Channel 5 Commissions New Nature Docuseries

Channel 5 has commissioned ITN Productions to produce a new four-part documentary series, A Year in the Forest.

Working with Forestry England, which looks after the nation’s 1,500 forests, the series takes audiences inside England’s most vast and varied forest, Kielder Forest in Northumberland. The series captures Kielder as it changes through the seasons, painting a portrait of the forest landscape, its spectacular wildlife and the people who work there. This enchanting forest is home to some of the rarest creatures in Britain, including half of the U.K.’s red squirrels, as well as roe deer, pipistrelle bats, otters and ospreys.

Foresters, ecologists and rangers take care of the forest, which produces a third of Forestry England’s timber, boasts an astronomical observatory, and welcomes over 430,000 visitors each year.

The series uses innovative filming techniques to capture the magnificence of the forest wildlife. Macro and time-lapse natural-history techniques unveil the beauty from the canopy down to the forest floor.

ITN Productions Executive Producer Andy Dunn said: “The natural beauty of the largest working forest in England is sure to have viewers enthralled. That we can document our immersive access with the best and most innovative filming techniques will only serve to heighten the experience.”

Kevin May, forest management director of North England, said: “Kielder Forest is unique and we are delighted to welcome ITN Productions to explore life in a working forest through the people, the nature and the trees. As well as celebrating the beautiful landscape, we want to show how sustainable forest management helps wildlife to thrive and explore the opportunities and challenges facing our forests today.”