The BBC’s decision to cancel Winterwatch may have come as a surprise to viewers, but for former Springwatch producer Stephen Moss, it was only a matter of time following previous BBC cuts.
It was announced today (2 July) that the long-running seasonal spin-off would not be returning next year and instead will be replaced by a new visualised podcast series, Naturewatch, that will run through all four seasons.
Moss was the original series producer of the BAFTA award-winning Springwatch, which he launched in 2005 alongside Bill Oddie, and admitted he felt the Winterwatch cancellation was “probably inevitable”.
“I think it was probably inevitable, because of Autumnwatch going two or three years ago,” he told Radio Times in an exclusive interview.
“It’s always been difficult to do this. What I think the huge advantage of having Autumnwatch and Winterwatch was it kept a sort of year-round schedule, and meant that particularly in winter, which is a brilliant season in Britain, and actually was always rather better than Autumnwatch in terms of spectacles of wildlife.
“I think it’s a pity it’s going because it’s a fantastic thing to have, but it’s sort of inevitable, given all the BBC cuts that are happening.”
In a statement provided to Radio Times, a spokesperson for the BBC said the decision to cancel Winterwatch reflects how it is “better serving our audience by providing multi-platform content whilst driving digital growth in a competitive media market”.
Continuing, the statement added: “In light of our funding challenges, we are having to make difficult choices and, as such, Winterwatch will unfortunately not continue. We are incredibly proud of Winterwatch and would like to thank the presenters and production team who will continue on Springwatch when it returns next May for three weeks.”
Moss remains hopeful for Winterwatch, which launches on BBC Two and BBC Sounds in the autumn.
The visualised podcast will strip away the live element that The Watches is known and enjoyed for, as it will instead provide a regular round-up of the biggest British nature stories every week.
Asked if the podcast will be able to fill the gap of the TV show, Moss told Radio Times: “I think it would be very easy for someone like me of my generation to say no, but actually, given that most young people watch stuff now, or consume stuff, if we like to call it that – they consume content, they don’t necessarily watch television.
“Someone once said it doesn’t matter what the platform is, someone’s still got to make good content, so I think as long as the content is well made, which I’m sure it will be because the team know what they’re doing, then it could draw in new audiences. So I’m not completely against that, because I think that we need to move with the times.”
Each weekly episode of Naturewatch will be accompanied by a special audio-only Q&A programme, exclusive to BBC Sounds, where hosts will answer audience questions about the natural world.
Jack Bootle, head of commissioning, specialist factual, commented: “Nature never stops – and neither should we. Every week, Naturewatch will give Springwatch fans – and all wildlife lovers – a new way to stay connected to the natural world, whether that’s on TV, iPlayer or Sounds.
“The BBC is committed to celebrating British nature across all our platforms, and we hope this new series will encourage audiences to fall in love with the natural world around them. By expanding the Watches brand we are making the BBC’s brilliant Natural History content even more accessible.”
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