Lucy Hodson
The naturalist and prop-maker extraordinaire tells us about working behind-the-scenes on Autumnwatch
How did you first get involved with
The Watches?
I’d been a fan since I was a teenager, so it was a dream to be involved! In 2019, I volunteered at the RSPB’s Loch Garten Nature Centre whilst Springwatch was based there. I met some of the team and got to know a bit about the setup, as well as seeing some incredible wildlife. I secured a workfrom-home role during lockdown in 2020
– it all snowballed from there.
What’s your role on Autumnwatch?
My role is as a junior researcher, and any day on The Watches can be completely different. I work onsite on the live shows, so it’s all very fast-paced. Each day I’ll be in touch with the team about any props needed for that night’s episode – we’ll discuss how we might communicate a topic or species in prop form, and how I might go about making it. As well as getting crafty with paint and glue (and bubbles…) I’ll also bumble around the site looking out for good wildlife stories.
At Wild Ken Hill it’s been great getting to know the lay of the land, exploring the marsh, the fields, the woods and the heath for wildlife that might be good to showcase in the show.
How do you go about thinking up all the props?
I’ve always been a very crafty person, so I’m in my element in front of a box of cardboard scraps, paints and glue. I chat with the research team about props for each episode, and how it might look or work. Sometimes I have a week or two’s notice, other times we come up with some last-minute ideas just hours before we go live!
When making a prop, I like to know the stories behind each species: what exactly are we trying to communicate? It’s lots of fun when you’re showing things like rhynchokinesis (through the bending of a snipe’s beak) or the pheromone release of springtails. Bringing a bit of informality, humour and hands-on to the show helps connect people with the species! What happens to the props afterwards? Props tend to have one of two destinies – they’re either claimed by a team member or visitor (kids groups visiting the set love them) or I’ll recycle them into another episode’s props. I pride myself on my scraps and bits-and-bobs collection. Hoarding little pieces of leftover materials always comes in useful when you need something for a prop emergency!