BBC Taps Off the Fence for Nature Doc

AMSTERDAM, October 22: Off
the Fence has received a commission from the BBC to produce Feeding the
Giants, a one-hour documentary for the
pubcaster’s Natural World strand.

The program is currently in production and due for delivery
in autumn 2008. Feeding the Giants
follows South African Michael Rutzen as he attempts to fulfill his dream of
swimming among Great White sharks in the wild—without a cage. Rutzen
believes that by communicating with them through body language, the sharks will
accept him as just another predator, allowing him to discover the true nature
of their behavior and to study their feeding habits. He also hopes his work
will help erase the stigma sharks have as “man-killers.”

Joe Kennedy, the director of production at Off the Fence
Bristol, commented: “The high production values and gripping stories inherent
in the award-winning Natural World
strand are world-renowned and we are honored that Feeding the Giants will sit alongside such prestigious programming.
Mike is an extraordinary individual who has dedicated his life to encourage
understanding of sharks far beyond the traditional opinion of ‘man-eater.’ We
are confident that we will be able to bring his true passion to the screen,
communicating his adventures in a way to create scintillating viewing for a
worldwide audience.”

—By Ned Berke