My First BBC Documentary
A Story from the Heart of Brazil
Hello!
I am beyond excited to share some amazing news with you: I’ve just produced my very first documentary for the BBC!
Last year, I came across a story about Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands and I was horrified to learn human activities like deforestation and river dredging are drying up and burning up this UNESCO World Heritage site.
This project is incredibly special to me because I’m passionate about environmental sustainability – it’s one of the reasons I choose to travel by train across Europe even though it often takes 16 hours.
I pitched the idea to the BBC. They were curious and then asked for a longer form pitch. I delivered, they loved it, and they then flew me to Brazil.
I spent a week immersed in the heart of the Pantanal, splashing along the Pantanal’s vast river systems and witnessing firsthand the destruction caused by fires. It was heartbreaking, but also awe-inspiring to see so much biodiversity. Colourful birds swooping over swimming capybara, jaguars hunting alligators, and gajillions of mosquitoes!
I then spent long days criss-crossing Mato Grosso, one of Brazil’s largest states, to investigate port dredging projects and the vast monoculture soybean plantations. And in the biggest interview of my career, I sat down with the governor of Mato Grosso state and grilled him on why he’s in favour of dredging a major river that scientists say will drain the Pantanal wetland of water.
This documentary means so much to me because I’ve poured everything I’ve learned over the last six years of crafting Filter Stories into it. It’s truly a “movie for your ears,” and I’ve worked hard to make sure that, from the very first minute, you’re drawn into the story. I think it stands as some of the best audio storytelling I’ve ever done.
I hope that by shining a light on the agro-industrial forces threatening this biodiversity hotspot, this documentary can raise awareness among the BBC’s millions of listeners.
But I’m sad to say though that this project is bittersweet for me. Ferocious fires have returned to the Pantanal, and little is stopping the dredging of the river yet. I fear that this may be one of the last times this remarkable wetland exists in the form I saw it. Those extraordinary whoops and calls and sploshes I heard might be just a faint whisper in ten years’ time.
I can’t wait for you to experience this piece. Please tell me how you feel as you’re transported away into a vidid sound landscape of birds, critters and jaguars.
Listen to the documentary here.
You can find videos of my trip on my Instagram too.
But don’t worry, the Filter Stories podcast is still my main focus, and what I’ve learned through this experience will only make future episodes even more compelling!
Warm regards,
James
Congrats. Excited to listen, and watch the accolades roll in!