Attenborough to front UKTV Doc special

[BGonaSTICK]

UKTV Documentary has commissioned a one-off documentary with Sir David Attenborough to highlight the effects of global warming on animals and their habitats.

Ordered by UKTV Documentary and UKTV History channel head, Adrian Wills, and acting head of commissioning, Diana Howie, the 46-minute special Attenborough Explores… Our Fragile World will be produced by BBC Wildvision.

Sir David Attenborough said: "We are heading for a great worsening of the conditions of this planet for life of all kinds and I have no doubt whatsoever of the cause, which is the by-products of humanity's activities, and therefore we should be curbing them."

The show will premiere at 8pm on Sunday September 2 as part of a 13-week environmental season on UKTV Documentary. Sir David will also be taking part in a live web chat at 9pm on the same day via the channel's website, www.uktvdocumentary.co.uk.

Wills said: "Using the UK as his platform, we’ve asked Sir David to take a look at the effect of global warming on animals and their habitats, from both a local and global perspective, to galvanise our viewers into doing something about it themselves."

The programme is being filmed on location across Britain, starting with the Cairngorms, one of the last remaining wildernesses in the UK. The show is produced and directed by BBC Wildvision’s Stephen Dunleavy, with Wendy Darke and UKTV’s commissioning executive Andy Whitman as executive producers.

BBC Wildvision’s Wendy Darke commented: "One of the highlights was filming Sir David with badgers for the very first time. This story is a poignant reminder of how the way we lead our lives today can have devastating consequences on some of our wildlife."

As part of the season, a series of 26 short films have also been commissioned to appear on the UKTV Documentary website. Created by Spun Gold TV, they range from 30 seconds to two minutes, and see ‘green’ celebrities such as singer-songwriter Sophie Ellis Bexter, gardener Matt James, ex-England rugby international Matt Dawson and explorer Benedict Allen sharing environmental tips.

Other landmark series such as Trials of Life, The Life of Mammals and The Life of Birds make us the season, with the channel's website updated to include a brand new dedicated ‘green’ section that will make up a third of its total editorial output.