Putting conservation storytelling at the heart of Shark!

Conservation storytelling doesn’t have to be confined to a traditional natural history programming box, new formats are evolving that show the impact crossing genres can have. Demonstrating collaboration across different programme teams is a vital tool we can use to reach more people. One programme that is doing this is the latest celebrity challenge show Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters which has conservation at its heart.

Shark! has a clear conservation mandate and sustainability values embedded throughout and aims to provide a new perspective that reframes the importance of sharks and their valuable place in our ecosystem. Challenging seven celebrities – Sir Lenny Henry, Rachel Riley, Ross Noble, Ade Adepitan, Helen George, Dougie Poynter and Lucy Punch – to overcome their inherent fear of sharks is the hook for audiences. But by showing their journey as they get in the water with progressively larger sharks the show also shines a light on the need to protect these sea creatures.

Speaking at a Q&A at BAFTA, led by broadcast meteorologist Laura Tobin, members of the cast and crew shared how they brought this entertaining form of conservation storytelling to life…

Going into the making of the show the producers were clear that this was “an opportunity to do something with purpose”. Karen Plumb, Executive Producer and Head of Factual Entertainment at Plimsoll Productions, explains: “There’s a purpose behind making this programme… obviously [there’s] the legacy of Jaws and the bad PR but we were like this is a chance to change that narrative.”

Using the idea of seven celebrities getting in the water to draw audiences in Shark! is a collaboration of entertainment and natural history programming that puts nature right at its heart.

Celebrity participant and former Paralympian Ade Adepitan hopes this is a new way to get through to people as “you guys are laughing, you’re entertained but there’s a proper message behind this”.

He says: “The truth is we don’t understand much about sharks… and the truth is we don’t understand much about our natural environment full stop and I think this is what this show is going to do by stealth. Hiding the greens and getting people to understand about our planet for entertainment and maybe just maybe it will make a difference.”

Fellow participant and actor Helen George adds: “I think everybody is going to be really entertained but I hope that there’s a much stronger message. I hope that people are really curious about the seas and we think about where we’re getting our fish from, where we’re eating our fish, and we think about you know what we’re doing to the ocean and become excited and want to educate ourselves about it.”

To make a show with such strong conservation storytelling though it was important to also have sustainable practices embedded throughout. As James Smith, Executive Producer and Head of Adventure at Plimsoll Productions explains it was about thinking about everything from “root to branch”.

Smith says: “We were making a show that had conservation at its core and so we wanted the show to be the most environmentally sensitive and friendly as we could. I think the production management team deserve real credit because that was our mission and they really embraced it.

“We had ocean friendly sun cream – I didn’t even know that there was ocean unfriendly sun cream. Lots of wetsuits are made from petroleum, from neoprene, so we had ones made from natural materials, the detergent we used to wash our clothes was environmentally friendly… the production management team collected all the cans, all the plastic and we made a relationship with a local charity that was on a bigger island and a mail boat came delivering the mail and then it picked up our recycling and took it back – so just super-efficient.”

The team even managed to arrange for their carbon offsetting to be with a marine organisation that “instead of planting trees and protecting habitat on land protects seagrass habitat in the oceans which is shark nursery habitat.”

Speaking about Shark! both the cast and crew were clear about their hopes that it will make a real impact. Showrunner Iain Thompson describes it as a “real authentic journey” for all those involved in its making and those who watch it. While Plumb indicates that the team are keen to make more programmes in this vein, saying: “Anything we can do to advertise the beauty of the world and ways to conserve… we’re really determined to make more shows like this.”

And what do the celebrities who had to get in the water with the sharks hope audiences will take away from watching their challenges?

George and Adepitan say they just hope it makes people realise what is going on with our planet and take action. “We’ve got to really look after our seas or there’ll be nothing in them,” George reflects, while Adepitan adds: “I think what we have to remember is the opposite of love is not hate it’s indifference. I feel so many people in our world are indifferent to what’s going on in our planet and I’m hoping this shows going to make them love it as much as we do.”

• The first episode of Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters aired on Monday July 14 on ITV. The Q&A was part of BAFTA albert’s Green Light Season.

BAFTA is excited to be hosting the Green Light Season, a series of discussions and screenings designed to inspire content makers to take our collective commitment to sustainability to new heights. Through this season of activity we’re asking for the industry’s help to explore how we can create TV and films that support an inclusive conversation about climate change where everyone feels part of the mission.

With thanks to our Official Partner – Universal Production Music.

Find out more.