Chris Packham: 'I'd throw myself in front of a T. Rex to be consumed' — SkimNews
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- Chris Packham's new five-part BBC series "Evolution" traces the evolutionary backstories of five iconic animals back to the last universal common ancestor of all life on Earth.
- The show uses CGI to reconstruct pivotal ancestors, including bats whose feeding story connects jaw evolution to the ear bones they use to locate prey.
- Packham said the show deliberately presents competing scientific theories when researchers disagree, saying he "quite enjoy[s] not knowing" because ambiguity gives viewers' imaginations somewhere to go.
- Drawing a line from David Attenborough's legacy of fostering nature love, Packham argued the public now needs to do more: "they don't have to just love it anymore, they've really got to care about it."
- Asked what he'd see in a time machine, the 65-year-old Packham said he'd visit the Cretaceous to learn T. rex's color and hunting style, adding he'd "throw myself in front of it to be consumed."
- Evolution premieres on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on 13 July.
Why it matters: Packham's BBC Evolution series marks a deliberate pivot in nature programming: from fostering affection to building scientific literacy, arguing the evolutionary backstory of iconic animals is what converts passive love into active conservation. With the 13 July BBC Two premiere, he's betting an Attenborough-raised audience can handle the harder ask: care, not just awe.
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