As the BBC dropped the seasonal show Autumnwatch, a petition to rescue it gathered over 150,000 signatures.
Earlier this month, the broadcaster stated that additional money will be invested in its sibling programmes, Springwatch and Winterwatch, with the latter returning for only one week next year, down from two.
Yet, fans of the programme are keen to see it return, with 152,667 signatures on a petition launched by Marion Veal at the time of writing.
And now, Marion, 61, has opened up about how much it means to her that the cherished series has been discontinued, and her displeasure over the BBC ignoring her emails.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, the science teacher said: ‘When I started [the petition], I never thought we’d get there, I just wanted to give people a place to have a voice, and voice their opinion, because when Autumnwatch was cancelled, it was a shock to all of us that really love it.
‘We didn’t feel that anybody had asked – just a decision was made.’
She added that the show will be particularly missed for its ‘family-friendly’ nature, saying: ‘It’s for all ages, you don’t have to know anything about wildlife, because they will explain it to you’.
Marion went on to discuss the program’s usefulness at ‘dark times,’ saying, ‘We know that many of people suffer with their mental health and become seasonally influenced,’ while also spotlighting those who are ‘bed confined’ and unable to get outside to enjoy nature.
‘That very evening, when I was trying to find something to watch, there was Cara Delevingne and Planet Sex, and there was one of the gameshows that had a £50,000 prize, and I thought, “Hang on a second, how can you say you’re trying to save money, when there’s all these not-family-friendly programmes,” she continued, referring to the cancellation of Autumnwatch.
‘It just felt as though the BBC, from my point of view, is trying to grab back a younger audience, that it feels has gone to Netflix and Prime.
‘Whereas the people that are actually paying the licence fee don’t seem to matter.’
Marion also stated that she had emailed BBC chief Tim Davie “four times” but had yet to receive a response.
‘It makes you think they don’t care,’ she continued, before admitting how ‘frustrated’ and ‘ignored’ she felt.
‘We just don’t feel listened to,’ Marion added.
The popular wildlife series tracked changes in nature throughout fall, watching animals and plants in real time and providing live broadcasts online for viewers to have a closer look at nature.
The camera teams, who were joined by presenters such as Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan, and Gillian Burke, travelled around the UK, documenting never-before-seen animal behaviour and presenting remarkable wildlife stories.
Announcing the programme was being cancelled, a statement from the BBC read: ‘These are challenging times financially and we need to make difficult decisions and focus our resources on content that has the highest impact.
‘Sadly, this means that Autumnwatch will not be continuing. Instead, we are investing more money into Springwatch and Winterwatch, as they are most popular with audiences.
‘We are incredibly proud of the Watches and would like to thank the presenters and production team who will continue on Springwatch when it returns in May for three weeks, and Winterwatch when it returns next year for one week, reduced from two weeks.’
The petition can be found at: https://www.change.org/p/save-autumnwatch
Autumnwatch is available on BBC iPlayer.