Cruel Camera

RECENT British Television Scandals

Scandals involving deception in the making of documentaries have filled the British papers over the past year.

It began with a documentary called A Year With the Queen on BBC1, in which editing made it appear her highness had been offended during a photo shoot, and had stormed out in anger. The misleading scene led to the resignation of a BBC1 comptroller.

Wild Fox in Rainstorm: Both Fake

Allegations of tinkering with reality quickly spread to wildlife documentaries. BBC1's wildlife program The Nature of Britain was accused of deliberating presenting the image of a supposedly wild fox in a rainstorm.

The fox was in fact tame, and being kept in an enclosure. The rain also faked, the downpour provided by someone dousing the animals with a hose.

Questions over a snake

Even Sir David Attenborough, the world's most famous nature filmmaker has not escaped the deluge of allegations of deception.

London's Sunday Times reported that a scene depicting Sir David approaching a cobra on a rock in a South African desert was faked. The scene was to be part of Sir David's new BBC nature series about reptiles titled Life in Cold Blood. (read the article)

The snake, it turns out, had come from a local snake farm, and had been placed on a rock for Sir David to find.

Man vs Wild: starring British commando Bear Grylls

However, no series has been more damaged by allegations of fakery, than the popular Discovery Channel program Man Vs Wild, starring former British commando Edward "Bear" Grylls.

Man Vs Wild, depicts Grylls entering hostile and isolated areas of the world and, using his survival techniques, manages to survive.

However, last year it was revealed that numerous scenes in the series had been faked.

Wild horses shipped from farm

For example, in one scene shot in California's Sierra Nevada, Grylls describes coming upon a group of wild mustangs. He tells the camera he plans to capture one of the horses and ride it out of the wilderness.

Edward Grylls
Popular television host Bear Grylls in a scene from Man Vs Wild.

It was later revealed the horses had been trucked to the location from a local ranch and had been left there for Grylls to find. The scene was edited from the DVD version of the show.

And far from being in isolated areas, Grylls would actually stay in hotels and motels for the night and then return to the local wilderness to apply his survival skills.

Grizzly: Crew member in a suit

Another example of Man Vs Wild's use of choreographed scenes took place in the Rocky Mountains. In one scene, a grizzly bear is supposed to be sniffing around Grylls' camp at night. A ghostly shape is can be seen outside Grylls' tent.

In fact, Ron Hood, a survival expert hired by the Grylls' production company, told CBC news that the ghostly image was a member of the film crew dressed in a bear suit that Hood had tracked down at a Montana costume store.