for trend’. We are on it and experience it
no, we haven’t’. And it turned out tiger me was Steve Irwin. He was just every day – we can’t get away from
sharks are called the ‘waste baskets’ of the so enthusiastic and exciting to it. Nature shows will always have
ocean, so that became a story.” watch. I was enamoured with his that kind of level of accessibility –
As Adam returns to an episode he’s experiences with exotic animals – all this tiger lives in the same world as
working on, where the Octonauts journey those adventures to be had! But he you, that elephant has a family like
up the Yangtze River in China, I tell my also inspired an appreciation for you. I believe that all children have
son about how Adam’s children sometimes some of the less-loved animals. His a very natural curiosity about their
help him write the episodes. Immediately, passion for animals was so infectious. environments. They want to know
he wants to find some sea creatures they I know there are some views about more about the things they see
haven’t already covered and make up his him being too hands-on with them, every day, and that is what we try
own episode. He’s completely hooked. to bring to the table,
in an accessible way.
PAUL MCGUINNESS is an
Octonauts-obsessed dad and editor Ferne Corrigan presents
of History Revealed magazine. wildlife and children’s TV
programmes, including
FIND OUT MORE Watch Octonauts on Ferne and Rory’s Vet
CBeebies or BBC iPlayer. Find out more at Tales and the BAFTA
bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/octonauts nominated My Pet and
O Octonauts Magazine, like BBC Wildlife Me on CBeebies. Steve Irwin: Alamy
Magazine, is published by Immediate Media.
50 BBC Wildlife December 2018
