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Neil Nightingale (born 6 February 1960NIGHTINGALE, Neil
''Who's Who 2015'', A & C Black, 2015; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014) is a freelance wildlife filmmaker, executive producer and creative consultant with over 35 years experience at the BBC. From 2009 to 2018 he was the creative director of
BBC Earth BBC Earth is a brand used by BBC Studios since 2009 to market and distribute the BBC's natural history content to countries other than the United Kingdom. BBC Studios is the commercial arm of the public service broadcaster. BBC Earth commercia ...
,
BBC Worldwide BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetises BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...
's global brand for all BBC nature and science content. In this role Nightingale led the development and production of new forms of commercial content including feature films, 4D experiences, live events, interactive visitor attractions Giant Screen films, and Digital Projects. He is the co-director of two 3D feature films, Walking with Dinosaurs 3D (2013) and Enchanted Kingdom 3D (2014), as well as executive producer of BBC Earth's slate of theatrical and 3D giant screen films, including Tiny Giants (2014

Wild Africa (2015), Earthflight (2016

Incredible Predators (2016), Earth-One Amazing Day (2017) and producer of Oceans: Our Blue Planet (2018).


Early career

Nightingale attended
Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...
and graduated with a first class degree in Zoology. After working as a freelance science journalist for ''
New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publishe ...
'', he joined the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in 1983 as a researcher and assistant producer in a variety of television genres, including current affairs, regional programmes, science and education. His first natural history production credits were for a number of programmes in the ''
Wildlife on One ''Wildlife on One'' was, for nearly three decades, the BBC's flagship natural history programme. First broadcast in 1977, each edition ran for half an hour. The narrator was Sir David Attenborough. When repeated on BBC2 BBC Two is a Bri ...
'' series. He later moved on to the challenges of engaging audiences with series on fossils and plants as the producer of Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives and
The Private Life of Plants ''The Private Life of Plants'' is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first shown in the United Kingdom from 11 January 1995. A study of the growth, movement, reproduction and survival of plants, it was ...
, both of which were collaborations with veteran broadcaster
David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...
. In 1995, Nightingale took on the role of Series Editor for '' The Natural World'',
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
's long-running flagship natural history series. Under his editorship, ''The Natural Worlds programmes won awards at every major international wildlife film festival as well as the
Royal Television Society The Royal Television Society (RTS) is a British-based educational charity for the discussion, and analysis of television in all its forms, past, present, and future. It is the oldest television society in the world. It currently has fourteen r ...
award for Best Documentary Strand. He went on to produce five episodes of
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
's Wildlife Specials as executive producer. He was also executive producer of several series in the Continents strand for BBC Two, including ''
Wild Africa Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to: Common meanings * Wild animal * Wilderness, a wild natural environment * Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed Art, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Wild'' (2014 film), a 2014 A ...
'' and '' Wild Down Under''. In 2003, Nightingale went on to become Head of the Natural History Unit, the largest wildlife film-making production unit in the world,. He led the Unit for 6 years; from February 2003 until June 2009.


Recent career

Under his leadership the Unit developed its reputation for innovative and ambitious natural history broadcasting. He oversaw well-received television series including ''
Planet Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surface ...
'' (2006), ''
Springwatch ''Springwatch'', ''Autumnwatch'' and ''Winterwatch'', sometimes known collectively as ''The Watches'', are annual BBC television series which chart the fortunes of British wildlife during the changing of the seasons in the United Kingdom. The p ...
'' (2005), ''
Wild China ''Wild China'' is a six-part nature documentary series on the natural history of China, co-produced by the BBC Natural History Unit and China Central Television (CCTV) and filmed in high-definition (HD). It was screened in the UK on BBC Two ...
'' (2008) and ''
Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
'' (2009), as well as the Unit's largest-ever radio production, ''World on the Move'' (2008), which followed migrating animals live, and Breathing Places, an ambitious multimedia campaign which successfully encouraged thousands of people to undertake hands-on activities with nature. He also moved the Unit into the field of feature films with ''
Deep Blue Deep Blue may refer to: Film * ''Deep Blues: A Musical Pilgrimage to the Crossroads'', a 1992 documentary film about Mississippi Delta blues music * Deep Blue (2001 film), ''Deep Blue'' (2001 film), a film by Dwight H. Little * Deep Blue (2003 ...
'' (2003) and ''
Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
'' (2007), both spin-offs from successful television series. Earth is the most successful documentary feature film produced in Britain ever. In January 2009 the BBC announced that Nightingale was to stand down after six years as Head of the Unit to return to programme making. He was succeeded in the role by Andrew Jackson. Nightingale was a co-founder and vice chairman of the BBC Wildlife Fund, a
conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...
charity established in 2007. Its appeals raised over £3 million for
endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
conservation, and it has funded almost 90 projects in the UK and around the world. From 2002 until 2009, Nightingale was a trustee of
Wildscreen Wildscreen is a wildlife conservation charity based in Bristol, England. The charity was founded in December 1987 from a trust which had operated since 1982, with the initial aim of encouraging and applauding excellence in the production of na ...
, a charity which organises the biennial wildlife film festival of the same name in
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
. Its
ARKive ARKive was a global initiative with the mission of "promoting the conservation of the world's threatened species, through the power of wildlife imagery", which it did by locating and gathering films, photographs and audio recordings of the worl ...
project aims to create an online database of all the world's threatened species.


Defending criticism

As Head of the Natural History Unit, Nightingale faced down criticism over the issues of viewer deception and value for money for licence fee payers. In 2007, because of a lower than expected licence fee settlement, the BBC announced major cutbacks across its factual production departments, including budget and staff cuts at the Natural History Unit. The cutbacks were highly disapproved of by veteran broadcaster and natural history enthusiast
David Attenborough Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...
, a long-time collaborator with the NHU. The following year, Nightingale defended the Unit against accusations of profligacy with regard to the production costs of the '' Big Cat Live'' series. According to newspaper reports, a production team of 94 people was based in a luxury hotel in
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
during three weeks of filming. Film techniques used by the Natural History Unit came under close scrutiny in 2008 following a number of scandals in which other programme-making departments in the BBC were revealed to have 'deceived' viewers. Examples of the use of tame animals (a
red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...
in '' The Nature of Britain'') and studio sets (deep sea life in ''
The Blue Planet ''The Blue Planet'' is a British nature documentary series created and produced by the BBC. It premiered on 12 September 2001 in the United Kingdom. It is narrated by David Attenborough. Described as "the first ever comprehensive series on t ...
'') to simulate footage from the wild were brought to light. Nightingale rebutted accusations of misleading viewers, arguing that it is almost impossible to film certain sequences in the wild and that the Unit is open about its methods.


Television and film credits

* "Oceans - Our Blue Planet 3D" - producer * "Earth - One Amazing Day" Feature Film (2017) - executive producer * "Incredible Predators 3D" (2016) - executive producer * "Earthflight 3D" (2016) - executive producer * "Wild Africa 3D" (2015) - director and producer * "Prehistoric Planet 3D" - director * "Tiny Giants 3D" - executive producer * ''Enchanted Kingdom 3D'' Feature Film (2014) - director and producer * ''
Walking with Dinosaurs 3D ''Walking with Dinosaurs'' is a 2013 family film about dinosaurs set in the Late Cretaceous period, years ago. The production features computer-animated dinosaurs in live-action settings with actors Justin Long, John Leguizamo, Tiya Sircar, and ...
'' (2013) - director * ''Great Barrier Reef'' (2012) - executive producer * '' One Life'' Feature Film (2011) - executive producer * '' Unnatural Histories'' (2011) - executive producer * '' Birds Britannia'' (2010) - executive producer * '' The Meerkats'' Feature Film (2008) – executive producer * '' Wild Down Under'' (2003) – executive producer * ''
Wild New World ''Wild New World'' (also known as ''Prehistoric America'') is a six-part BBC documentary series about Ice Age America that describes the prehistory, landscape and wildlife of the continent from the arrival of humans to the welcome of the Ice Age. ...
'' (2002) – executive producer : Episode "Land of the Mammoth" (2002) * ''
Wild Africa Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to: Common meanings * Wild animal * Wilderness, a wild natural environment * Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed Art, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Wild'' (2014 film), a 2014 A ...
'' (2001) – executive producer : Episode "Lakes and Rivers" (2001) : Episode "Jungle" (2001) : Episode "Coasts" (2001) : Episode "Deserts" (2001) : Episode "Mountains" (2001) * '' Congo'' (2001) – executive producer * ''Wild Battlefields'' (2002–2003) – executive producer * ''
BBC Wildlife Specials The ''BBC Wildlife Specials'' are a series of nature documentary programmes commissioned by BBC Television. The series premiered in 1995, and 22 specials have been produced to date, with most of the more recent ones consisting of multiple episo ...
'' – executive producer : Episode "Elephants: Spy in the Herd" (2003) : Episode "Gorilla: On the Trail of King Kong" (2002) : Episode "Grizzly: Face to Face" (2001) : Episode "Lions: Spy in the Den" (2000) : Episode "Tiger" (1999) * ''Dive to Shark City'' (1999) – executive producer * ''A Winter's Tale'' (1998) - executive producer * ''
Natural World ''Natural World'' is a strand of British wildlife documentary programmes broadcast on BBC Two and BBC Two HD and regarded by the BBC as its flagship natural history series. It is the longest-running documentary in its genre on British televis ...
'' – series editor (1996–2001) * ''Restless Year'' (1996) - producer * ''
The Private Life of Plants ''The Private Life of Plants'' is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first shown in the United Kingdom from 11 January 1995. A study of the growth, movement, reproduction and survival of plants, it was ...
'' (1995) – producer : Episode "Surviving" (1995) : Episode "Living Together" (1995) : Episode "Flowering" (1995) : Episode "The Social Struggle" (1995) : Episode "Growing" (1995) : Episode "Travelling" (1995) * ''Nature Special, City Trees: Under the Axe?'' (1995) - producer * ''New Guinea: An Island Apart'' (1992) - producer : Episode "Other Worlds" (1992) : Episode "Beyond the Unknown Shore" (1992) * ''Portrait of a Planet'' (1990) – producer * '' Lost Worlds, Vanished Lives'' (1989) - producer * ''
Wildlife on One ''Wildlife on One'' was, for nearly three decades, the BBC's flagship natural history programme. First broadcast in 1977, each edition ran for half an hour. The narrator was Sir David Attenborough. When repeated on BBC2 BBC Two is a Bri ...
'' – producer : Episode "Lost Lakes of the Pacific" (1996) : Episode "Babies Beware" (1992) : Episode "Parrot Fashion" (1989) : Episode "The Tale of the Pregnant Male" (1988)


References


External links


BFI TV & Film Database - Neil Nightingale Filmography
*
Interview with Neil Nightingale from BBC Training & Development
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nightingale, Neil 1960 births Living people BBC people British naturalists Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford