BBC Wildlife Documentaries in the Age of Attenborough

Jean-Baptiste Gouyon is Associate Professor in Science Communication at UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies, UK, and Research Associate of the Science Museum, in London, UK. A historian of science in visual media, his research is on science in films, on television, and in museums. He is a member of the editorial board of the journal Public Understanding of Science, where he edits the rubric “historical moments in public understanding of science”.

• 1. Introduction.- 2. Live from Alexandra Palace, wildlife comes to television.- 3. David Attenborough: the early years. Fashioning zoological expertise on screen.- 4. Wildlife television, empathy and the end of the British Empire.- 5. Wildlife television and progressivism in 1960s Britain. Rise of the professional broadcaster and downfall of the amateur naturalist filmmaker.- 6. Showcasing science, showcasing nature on BBC2.- 7. From Oxford to Bristol and back. the invention of scientific wildlife television.- 8. Oxford Scientific Films. From fieldcraft to filmcraft.- 9. Life on Earth and beyond. Producing the wildlife blockbuster.- 10. Afterword.

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