Furry fakery!

It looks fabulous, but don’t be deceived ... BBC’s new wildlife blockbuster from creator of the Spice Girls is a work of fiction

IT has previously been stung by accusations of fakery in wildlife programmes.

Now the BBC has admitted from the start that its new series Serengeti is a work of fiction.

The show, whose executive producer is former Spice Girls guru Simon Fuller, depicts stories of savannah animals over one year. Scenes are created from different pieces of footage, shot at different times and places, which are edited to give the illusion that it all happened in sequence.

Creators of the show, broadcast on BBC1 last night, admitted that special effects techniques are used, such as ‘compositing’ which creates a single image out of more than one shot. The BBC announced in the opening credits that is a ‘dramatised story based on the real lives of Africa’s most charismatic animals’.

But viewers who miss the opening captions or fail to grasp their significance, may not be fully aware of what is and is not real. Even before the first episode was broadcast, Serengeti – narrated by Star Wars actor John Boyega – was creating controversy after viewers watched preview clips online.

Natural history photographer Mark Olivier, 37, from South Africa, said: ‘There are different snippets of footage stitched together to try make a dramatic story. It features different grasslands and marshlands, different prides of lions and possibly even captive shots of one male lion as well.

‘Why does the BBC have to make a dramatised version of events when there is more than enough drama happening in real life? ‘This is a Spice Girls version of Africa.’ The programme gives fictional names to the animals featured in the show. In last night’s opening episode, a sequence depicted ‘Tembo’ the elephant saving his baby brother from lions, with other elephants ‘gathering around’ the infant.

Different shots in the sequence appear to show changes in vegetation, lighting conditions and the number of animals.

Mr Olivier said the shot of the elephant herd gathering together showed incorrect behaviour, adding: ‘Their trunks are down to the ground as if listening for other herds. If they were under attack by lions their heads would be high to show aggression, and probably moving quickly.’

Series director John Downer said on the BBC website: ‘The named characters aren’t always the same animal every time we see them. Sometimes they are the same individual throughout, but the more complex storylines are enhanced by behaviour captured of similar animals facing the same real-life challenges.

‘By using composite animals, united by the same name, it is possible to tell a comprehensive drama showing all the trials, disappointments and triumphs these species face. This dramatised account aims to present a complete picture of an animal’s life that would be difficult to show any other way.’ Mr Downer stressed: ‘No animals were created using computer generated imagery but occasionally compositing techniques, which combine real footage, have been used to help the narrative and the dramatic flow of scenes.’ The BBC has previously been accused of using studio sets, sound effects and tame animals in documentaries to portray creatures in the wild.

The corporation last night said it had made clear from the beginning that Serengeti was fiction.

A spokesman said: ‘We have been clear and up-front in all promotional materials, on the programme website, and with the onscreen caption at the beginning of each programme, that Serengeti is a dramatised series. We believe that the BBC audience can differentiate between “documentary” and “dramatised” natural history.’

‘Characters aren’t always same animal’