Sir David Attenborough's latest series is under scrutiny as the sixth secret episode has been allegedly axed from TV broadcasting. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to investigate why this is controversial and whether the public should be concerned.
BBC released the first episode of the most anticipated documentary last Sunday evening, the Twelfth of March. The much-anticipated documentary is due to celebrate British wildlife and will be released every Sunday at 19:00 (GMT).
The creators of the Wild Isles series are the same as the critically acclaimed Planet series, which includes Blue Planet, Our Planet, and Green Planet. All the series have focused on the wonders of the natural world, with more recent episodes suggesting a form of anti-industrialist rhetoric. This comes amid increased concern for issues around climate change which the series have paralleled. Attenborough stated that climate change is our “greatest threat” (Buys, 2022) and perhaps the most recent series follows an even more conservative approach to climate change.
The BBC has been put under review due to the supposed removal of the last episode. The organization has denied that the sixth episode would ever be broadcasted. This comes with claims that the themes of the destruction of nature could cause a backlash with the current right-wing government, a member of the BBC stated. It will instead only be streamed on the player and not broadcasted like the rest of the episodes (ibid).
This is just the latest time that the BBC has been criticized for its stance on climate issues. Previously, they have published some controversial news regarding climate change; for example, when Andre Neil chaired a debate on climate change and suggested that the earth had not been warming for the past fifteen years. Therefore, perhaps this is just another way that the BBC has reported questionably.
To conclude, the BBC is the most significant news organization in the UK, and therefore if it reports on issues as poignant as climate change incorrectly. There are going to be vast implications for society in general. Moreover, individuals will be influenced by news from organisations such as the BBC and as Attenborough says “we have overrun earth” (Hoare, 2023). This suggests that actions must be taken in order to tackle this and hold the establishments in power to account for actions such as this.
Edited by: Kyenila Taylor
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