Wild Isles: behind the scenes

Wild Isles: behind the scenes was the first large-scale hybrid OU/BBC co-pro event hosted by the OU. It took the collective expertise of the Faculty of STEM, Development Office, and the Broadcast and Partnership teams to make it such a resounding success.  

The Ondaatje Lecture Theatre at the Royal Geographical Society was the stage for the event, and the room was made up of over 100 guests either influential in the world of sustainability, supporters of the OU, or staff. We also had a further audience of approximately 500 staff, students, and alumni watching online. 

The event was chaired by Professor Kevin Shakesheff, who chatted to a panel of five experts including STEM Faculty academic consultants Dr Miranda Dyson and Dr Phillip Wheeler, Jack Bootle, Head of Specialist Factual Commissioning at the BBC, Chris Howard, Director and Producer, and Hilary Jeffkins, Series Producer at Silverback Films. 

Having such a close working relationship with the team at Silverback Films meant that Phil and Mandy were able to ask for any supplementary footage that could be used exclusively for OU students in module material. Giving OU students unprecedented access to some of the most advanced footage of animal behaviours and habitats. 

The panel discussion covered the commissioning of such a revolutionary series, the role of the academic consultants, the use of pioneering technology and the impact that a series of this magnitude could have on society. It was followed by a lively Q&A session with lots of questions from the room and online. 

Dr Phillip Wheeler concluded with a very poignant statement about the serious harm targeted exploitation is having on wildlife: 

"We are aware of the exploitation of nature, but we must learn to do it in ways that doesn't destroy it. Science can help identify these sustainable paths. My hope is that Wild Isles will help everyone to realise their personal impact on wildlife. The impact is the missing heritage and how if we continue, it will be stolen from future generations."