Imitators of the Inerudite Manglers,
Springwatch with Bill Oddity is captivating. I hadn’t taken much notice of previous Springwatch or Autumnwatch series but I find this compulsive viewing. The quality of the action is amazing and the range of wildlife they have focussed on in week one is commendable. The kingfishers on the river are so striking, that blue plumage is just terrific. To be given access, or at least reminded of, to some of the rarer, yet less celebrated, species like corncrakes, hen harriers and shelducks is a privilege. Even the numerous starlings and sparrows are not taken for granted; such care should help to develop awareness and interest in our local e
nvironment. If I were a teacher, Springwatch is the kind of programme that I’d encourage the children to watch, it’s entertaining and informative, but informative in a way that one might be urged to discover more. Today, I saw a yellowhammer; I noted that it had been some time since I had last done so; I also observed some ringed plovers.
I worry about how intrusive the BBC is in the making of Springwatch. I worry about any disturbance they cause. Of course, the BBC are behaving properly and they’ll have taken every measure possible to limit destruction but it doesn’t stop me thinking about this and whether it’s right that we should be peeping into the lives of animals and making surveillance cameras part of their habitat. Obviously, this is the downside we must bear for such wonderful footage.
Over on Channel 4, there is no upside to filming the lives of animals. I saw a few minutes of Big Brendan after Springwatch had finished on Wednesday. It was the interview montage of some girl who was going into the house. She was some middle class drama stewdent who claimed to be a rock’n’roller. She said something like, “there’s a new movement taking over Britiain, and it’s indie.” This annoyed me, it’s people like her who are ruining indie for the rest of us. Indie exists but too many things are labelled so when they aren’t at all. The debate over what it is would be long and hard. The mass produced image currently available on the High Street also ruins it. If we’re not in the band, is there any point? One thing is certain – we can’t all be indie.
nvironment. If I were a teacher, Springwatch is the kind of programme that I’d encourage the children to watch, it’s entertaining and informative, but informative in a way that one might be urged to discover more. Today, I saw a yellowhammer; I noted that it had been some time since I had last done so; I also observed some ringed plovers.I worry about how intrusive the BBC is in the making of Springwatch. I worry about any disturbance they cause. Of course, the BBC are behaving properly and they’ll have taken every measure possible to limit destruction but it doesn’t stop me thinking about this and whether it’s right that we should be peeping into the lives of animals and making surveillance cameras part of their habitat. Obviously, this is the downside we must bear for such wonderful footage.
Over on Channel 4, there is no upside to filming the lives of animals. I saw a few minutes of Big Brendan after Springwatch had finished on Wednesday. It was the interview montage of some girl who was going into the house. She was some middle class drama stewdent who claimed to be a rock’n’roller. She said something like, “there’s a new movement taking over Britiain, and it’s indie.” This annoyed me, it’s people like her who are ruining indie for the rest of us. Indie exists but too many things are labelled so when they aren’t at all. The debate over what it is would be long and hard. The mass produced image currently available on the High Street also ruins it. If we’re not in the band, is there any point? One thing is certain – we can’t all be indie.
posted by Leif at 7:18 PM
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