David Attenborough ‘astonishing – he’s 97, so sharp’: BBC’s Planet Earth III producers on working with the broadcasting legend, and filming animals in a changing world
- BBC natural history series Planet Earth III, filmed over 5 years in 43 countries, shows viewers vulnerable animals in their environment
- The series’ producers talk about working with 97-year-old natural history broadcasting legend Attenborough, and getting people to care about conservation
When it comes to mating rituals, Cabot’s tragopan is one horny devil.
A member of the pheasant family, the tragopan has some serious moves: during breeding season, the male will dance for a potential date, with his signature flourish the unfurling of a red, orange and blue lappet, like a bib, down his breast, accompanied by the startling erection of two blue horns on his head.
He and the ladies he tries to impress are found exclusively in the eastern Himalayas of China – and are one of the stars of landmark BBC natural history series Planet Earth III.
“Dancing birds are some of those stories our audiences really love,” says producer Sarah Whalley during a video call from Bristol, England. “We were looking for stories for the Forests episode, but the tragopan was thought to be really difficult to film – and there was the coronavirus pandemic.”
“In the end we did it all remotely with [Hong Kong-British] cameraman and cinematographer Jacky Poon, who carried all the equipment across the steep terrain of Sichuan province with just a couple of assistants. They persevered.”