Chair of Devon Wildlife Trust, BBC Natural History producer and now also working with Dartmoor National Park Authority.
Just fifteen minutes into my conversation with Andrew Cooper he has already convinced me that being a BBC natural history producer is one of the most challenging, varied and fascinating roles in media. Andrew has spent 35 years working as a television producer and broadcaster with the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, travelling all over the world and regularly working with famous great naturalists such as David Attenborough, Gerald Durrell and Peter Scott. Yet Dartmoor has always been one of his favourite locations and he is delighted to have been appointed to serve on the Dartmoor National Park Authority from the beginning of July.
Growing up in Newton Abbot meant that Andrew considered Dartmoor his playground and has always had a huge affinity for the area. From a very early age he used to go out exploring Dartmoor with an archaeologist who was a close family friend. Andrew remembers having the important duty of holding the tape measure while their discoveries were recorded. Familiarity with Dartmoor over the subsequent years has only served to increase his admiration of its scenery, archaeology and wildlife. Another early memory dates back to when he was four and a half years old and whilst watching Peter Scott on a natural history programme he declared: "That's what I want to do!"
He is one of those fortunate people who has always known what he wanted and so achieved the qualifications he needed in geology and biology and then persisted in his aim to work with the BBC - initially working as a presenter with BBC Plymouth and then moving into production when an opportunity arose.
Andrew has been responsible for producing some of our most popular natural history television programmes including the BBC 'Secret Nature' series, the ‘Natural World' series, ‘Five Owl Farm’, ‘The Farm That Time Forgot’ and ‘In the Eye of the Wind’ - a tribute by Sir David Attenborough to the late Sir Peter Scott and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust.
I asked him to talk me through what is involved in 'producing' and to be frank it would be easier to list what isn't involved. His role starts by conceiving the idea for a programme, followed by securing the funding in the BBC budget. He would then turn his attention to logistics, planning and scheduling, establishing the transmission date (which is 'set in stone' once fixed) and working backwards to allow time for organisation, filming and editing - a series can take two years from conception to transmission. He is responsible for absolutely everything from putting the film crew together, writing the narrative script, choosing the music and ensuring health and safety is observed. Andrew even does some of the filming himself and gets to grips with the landscape on location by simply buying a set of the local postcards. He would never ask one of his team to undertake a task that he would not carry out himself, although he revealed that in pursuit of a great shot, he once donned a set of antlers and challenged a buck fallow deer, so perhaps his cameramen still have room for concern! Every last detail is considered in production, including how long a clap of thunder will last and whether David Attenborough should use the English, American or native Hawaiian pronunciation of 'Hawaii'. For Andrew a powerful natural history production hinges on telling a story with an impact, putting all the pieces of the jigsaw into place and ensuring viewers are left with the salient points. He knows that if the whole audience feels an emotion at the same time and everyone laughs or holds their breath, then he has got it right.
Producing natural history programmes involves understanding and caring about the environment but it is obvious that this ethos underpins Andrew's whole way of life. He is currently the Chair of the Devon Wildlife Trust, which has 32,000 members in Devon alone, and 50 nature reserves. He was also a non-executive director for a local NHS Trust for 11 years and as vice-chairman of the board all his operational skills were employed to the full.
Andrew has developed an enormous wealth of knowledge in his travels and enjoys sharing some of his insights by giving lecture tours on board cruise ships to the 'intellectually curious'; he has recently been to Chile, Cape Horn and the Falklands and in July is setting off for Norway and the Arctic.
Andrew is looking forward to working with Dartmoor National Park Authority and using his experience in whatever way he can to help in balancing the needs of farming, environment and wildlife, which are key to the successful management of Dartmoor. He believes we bear a huge obligation to collaborate in finding a way to look after our environment, as human impact is responsible for modifying the landscape, climate and even the wildlife around us today - he quotes David Attenborough in saying that awareness is very important, because we can't care about something unless we are aware of it.
For more information visit Andrew's website www.wildlink.org