Radio Times

Review by:

Alison Graham

Two grebes perform the most elegant cotillion on Hackney Marshes, a courtship dance that, like the grebes themselves, is both colourful and exotic. Back in the city’s centre, a woman wriggles along grubby pavements, clutching her camera, as she takes photos of her beloved feral pigeons. One, whom she has called Brian, even has his own online diary.

This lovely, lyrical film scavenges through the undergrowth of London to root out some extraordinary sights like these to paint a brash, vivid picture of the capital’s wildlife. Not just urban foxes – we see a lady in a tower block feeding sausages to a fox family that politely begs for goodies beneath her window – but also the stray seal thrown fish scraps by Billingsgate fish market workers. Then there are the bird-watchers who have a monthly “meeting” atop a skyscraper to observe glorious peregrines as they swoop and plummet. It’s a delightful portrait of London’s wild spaces.

About this programme

Exploring the capital's surprising and secret wildlife and the admirers of the animals inhabiting the city, from Billingsgate fish porters and Indian chefs to Crayfish Bob, who scours London's canals for foreign species.

Cast and crew

Crew

Executive Producer

Chris Cole

Producer

David Allen

Series Editor

Steve Greenwood

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