Northumberland GP Ben Burville has struck up a unique relationship with the Farne Islands grey seals. He takes us under the waves to share the secrets of these beautiful creatures.
Witness magical scenes in a documentary that explores Ben Burville’s extraordinary relationship with the seals of the Farne Islands. By day, this busy GP is hard at work seeing patients in the coastal town of Amble, Northumberland. In his spare time, he takes us beneath the waves to spend time with seals. They trust him so much, some even shake hands (flippers) and others give him a cuddle. Ben shares his feelings of the importance of being able to spend time in the ocean with the seals.
Through many years watching the seals, he has built a unique rapport with them and become a leading seal expert, linked to Newcastle University. Some of the unique behaviours he has filmed include how males use sound, clapping their flippers together to warn off other males during courtship. Other remarkable scenes include seals taking a nap underwater and scooting along the seabed on their backs. Exactly why seals do this is still a mystery.
Filmed over six months, the film includes moving scenes of a young seal pup being rescued by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue team after violent winter storms strand it on a Northumberland beach. And, as spring comes to the Farne Islands, Ben witnesses a spectacular transformation as puffins court and tens of thousands of seabirds return to the islands to breed.
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Clips
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How seals use their whiskers
Duration: 00:50
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Filming never-before-seen seal behaviour
Duration: 01:18
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Expert | Ben Burville |
Executive Producer | Sarah Cunliffe |
Director | Nathalie Grace |
Production Company | Big Wave Productions Limited |
Broadcasts
- Fri 30 Aug 2024 19:30Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One except Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland HD, Wales & Wales HD
- Fri 30 Aug 2024 20:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One Wales & Wales HD only
- Fri 30 Aug 2024 20:30Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One Northern Ireland HD & Northern Ireland only
- Tue 3 Sep 2024 00:45Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD only
- Wed 4 Sep 2024 00:20Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One except Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland HD, Scotland, Scotland HD, Wales & 1 more
- Wed 4 Sep 2024 00:50Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One Scotland & Scotland HD only
- Fri 6 Sep 2024 08:30