Sir David Attenborough fast-forwards footage to the end to make sure the animals are OK, colleagues have said.
The BBC presenter has himself said that he is “not an animal lover” and is simply fascinated by the natural world without being given over to “cloying” sentiment.
However, colleagues of the 96-year-old naturalist have said that he does check how things turn out for the creatures in his dramatic TV series.
Mike Gunton, executive producer of the Dynasties franchise, said: “He often spins to the end [of the programme before he narrates it] to find out what happens – he just wants to ensure that everything is OK, which I think is charmingly atypical of him.”
Audiences have been gripped by the tension in Sir David’s programmes, which have included footage of an iguana evading a valley full of snakes and the tragic efforts of a walrus to scale a cliff.
The latest instalment of Dynasties will focus on the struggles of macaques in the Atlas Mountains, where the monkey species faces the threat of being poached by humans for the pet trade.
Sir David faced a public protest from Animal Rebellion activist Emma Smart who claimed that the presenter could do more to highlight the “biodiversity crisis” and that “we don’t need another documentary series”.
The veteran presenter has sought to limit his public appearances and commitments, but Mr Gunton has said that it is impossible to stop him working.
He told the Radio Times: “As you know with David, you can’t keep a good man down. I was at his home a couple of weeks ago talking about this and that, and he’s still pretty keen.”
He added: “He actually phones up and asks, ‘When is the next one coming?'"
