Young people are inspiring adults to do more and making us feel ashamed for not taking better care of our planet
Science and natural history expert Liz Bonnin is going wild for the Planet Earth II arena tour. She tells MARION McMULLEN why we need to look after our world
How did the tour of the
BBC series come about?
THEY did a performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London and the public asked for more and said ‘why not take it out on tour and bring it to more venues’. I didn’t have to be asked twice when it came to presenting it. The music and the energy of the filming just do their magic. I’m so excited.
I’m selfishly doing it for my own experience. I think it’s going to be wonderful. It’s an extension of the BBC series and incredibly special. It pulls at the heartstrings. I’m looking forward to the big arenas and working with lots of people.
How do you feel about appearing before huge arena audiences?
I GET more nervous in smaller groups when you can see the whites of their eyes. This is a very moving and quite emotive experience. We’ve got all these beautiful shots on a giant screen and the gorgeous music of Hans Zimmer performed by an 80-piece orchestra. I’m quite an emotional person and might have a little cry of joy during rehearsals and just get it all out of the way.
The TV series includes some absolutely breathtaking sequences – who can ever forget the marine iguana fighting for its life as it escaped those racer snakes? It will certainly be an experience to remember.
Where did your own interest in natural history and science start?
GROWING up in the south of France, my sister and I were always outdoors. We had little woods with hedgehogs, snakes and spiders and that was our childhood. I also have family in the Caribbean and there was scuba diving and camel races. Nature worked its magic on me at an early stage and that was it.
Plonk anyone in the middle of nature and they can become enthused. I wanted to know everything worked – birds’ heartbeats, biochemistry, everything – it became my passion.
When did television presenting come along for you?
I FELL into television. I was doing biochemistry and playing in a band at the time and someone gave me a presenting opportunity and I thought it would be great fun, ‘I’ll try it’.
Producers were very encouraging for me to tell stories. I got a Masters in world animal conservation in London and by my final exam the BBC were looking for new presenters and that was my first big break. One job led to another and another and another and soon I was dealing with subjects that explained the natural world.
You’ve presented more that 40 programmes from Blue Planet Live to Super Smart Animals. How much of your time is spent in front of the TV cameras?
THE last two years I decided not to be on the road as much. I was flying a lot for work and I donated to conservation projects every time I flew, but I finally decided not to travel so much. I felt kind of burned out after a few years working non-stop. Now I do talks, festivals and schools. I’m enjoying life, giving talks and connecting with people. For me, I feel my job is to encourage boys and girls and inspire them.
Are you heartened by the interest of young people in the planet?
WE KNOW a lot of children can have a dislocation from nature because of their phones, tablets and computers but at the same time you have young people like (climate activists) Greta Thunberg and Lilly Platt, all these young people fighting for the future and it has never been more important.
Young people are inspiring adults to do more and making us feel ashamed for not taking better care of our planet.
They are showing that one human being can make a difference, they are changing habits and showing how doing one little thing can make a difference.
I did a BBC 1 documentary, Drowning In Plastic, investigating the ocean plastic crisis and have done a follow up.
I went to Brazil to look at deforestation caused by cattle ranching and went to America to look at intensive farming. They are global stories that effect us all. It’s been a real eye-opener.
How do you keep the energy levels up while working on so many projects?
I’M NOT a morning person and I used to hate coffee but when I had to be up at 3am on location I couldn’t put two words together. I started off having mocha and sugar then latte and sugar and now I’m happy with black coffee ... really good black coffee. (Laughs) I only have one a day, but it does make a difference.
■ The Planet Earth II Live in Concert Arena Tour has been postponed due to Coronavirus (COVID-19). Dates are to be rescheduled and all tickets for the rescheduled shows will remain valid. Go to planetearth2live.uk for details.
Nature worked its magic on me at an early stage... it became my passion Liz Bonnin