Springwatch is back (2 Viewers)

[The sniper]

He is obviously not comfortable live on tv,and I personally don't see the problem with that

 

[James Thomas]

He is obviously not comfortable live on tv,and I personally don't see the problem with that

He was fine on the aftershow when asked questions, its just where he has lines.

 

[palval147]

I am enjoying the new series.:t: They seem to be having more varied items on it this time too. Makes it more interesting.
I think Charlie is boring. He was OK on his Halcyon River programme though.
The presenters seemed more grown up on Unsprung last night as well.:-O

 

[derek marsden]

yes i have been watching it all week.its been a great programme so far.i think john aitcheson is a great film maker i miss him.also bill oddie and simon king were great.the only trouble with bill was he kept butting in over kate.simon king was great as he always had the kids glued to the tellevision on the wild life.and kate has had a bad time on here as she try,s to make it simple the the children.also gordon i miss him on the programme also you can get rid of that stupid geek section i dont like it.i did like the pinemartins though great to see them close up aswell.

 

[The_Partridge]

4 million people seem to like it

that's 4 million potential contributors to the RSPB, county wildlife trusts etc

I suspect the production team have got a very good idea of just how to present this program to their target audience. As a trio, the presenters have a kind of group charisma that was never present when the over-prickly Oddie was on it. As a result it's feelgood TV and lots of people like feelgood TV

no idea why anyone would knock it. Don't like it, don't watch it...

Britain should be proud of it's army of 'amateur' wildlife enthusiasts. It's a phenomenon that makes me proud of my fellow Brits in a way that very little else can match. I'm pleased that these people have got what is tantamount to 'their own program'

 

[Stoggler]

On another aspect, I'm not usually a fan of the constant-having-a-go-at-Kate club, but I wish she wouldn't keep on saying "of course" before announcing the name of an animal - there's nothing obvious about what it is until you show us what it is and name it!

She's just done it again when announcing the Dipper. STOP SAYING "OF COURSE IT'S A [insert animal name]"!! It's not bloody obvious to everyone, you know!

 

[Stoggler]

Yes,and undoubtably is a word but I should of Spelt it undoubtedly,undoubtably means something completely different.I am naughty laugh out loud!!!

Don't you mean "should HAVE" rather that "should OF"...? :-O

Sorry, couldn't resist...! o

 

[bluechaffinch]

A big point that people are missing is that SW is partly live and Sir DA's programmes aren't, and that makes a huge difference to their style and content. So they aren't really comparable.

With SW there's bound to be a lot of chat and filling between presenters and 'here's a bit we recorded two minutes ago' type stuff as they get themselves organised for the next bit. What SW does well is manage to capture the enthusiam of the professional and amateur presenters/naturalists and present our own native wildlife as being pretty amazing (and it's refreshing not to have wildlife programmes always being about the exotic).

We can never all be happy with all the presenters on these programmes (I happen to like MH-G) and there's sometimes a sense of jealousy from some commenters (not on this thread, not yet anyway) that some people just have great jobs. So, I'm a big fan of both Sir DA and SW, but I won't be comparing them, because they both do very different things.

I'm not sure it's a matter of a direct comparison between Attenborough-type programming and SW - they are clearly aiming at different audiences and, as you say, one is live the other not. However, looking at the many positive posts here there is a common grumble: the presenting style. I wonder if any SW affiliates view this thread? Are you out there?

One significant issue with SW is that it has not really evolved at all in the 5 (?) years it's been on air. For regular watchers it's a bit like groundhog day - how many badgers or tit nests can we cope with for instance? Surely a large portion of the audience have been watching for more than one series - if so is it not time that the general 'feeling' of the programme moved on? Do we really still need to have the 'science bit' presented as a 'geek slot'? Are we not beyond that yet? I fully understand that showing marvellous footage of nests etc stimulates interest in an otherwise ignorant (in the nicest sense) audience, but the logical next step is then to introduce more complex concepts that, once understood, make that audience more able to speak with conviction about conserving our flora and fauna from a sound knowledge base rather than from a gut reaction that animals are nice. What worries me is that SW promotes a 'fluffy' attitude to wildlife, which never gets beyond a childish, skin-deep value based on cuteness. I cannot say that SW would have educated me to any satisfactory level if it had been on when I was a nipper. My interest was sparked by Mr Attenborough - of course a different type of beast but the least you can say is that it didn't treat the audience like children. I think a world with SW is better tha one without, it's just a shame that they don't grow up a bit.

 

[Stoggler]

Charlie Hamilton James is much better when filming and giving some commentary at the same time - that's more like it.

 

[mickbe74]

Yes,and undoubtably is a word but I should of Spelt it undoubtedly,undoubtably means something completely different.I am naughty laugh out loud!!!

What does it mean?Google doesn't know,does the Spelt warrant the capital s? Glass houses and stones.ralmao.Not really i'm not rolling around and my a is still attached.:t:

 

[The sniper]

Oh pipe down darling,the lol should of suggested it was very much tongue in cheek.Get into the 21st century sweetpea.

 

[The sniper]

Don't you mean "should HAVE" rather that "should OF"...? :-O

Sorry, couldn't resist...! o

You try typing on one of these poxy blackberrys!!!

 

[mickbe74]

Oh pipe down darling,the lol should of suggested it was very much tongue in cheek.Get into the 21st century sweetpea.

Apology accepted Treacle x

 

[pstraughan]

The pre-recorded and off-site items don't help with getting a feel for the area where this current series is based, though I've enjoyed the items about beavers and snakes. Show us more of what they keep calling the diverse habitat and explain what it means.

I agree with comments that SW needs to evolve. Nestcams are interesting but we need to know more about the birds, e.g. what they do for the rest of the year, such as Redstarts on migration or shots of Barn Owls hunting.

The thing that's irritating me more and more, and SW isn't the only culprit, is the constant reference to emails, viewers' picture and social networking sites. Agreed, it is good to encourage audience participation, which I think is called being inclusive, but this can be done on the SW website, Facebook etc. It seems like - we'll get they audience to supply the material because it's cheaper than us having to do it. Cut down on this and there will be time for more in-depth items. Or is this too much like hard work or too expensive?

I don't find features showing the inside of the technical truck fascinating, nor learning about the work of the story developers. Again, SW is not the only guilty party, but I want to watch the programme itself not items about how it is made and aren't we all so clever.

I am still watching, but not full engaged.

Pat

 

[The sniper]

Apology accepted Treacle x

Ta very much poppet

 

[The sniper]

Apology accepted Treacle x

Ta very much poppet.



Why isn't springwatch shown on a Friday,is this because of the mountains of trash they believe is necessary to be shown at weekends???

 

[bongofury]

She's just done it again when announcing the Dipper. STOP SAYING "OF COURSE IT'S A [insert animal name]"!! It's not bloody obvious to everyone, you know!

Another favourite line of hers is "Have a look at this..."

You can't beat Sky+ for SW, I'm sure it was invented specifically for it.

 

[Himalaya]

Is there more waffling and less wildlife this year? They have got a Common Sandpiper nest. That is something different.

They seem very chuffed at getting Redstarts even though they are not that difficult to film. I would love to see them try and film Wood Warbler.

 

[Monahawk]

Great to see grasshopper warbler on the programme. A real gem. Never seen nest scenes before of these fascinating but challenging birds. That was to me, the highlight of last nights show. Also good to see Iolo Williams. Top bloke, top birder.

Si.

 

[Euan Buchan]

Ive never even heard of Iolo Williams when they said who it was I was like Who?