As night fell, the lush lawns at the British embassy in Onaiza grew increasingly animated with all sorts of fascinating inhabitants of the remotest islands of the world paying a visit. Pygmy Three-Toed Sloths from Escudo Island, Panama; Komodo Dragons from Komodo and Rinca Islands, Indonesia; Marine Iguanas from Fernandina, Galapagos; and Chinstrap Penguins, all 1.5 million of them, from Zavodovski Island, not only drew us into their erratic world of beauty and danger, but also seemed to jump out of the massive screen every now and then, thanks to ultra-HD filming and stellar camerawork.
When Ajay Sharma, British ambassador to Qatar, briefly introduced the series before the exclusive screening of its first episode titled Islands, it was clear that BBC Earth’s Planet Earth II was a watershed moment in the evolution of wildlife documentaries.
“When Planet Earth came out a decade ago, it transformed how viewers saw their planet. The first natural history series to be filmed in high definition, it captivated a global audience of over half a billion people by giving them an unprecedented view of life on Planet Earth,” say Executive Producer Mike Gunton and Series Producer Tom Hugh-Jones. “Now 10 years on, we’re revisiting this rich subject but with a new perspective. More than just observe, we want to immerse audiences in the most spectacular landscapes and habitats on Earth and bring them eye to eye with the animals who live there.”
Over three years in the making, in 40 different countries on 117 filming trips and a total of 2089 shooting days, the producers swear to have tested the limits of their intrepid crews. “They’ve travelled to some of the world’s most inaccessible places to bring our audience a new perspective on Planet Earth. Finished in stunning ultra-high definition, narrated by the inimitable Sir David Attenborough and set to a beautiful score from Hans Zimmer and his team, Planet Earth II promises to be a jaw-dropping landmark event that we hope will thrill and inspire new audiences the world over.”
To unveil the new series to a select number of dignitaries at the British embassy, Natasha Hussain, Vice President and General Manager for the Middle East and Mediterranean at BBC Worldwide, was down in Doha. Community caught up with Hussain, who is responsible for setting strategic direction and activity for all commercial businesses within the region, to know more about what BBC Worldwide has in store.
As the VP and GM of Middle East and Mediterranean Region at BBC Worldwide, what are your goals and priorities?
We are continuing to deliver strong growth in the region against our key strategic pillars: premium content, global brands and an increased focus on digital in Mena. BBC Worldwide supports investment in wider UK creative industries and has delivered a greater focus on deepening long term partnerships with high quality UK production companies. This means we have an unrivalled content pipeline where we remain in control of our Intellectual Property. As well as working closely with BBC Studios and our own production companies, we also work with over 250 UK independent production companies, showcasing their content across the globe as well as holding equity stakes in a number of indies such as Greenbird Media and LookOut Point.
Tell us more about what lies ahead in the coming months for the viewers.
The spectacular landmark series Planet Earth II has started airing on BBC One in the UK reaching record audiences. Some 12.3m viewers saw the first episode in the UK and it became the most watched natural history series for 15 years. Four years in production, 2089 shooting days and 117 filming trips in 40 different countries — it is part of the inspirational BBC Earth brand, and I am looking forward to bringing this series to audiences in the Middle East as part of the wider brand. I’m excited about all that lies ahead for the rest of the year. With unparalleled content including SS-GB, the Doctor Who Christmas special and the return of Sherlock, simulcast on BBC First on OSN, it is a very exciting time. The CBeebies pre-school channel launched in April on beIN and we are hugely proud to bring this trusted and much loved brand to audiences across Mena for the first time.
Speaking of Planet Earth II, the video clip from the series, of a baby iguana escaping an island full of snakes, has gone hugely viral. How do you plan to leverage the immense potential of TV series like Planet Earth II?
The sequence featuring the snakes from Planet Earth II was a huge success on social media with over 5,000 tweets sent in the space of two minutes during that dramatic chase. #PlanetEarth2 was a worldwide trending topic for five hours. The fact that BBC Studios’ Planet Earth II became the most watched live natural history show for 15 years is all the more impressive, in a time of catch up. Clearly, outstanding content is the perfect example of how to stand out in a crowded market place where the viewer has a dizzying array of choice. There is significant appetite in Mena for BBC Earth branded content where we are renowned for our pioneering spirit, leadership in innovation in both storytelling and technology.
What are the challenges in strategising, say the sales of TV programming and production?
The breadth of our content and our investment levels enable our content to play successfully on all platforms. Production is key to our strategy; international award-winning show Dancing With the Stars is currently airing in an Arabic version across Mena on MTV in Lebanon. Global hits such as The Great British Bake Off series finale ending on over 15 million viewers in the UK, translate brilliantly in global markets as local formats.
How would you describe the trend that the TV industry is going through in terms of meeting the demand of a mobile entertainment/infotainment-driven audience, and how do you see BBC Worldwide playing a role in it?
Audiences seek out the strongest content — the reaction to key brands such as Bake Off and Planet Earth II via social media constantly brings new audiences to our content. These audiences actively interact with these shows and respond to them across numerous platforms. We have a digital partnership with Amazon in UK for LookOut Point and Artis Pictures Production’s The Collection, which is airing on BBC First. The launch of BBC Store in the UK and the recent launch of BBC iPlayer in Asia show how we successfully balance traditional partnerships with digital ones. Our investment in the very strongest content enables us to deliver in all these areas.
MISSION: u201cWe are continuing to deliver strong growth in the region against our key strategic pillars: premium content, global brands and an increased focus on digital in Mena,u201d says Natasha Hussain. Right: DARING: A still from Planet Earth II. The idea of being in the middle of a swarm of a billion flying locusts might bring most people out in a cold sweat, but not cameraman Rob Drewett. Using a helicopter, he and the team were able to put themselves in the flight path of this super-swarm in south west Madagascar. Rob was then able to use the latest in hand-held, gyro-stabilised camera technology to get shots that flew alongside the locusts, as if part of the swarm.
