Oxford Scientific Films for BBC2’s Natural World strand, 1x 50min, December 2005
Producer / Director / Cameraman
‘Natural History storytelling at its best’ – Radio Times
The true story of six months in the life of Ella, a young female meerkat and daughter of the group’s tyrannical leader. Ella breaks one of the ‘golden rules’ of meerkat society by becoming pregnant – typically breeding rights are restricted purely to the dominant pair within a group. The birth of Ella’s pups sets in motion a chain of events that sees her loosing two of her pups and becoming brutally evicted from the group. Just as all seems lost, a stroke of good fortune allows her back into her family and she briefly becomes their leader, only to be ousted by her own mother and forced back into the wilderness.
‘Ella; A Meerkat’s Tale‘ achieved the second highest ‘ Audience Appreciation Index’ rating of the ’05-’06 Natural World run and the highest rating on the Sunday night broadcast slot.
