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BBC Autumnwatch celebrates feast for the senses

BBC Chris Packham smiles at the camera in Wytham Great Wood. He wears an olive green puffa jacket with a Royal British Legion poppy attached.BBC
Chris Packham said autumn was "a time to exercise your nose"

BBC Autumnwatch presenter Chris Packham returns to TV screens later for a partial revival of the series featuring his favourite season.

"I go for autumn because of the smell. It's like a great, rich fruitcake made of nature," the naturalist declared.

Autumnwatch can be seen for three nights on The One Show on BBC1, following the cancellation of the series for financial reasons in 2023.

The live broadcasts, from Wytham Great Wood near Oxford, will celebrate badgers, the value of nature for mental health and creatures associated with Halloween.

A young badger filmed by BBC Springwatch in Wytham Great Wood in 2021
The Autumnwatch team is hoping for live footage of badgers on Tuesday's show

Packham said: "Our mission really is to overturn the idea that autumn is a time of death and decay.

"It's a time of beautiful plenty. It's a treat for the senses. Visually, you've got all of these colours.

"In terms of sounds, you've got deer rutting, you've got tawny owls calling.

"And then you've got the smell. I mean, just breathe it in. Autumn is a time to exercise your nose."

Wytham Woods is one of the most researched areas of woodland in the world, according to the University of Oxford.

One study has examined 40 generations of great tits in the wood - one of the longest-running animal-tracking studies in the world.

Badgers, which Packham hopes will make a live appearance on Tuesday's show, have also been studied, to see how they adapt to the changing environment.

A mixture of well-spaced young and older trees in Wytham Woods. Many of the trees still bear greenery although the ground is covered in red-brown fallen leaves.
Wytham Woods is one of the most studied areas of woodland in the world

The naturalist said part of the series would examine the "uplift in interest in natural health" since the Covid pandemic.

"Don't underestimate the value of a simple weekend walk in nature in autumn," he advised.

"You may well just think you're enjoying the colours but you're breathing in chemicals which are improving your immune system."

Thursday's broadcast, on Halloween, will feature bats, toads and other "demonised" creatures.

"There's nothing more beautiful than a bat," said Packham.

"Many of our species are in critical decline. We've got to love them more in order to protect them."

Pre-filmed Autumnwatch segments were shown on The One Show in 2023 after the BBC cancelled live broadcasts, citing "challenging times financially".

This year's programmes will run from Tuesday to Thursday on The One Show at 19:00 on BBC1 and iPlayer.

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