The BBC’s new natural history programme will ignore the animal kingdom’s violent side and instead highlight nature’s calming elements, as part of an effort to boost mental health during the coronavirus crisis.
Rather than focusing on the dramatic footage of life-or-death battles that has defined shows such as Planet Earth, the new series will feature footage of more tranquil animal behaviour – such as whales circling each other and elephants swimming for minutes on end.
Each episode of the BBC Four series – entitled Mindful Escapes: Breathe, Release, Restore – will also be accompanied by a soothing voiceover by a former Buddhist monk.
BBC Studios’ Alice Keens-Soper said the idea for the show was born out of lockdown and a desire to highlight the mental health benefits of nature programmes.
“It’s not just being in nature that’s good for you – watching nature is good for you,” she said. “Images of the natural world, animal behaviour, being able be immersed in the footage is being proven to be very good for you.
“We’ve been wanting to use the natural history unit’s archive to highlight the fact it’s good for you – and not just enjoyable – to watch nature. Now lockdown has happened and we’ve got the perfect opportunity to profile the connection.”
Rather than having the familiar voice of Sir David Attenborough describing the world’s ecosystems, viewers will hear Andy Puddicombe, a former monk who founded the mindfulness app Headspace.
His commentary does not describe animals or their behaviour but instead encourages viewers to consider their breathing and imagine a “deeper feeling of peace”. Viewers are encouraged to consider the “pulsing rhythm of life” under the ocean as they watch the calming footage.
The programme was created after Headspace approached the BBC’s natural history unit about using their footage in their app, prompting the collaboration.
Some of the material will be familiar to fans of previous BBC natural history programmes, but much comes from the thousands of hours of footage that is filmed for each show but not broadcast. This has the added benefit of making it easier for the BBC to make a new show at a time when the pandemic has shut down much television production.
Keens-Soper said the show would appeal to people who wanted to watch extended shots of polar bear cubs playing with each other: “You lose yourself in the images, you lose yourself in what’s being said – we play the sequences for minutes on end.”
