BBC Breakfast viewers unimpressed by Dan Walker’s views on sharks after Blue Planet Live
It seems Dan wasn’t paying attention to one very important segment...
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Blue Planet Live debuted on BBC1 on Sunday night, with the special week of programmes looking to enrich viewers’ minds about the state of our oceans.
The first episode saw hosts Chris Packham observe a whale nursery and Liz Bonnin follow newborn sea turtles.
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But it was Steve Backshall witnessing the awe-inspiring shark gatherings in the Bahamas that wowed viewers the most, and aimed to change negative attitudes to the creatures spawned by films like Jaws.
The next morning, BBC Breakfast revisited the segment and discussed the work of ‘shark dancer’ Cristina Zenato who had featured in the Blue Planet Live episode.
However, Breakfast host Dan Walker was still struggling to love sharks, hinting that people seemed to be overlooking how dangerous they are.
"Shark Dancer" @CristinaZenato reveals that sharks have a sensitive side. She believes that to save sharks we have to change our perception of what they are… Not mindless killers but sensitive creatures with personality. #BluePlanetLive pic.twitter.com/dNiK44orxH
— BBC Earth (@BBCEarth) March 24, 2019
“Everyone seems to be ignoring she’s wearing a suit of armour,” he said after watching a clip.
Breakfast co-host Louise Minchin replied, “You have to accept that sharks are amazing animals.”
“Yeah, amazing and hungry,” Walker quipped.
Despite Minchin adding that Backshall had claimed that sharks are actually less dangerous than taking a selfie, Walker joked, “What does he know?”
And it seems shark enthusiast viewers weren’t too happy with Walker’s comments, taking to Twitter to call him out.
Some asked Walker to change his attitude towards the much-misunderstood sea creatures.
Sharks on @BBCBreakfast ?❤️? @mrdanwalker we need to save sharks & change attitudes & you can help with that! They may be hungry but so are we, the difference is that we are killing the planet! Sharks kill 6 people per year, we kill 100 million sharks per year. #BluePlanetLive
— scubajem (@scubajem) March 25, 2019
@SteveBackshall You persuaded me of the charms of sharks last night. You now need to work on @mrdanwalker as he doesn’t seem convinced this morning. Even when reminded that taking a selfie is more dangerous than sharks nowadays! ???????? #bbcbreakfast #blueplanetlive
— LouiseW (@Cogs39) March 25, 2019
#bbcbreakfast The not very funny Dan on BBC Breakfast trying his best to undo the the good work and message sent out by #BluePlanetLive regarding Sharks. Surely there are better presenters out there.
— A. N. Other (@Bluetwin1927) March 25, 2019
And others blamed Hollywood films for skewing his opinions.
think Dan has got PTSD from watching Jaws #bbcbreakfast – Hollywood didn't do sharks any favors #BluePlanetLive … however these guys are experts and sharks can bite but the ocean is their home, not ours !
— Tomasi ???? (@_tomasi1) March 25, 2019
I think this is what @mrdanwalker expects to see on #BluePlanetLive ! ?@BBCBreakfast pic.twitter.com/RytzXT4rGQ
— Clive Buckenham (@clive3539) March 25, 2019
Blue Planet Live continues on Wednesday, with sharks back on the agenda. Whether Dan Walker will be tuning in remains to be seen…
Blue Planet Live continues Wednesday at 8pm on BBC1
