The BBC has officially announced their new landmark natural history series on insects entitled ‘Hidden Planet’ while the company’s head of unscripted brands the notion that streaming platforms are taking over the industry as “utter bollocks”, according to Deadline.
The Traitors commissioner Kate Phillips shared the tough stance while speaking at the Creative Cities Convention, and backed up her tough take by referencing research and data that showed BBC iPlayer is watched by more people in the United Kingdom than streaming platforms such as Disney+, Prime Video and Netflix combined.
“This idea that broadcasters are irrelevant and streamers are taking over is utter bollocks,” Phillips, who was speaking a session after Grant Mansfield, the EP behind Disney+’s most-watched natural history series ever ‘A Real Bug’s Life’, said. “More than nine out of 10 adults access the BBC in the UK.”
Additionally, Phillips says that the BBC will continue to take risks in the modern era, saying “we don’t have commercial day-to-day pressures” while acknowledging a poor recent license fee settlement as well as market inflation.
The new series marks as a follow up to David Attenborough’s 2005 series ‘Life in the Undergrowth’ but Attenborough, 97, is not currently attached to the show.
The series aims to show a different side of insects, such as showcasing them as dotting parents with deep connections with their offspring and their families. It will also show their impressive skills as architects.
