BBC is caught in fresh impartiality row over new David Attenborough show that will NOT be aired on regular TV amid claims that Beeb bosses ‘fear rightwing backlash’
- The Wild Isles episode won’t be shown amid claims of right-wing backlash fears
- It comes as BBC took Gary Lineker off air for comparing Migration Bill to Nazis
The BBC won’t broadcast an episode of David Attenborough‘s new wildlife series because of fears it would risk a backlash from Tory politicians and the right-wing press, it has been reported.
The episode is part of Attenborough’s new Wild Isles documentary which focuses of themes of the destruction of nature across the UK and reportedly won’t be broadcast to fend off potential critique from the political right.
The documentary, which was part-funded by nature charities WWF and RSPB will not be broadcast with the other five episodes and will only be available on the BBC’s streaming service iPlayer.
The corporation fears some ‘lobbying groups’ with ‘dinosaurian ways’ like the farming and hunting industry would ‘kick off’ if the show had potential to be too political, according to the Guardian.
The episode is part of Attenborough’s new Wild Isles documentary which focuses of themes of the destruction of nature across the UK and reportedly won’t be broadcast to fend off potential critique from the political right
The corporation fears some ‘lobbying groups’ with ‘dinosaurian ways’ like the farming and hunting industry would ‘kick off’ if the show had potential to be too political, according to the Guardian
The Telegraph criticsed the series this week for taking funding from ‘two charities previously criticised for their political lobbying’ – the WWF and RSPB.
But in a statement provided after the story was published, a BBC spokesman said: ‘This is totally inaccurate, there is no ‘sixth episode’.
‘Wild Isles is – and always was – a five part series and does not shy away from environmental content.
‘We have acquired a separate film for iPlayer from the RSPB and WWF and Silverback Films about people working to preserve and restore the biodiversity of the British Isles.’
Laura Howard, who produced the programme, told the Guardian: ‘I think the facts speak for themselves. You know, we’ve worked really closely with the RSPB in particular who are able to factcheck all of our scripts and provide us with detailed scientific data and information about the loss of wildlife in this country.
‘And it is undeniable, we are incredibly nature-depleted. And I don’t think that that is political, I think it’s just facts.’
Green Party MP for Brighton Pavillion Caroline Lucas struck out at the BBC, slamming its decision as an ‘unforgiveable dereliction of its duty to public service broadcasting’.
Mrs Lucas told the Guardian the BBC shouldn’t be intimidated by a culture war stoking Government and called for the episode to be televised.