Michaela Strachan says ‘Winterwatch’ is "not Disney" and viewers need to be prepared to have their hearts broken by the harsh reality of nature.
The 52-year-old animal enthusiast has emphasised that the BBC wildlife series – which she hosts with Chris Packham and Gillian Burke – shows wildlife as it is and unfortunately not all stories have fairytale endings.
Michaela told Radio Times magazine: "We’re not Disney. Last ‘Springwatch’ we had a little owl and a black-bird in the same barn. When the blackbird’s eggs hatched, the little owl got them all. It’s heart-wrenching watching it, but that’s life.
"The worst example, was when we had a big nest of baby rabbits in a pile of straw and we thought, ‘Great, let’s get some live cameras on them!’ But they were all eaten – and viciously – by crows, blackbirds, magpies. We had complaints. So we’ve decided that if we have anything as horrific as that again we will say, ‘This is difficult to watch, so turn away if you don’t want to see it.’
"But it’s like watching a really dramatic film and the main character dies, and you cry, and it’s awful, but you come out of the cinema and say, ‘That was brilliant.’ You want to feel something, don’t you?’ "
The former ‘Really Wild Show’ presenter also revealed that her and her co-star go through Twitter when the show has finished airing to see if fans pick up on their mistakes live on air.
She said: "Chris and I have got to the stage where flick through Twitter after the show and say, "Oh come on… Where are the complaints?’ I got the wrong name for a kingfisher once. Of course I know what a kingfisher is! But sometimes the wrong word just comes out of your mouth. And if nobody picks you up on it you think, ‘Is anybody listening?’ So we’re always happy for people to correct us."
Michaela Strachan says ‘Winterwatch’ is ‘not Disney’
