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Springwatch - Special Award Recipient in 2011

27 May 2011

The Academy honoured the team behind Springwatch, the BBC's much loved nature programme, with a BAFTA Special Award at the 2011 the Television Craft Awards.

Special Award: SpringwatchBAFTA/Chris SharpThe 2011 TV Craft Special Award was presented to the BBC’s Springwatch in recognition of its outstanding creative and technical teamwork both behind the camera and online. The series charts the fortunes of British wildlife during the changing seasons.

Each programme is broadcast live from locations around the country and requires a crew of over 100 working with at least 50 cameras; making them one of the BBC's largest British outside broadcast events.

Starting in 2005, Springwatch now leads the way in live broadcasting and multiplatform, with up to 30 hours of primetime TV broadcasting per year and a highly evolved interactive website.

Strong teamwork and constant innovation drive our passion to engage and involve the British public with the wonderful wildlife they find around them.

Springwatch Article CropTim Scoones Executive Producer for BBC Natural History Unit says of Springwatch:

“"The whole Springwatch team are delighted, honoured and humbled to have been selected for the BAFTA Craft Special Award this year. Strong teamwork and constant innovation drive our passion to engage and involve the British public with the wonderful wildlife they find around them.

Consistent support from the BBC as well as recent advances in digital broadcast and web technology have allowed us to develop a long term and potent relationship with our audience, who now contribute so much themselves to the TV shows and the web site.

Springwatch started life as Britain Goes Wild in 2004, before assuming its current title a year later. Oddie is one of the big-name presenters who’ve graced the show, which is currently fronted by Kate Humble, Martin Hughes-Games and Chris Packham. The latter is quick to give credit for the award where it belongs – the 100-plus people who make each series: “The award is a celebration of the endeavour of every team member. Presenters get way too much attention – they are only part of a very large, well-oiled machine and are nothing without it.”

Spring Watch  (700x510)Springwatch and its sister show, Autumnwatch, go out live on BBC2 over three weeks in May/June and October. This year, Springwatch moves to a new location in Wales, where the team is beavering away to prepare the site for the start of the new series on 30 May. “It’s a symphony of off-screen talent, calmly doing their jobs at a high level of technical and professional ability. We go on air at eight o’clock in the evening and it all comes together – it still gives me a tingle,” says Scoones.

This award is a great tribute to the literally hundreds of behind-the-scenes craft professionals who have worked so hard over the last 7 years to make all of this possible."

The annual British Academy Television Craft Awards honouring the very best behind the scenes talent from television and new media, was held at The Brewery in the City of London on Sunday 8 May 2011.