| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Home station | BBC Home Service |
| Hosted by | James Fisher |
| Original release | 19 March 1951 – 17 March 1963 |
Birds In Britain was a BBC Radio series, broadcast from 1951 to 1963 on the Home Service, about wild birds. Its lead presenter was James Fisher. [1]
It was created as an offshoot from a programme called The Naturalist, in order to avoid overwhelming the content of the latter with ornithological material. [2]
The first episode was broadcast on 19 March 1951 and was presented by Fisher and produced by Desmond Hawkins, with guest speakers John Gibb ( Edward Grey Institute), Bruce Campbell ( British Trust for Ornithology), Hilda Quick ( Cornwall Birdwatching Society) and Ludwig Koch. [3]
Other presenters and guests included notable ornithologists, such as Arnold Boyd, [4] William Condry, [5] Eric Ennion, [6] Julian Huxley, [4] Tony Norris, [7] Peter Scott, [8] and Tony Soper. [9] Soper was also the producer of some episodes. [6]
The show was first broadcast quarterly, [8] and eventually monthly, alternating every fortnight with The Naturalist. [9] It ran until March 1963. [10]
A biographical note on Fisher, accompanying The National Archives' record for their collection of his papers, says the programme was "enormously popular in [its] day". [11] David Attenborough has said of The Naturalist and Birds of Britain: [12]
As a boy, I listened to those programmes, and I dare say my own passion was stoked by them.
References
- ^ "James Fisher". WildFilmHistory. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- ^ "Desmond Hawkins – Oral History Transcript" (PDF).
- ^ Birds in Britain, 19 March 1951 Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project
- ^ a b Birds in Britain, 8 December 1957 Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project
- ^ Birds in Britain, 10 September 1956 Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project
- ^ a b Birds in Britain, 7 October 1956 Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project
- ^ Birds in Britain, 10 February 1957 Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project
- ^ a b Birds in Britain, 13 September 1951 Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project
- ^ a b "Tony Soper: Oral History Transcription" (PDF). Wildscreen. Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- ^ Birds in Britain, 17 March 1963 Radio Times entry at the BBC Genome Project
- ^ "The Fisher Collection (1913-1993)". Retrieved 15 December 2018.
- ^ Attenborough, David. "Bristol and Wildlife TV - more than an accident of History". BBC.[ dead link] Alt URL Archived 15 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine