Autumnwatch returns TONIGHT for first of three special episodes – over a year after being axed by BBC

AUTUMNWATCH will be returning to screens on The One Show tonight for the first of three special episodes.

Presenter Chris Packham will be live at Wytham Woods in Oxford, often referred to as the most studied woodland in the world.

BBC

Autumnwatch will return tonight with presenter Chris Packham[/caption]

BBC

Autumnwatch fans were outraged when the show was axed by the BBC[/caption]

BBC

Springwatch still airs today[/caption]

Chris will be celebrating the most vibrant of seasons with the badgers of Wytham Woods as his first woodland guests. Live thermal cameras will capture footage of them as they leave the sett at dusk.

Chris investigates how their diet will be changing at this time of year to make the most of the seasonal offerings.

Chris also explores the mental health benefits of being in an autumnal woodland and why it’s worth taking the time to stop and notice the hidden treasures.

When you do, all sorts of wildlife wonders are revealed, as Chris finds out when he meets moth expert Liam Crowley and they explore the science of camouflage.

Thursday’s Autumnwatch episode falls on Halloween, so Chris explores why some of our favourite animals have become synonymous with the season.

Bats, owls, corvids and toads, to name a few, have become firmly written into our folklore, so Chris explores the roots of each story and whether these species deserve to be demonised.

Chris says: “Autumn is one of the most magical phases in our seasonal calendar. It may feel like things are shutting down but far from it. It’s a time for nature to recycle and prepare.

“Those rich autumn colours are a sign of nature at its very best and I’m excited to be telling the stories of the season in one of my favourite woodlands in the UK.”

Autumnwatch was the spin-off of the ever-popular Springwatch, which still airs to this day.

However, the BBC cancelled Autumnwatch last year in a bid to “focus our resources on content that has the highest impact”.

A statement from the broadcaster said: “These are challenging times financially and we need to make difficult decisions and focus our resources on content that has the highest impact.”

Fans of Autumnwatch were devastated by the news of its axing and efficiently joined forces creating a petition to save the show, picking up nearly 100,000 signatures.

Taking to Twitter, one wrote: “Awful decision. The seasonal watches with @ChrisGPackham and @michaelastracha
are one of the few good programmes the BBC make. And Daisy cat loves it!”

Another added: “This is such a shame”, while a third branded the BBC “idiots”.

Meanwhile a fourth raged: “So any programme where the viewer may actually learn and discover isn’t worth showing above all the other s***e it broadcasts??”

Fans will therefore be delighted at its return tonight despite it not being in the same format as before.

The One Show Specials will air on BBC One and iPlayer at 7pm on the 29, 30 and 31 October 2024.