Latest news with #JimmyDoherty
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TV farmer warns of 'obesity epidemic' in UK
Celebrity farmer Jimmy Doherty has warned the nation is facing an "obesity epidemic" during an event for schoolchildren. The presenter said he wanted to bridge "a massive divide" between consumers and producers as he met with pupils on Tuesday. Thousands of children, from 72 primary schools across Essex, gathered at Anglia Ruskin University's campus in Writtle for the educational festival. Doherty, a visiting professor at the university, said it was a "brilliant showcase" that would better people's understanding of the farming industry. "It's absolutely vital that we have that interaction because we've got an obesity epidemic in this country," he told the BBC. The event was organised by the Essex Agricultural Society, which estimated 3,000 children were in attendance. It featured the chance to get up close with livestock and watch tractors and combine harvesters in action. "We have a massive divide between the consumers and producers," said Doherty, who became a household name after his Jimmy's Farm documentary aired in 2004. "We need a better understanding of how our food is produced, what goes into it and also the importance of our farmers." Children were inspired to be curious about healthy eating and sustainability during the day, as well as being taught how to pursue an agricultural career. Andrea Farrant, head teacher of Blackmore Primary School in Ingatestone, said she wanted pupils to see what was grown in Essex. She said they enjoyed seeing how food "gets to our plates". Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. How can I get to this year's Royal Norfolk Show? Zoos much more than entertainment, say leaders TV presenter takes on new role at university
BBC News
6 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Jimmy Doherty warns of 'obesity epidemic' during Writtle event
Celebrity farmer Jimmy Doherty has warned the nation is facing an "obesity epidemic" during an event for presenter said he wanted to bridge "a massive divide" between consumers and producers as he met with pupils on of children, from 72 primary schools across Essex, gathered at Anglia Ruskin University's campus in Writtle for the educational a visiting professor at the university, said it was a "brilliant showcase" that would better people's understanding of the farming industry. "It's absolutely vital that we have that interaction because we've got an obesity epidemic in this country," he told the BBC. The event was organised by the Essex Agricultural Society, which estimated 3,000 children were in featured the chance to get up close with livestock and watch tractors and combine harvesters in action."We have a massive divide between the consumers and producers," said Doherty, who became a household name after his Jimmy's Farm documentary aired in 2004."We need a better understanding of how our food is produced, what goes into it and also the importance of our farmers." Children were inspired to be curious about healthy eating and sustainability during the day, as well as being taught how to pursue an agricultural Farrant, head teacher of Blackmore Primary School in Ingatestone, said she wanted pupils to see what was grown in said they enjoyed seeing how food "gets to our plates". Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Zoos much more than entertainment, say industry leaders
Zoo and wildlife park leaders at an annual conference have said the industry was "much more than entertainment" in today's British & Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums met at Jimmy's Farm & Wildlife Park near Ipswich for its annual conference, bringing together representatives from across the comes after the government introduced new legislation to raise standards and ensure conservation efforts were being Doherty, owner of Jimmy's Farm and TV presenter, said the industry should "always be striving to do better". "The days of when you got to a zoo or a wildlife part for entertainment, they're still there to have a day out, but it's much more than entertainment," he said."I'm very keen to get that across to people because there still is an anti-side to it, but actually the work that zoos and wildlife parks do to preserve our wildlife and habitats is vital."Particularly now under so much pressure, in terms of destruction of habitats, but also climate change." Mr Doherty's farm and wildlife park is home to four polar bears as well as many other of the polar bears was rescued by Jimmy's Farm from Sweden as it was due to be euthanised. The park is also a part of various breeding programmes and conservation research encouraged people to find out more about all zoo's conservation work and he believed the new government legislation would ensure standards were kept legislation updates rules for keeping animals in zoos, including having larger habitats for elephants, the removal of being able to touch fish and cephalopods at aquariums, and phasing out the practice of tethering welfare minister Baroness Hayman said the reform was "long overdue"."We're making sure all sectors have the tools they need to thrive, which is vital in our mission to deliver economic growth and make lives better for people across the country under our Plan for Change," she said. Tyler Whitnall, a director of Hertfordshire Zoo and a trustee of Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, said the new legislation would "bring everyone to a higher table".He added: "[It will] hold everyone to a much higher standard to protect the species in our care, but also what we're doing for conservation in terms of protecting these species in the wild."But also in terms of making sure our teams on the ground are looking after the animals, have the right information and are accountable, so we can make sure that zoos going forward are all good zoos."Without the work that good zoos are doing, most of these [endangered] species would be extinct already." Chris Brown is the head of conservation, science and education at Sea Life, which has centres in Great Yarmouth and Hunstanton in believed those in the industry were "excited" by the government's new legislation."I think we've got an incredible responsibility having animals in our aquariums and zoos, and it's really important to be able to educate the public, but also utilise our aquariums and zoos to be able to advance conservation, research and education," he said."The new zoo standards really make that easier to be able to show and evidence what we do for it."So it's something that's been done for a long time, but not always been able to show the impacts that we're having." 'Not far enough' The RSPCA said in May that it welcomed the government's new legislation, but felt it did not go "far enough to protect every animal".Dr Ros Clubb, head of the RSPCA Wildlife Department, said the charity felt elephants did not belong in zoos, while it was still concerned for animals which were handled, including crabs and starfish, which were not included in the charity did welcome the phasing out of tethering of birds of prey, which it said deprived them of their "freedom to fly and exercise"."A fundamental understanding of the welfare needs of all animals is so important," Dr Clubb added."Zoo visitors should be educated about animal welfare so they are encouraged and informed about how to be kind and compassionate to animals they interact with."Wildlife welfare charity Born Free said last month that "zoos can never fully provide for the complex needs of most wild animal species", and it would "continue to call for the revision of zoo licensing and inspection processes to ensure the animals that are kept are afforded the best possible care". Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michael Lachmann obituary
The television producer and director Michael Lachmann, who has died aged 54 in a mountaineering accident in the French Alps, helped to turn the former pop musician and particle physics professor Brian Cox into a TV presenter known for bringing science documentaries into a new age. Lachmann also took the pig farmer Jimmy Doherty around the world to explore the pros and cons of GM foods, and made thought-provoking programmes on great scientists and the space race. His skill in popularising science without dumbing down included placing Cox inside a derelict Rio de Janeiro jail for a sequence in the 2011 BBC Two series Wonders of the Universe. Cox sprayed chemical element symbols on the walls, and Lachmann had the building dramatically blown up. The four-part series attempted to answer the question: 'What are we and where do we come from?' In Stardust, the episode directed by Lachmann, he and Cox travelled not only to Brazil, but also to Kathmandu and Chile, to reveal the origins of humans in distant stars. Both had previously worked together on Wonders of the Solar System (2010), with Lachmann, as lead director, making two of the five episodes filmed in extreme locations on Earth to explain how the laws of physics carved natural wonders. This breakthrough series for Cox attracted more than 6 million viewers on BBC Two, and Lachmann used CGI techniques to tell the story. It also won two Royal Television Society awards, in the best presenter and science and natural history programme categories. Cox regarded Lachmann as fun to work with and said his 'visual imagination and ability to tell a story without intellectual compromise were second to none', adding: 'I never quite knew what he would dream up to illustrate an idea: an exploding prison in Rio, a race around Rome in a vintage Fiat 500, a journey of a thousand metres below the waves in a 1960s submersible.' The pair's collaborations continued through episodes of Wonders of Life, Science Britannica and In Search of Science (all 2013) before they made the single, feature-length documentary Brian Cox: Seven Days on Mars (2022), with Lachmann negotiating access to Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, mission control for Mars 2020. They spent a week filming the surface of the red planet through the eyes and instruments of the Perseverance rover as it searched for evidence of long-extinct life. Lachmann was born in Cambridge, to Sylvia (nee Stephenson), a doctor, and Peter Lachmann, an immunologist who at the time was assistant director of research at the Cambridge University department of pathology. On leaving the Perse school, Cambridge, he gained a degree in natural sciences and zoology from Peterhouse, Cambridge, and a master's in science communication from Imperial College London. He entered television with an independent production company, McDougall Craig, as the researcher on a 1996 programme for Channel 4's science series Equinox, about how social status affects human health. Moving to John Gau Productions, he was assistant producer on the three-part documentary Plane Crazy (1997), for Channel 4, and the US network PBS, about a resident of California's Silicon Valley who claimed he could build an aeroplane in his garage in 30 days. When progress was painfully slow, Lachmann and the director, Paul Sen, worried about meeting their shooting deadline – then had the idea of turning it into a story of failure. In 2000, Lachmann joined the BBC to work as assistant producer on Walking With Beasts, the sequel to Walking With Dinosaurs. Screened the following year, it traced the story of life on Earth from the death of the dinosaurs to the dawn of the age of man, using CGI animation and pioneering red-button features. The six-part series won Bafta's interactive/enhancement of linear media award. Lachmann then became a founding member of the BBCi department, the corporation's first foray into interactive and streaming TV services, working on other projects before producing and directing programmes, including episodes of the science series Horizon (from 2008 to 2018). Jimmy's GM Food Fight, in 2008, brought with it controversy. Lachmann, whose father had been an advocate of genetically modified crops, followed Doherty – an organic farmer – on a quest to Argentina, Pennsylvania and Uganda to assess whether the crops could feed the world or start an environmental disaster. When some anti-GM campaigners complained about bias, the BBC rejected the criticisms, asserting that the programme was 'carefully balanced to take in both sides of the debate' and had concluded that 'any future development of GM should be done with great care'. Later, Lachmann made the Horizon film Should I Eat Meat? How to Feed the Planet (2014), presented by Michael Mosley, who destroyed some myths in the 'meat-eater versus vegetarian' debate. His standalone documentaries included Cosmonauts: How Russia Won the Space Race (2014), contending that the Soviet Union was the real pioneer during the cold war, and The Celts: Blood, Iron and Sacrifice (2015), with Alice Roberts and Neil Oliver telling the story of Queen Boudicca's revolt against the Roman army. Lachmann was series editor for Neanderthals: Meet Your Ancestors (2018), which put more myths to bed, this time about these early humans often depicted as 'apemen'. An anthropologist, Ella Al-Shamahi, revealed that 2% of most people's DNA comes from Neanderthals, and motion-capture animation transformed the Lord of the Rings actor Andy Serkis into one. From 2015 to 2020, Lachmann was also series producer on The Sky at Night. To mark the first anniversary of the death of Stephen Hawking, he wrote and directed the Emmy-nominated Einstein and Hawking: Unlocking the Universe (2019), looking at how the two scientists' theories revolutionised human understanding. More recently, away from the BBC, Lachmann was the writer and director of Spacetime Capsule (2024), a series for Chinese television that explored China's latest advances in science and space technology. Lachmann's 2002 marriage to Lisa Suiter ended in divorce. He is survived by their sons, Dexter and Max, and by his mother, brother, Robin, and sister, Helen. • Michael Alan Lachmann, writer, producer and director, born 20 August 1970; died 8 June 2025
The Guardian
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Michael Lachmann obituary
The television producer and director Michael Lachmann, who has died aged 54 in a mountaineering accident in the French Alps, helped to turn the former pop musician and particle physics professor Brian Cox into a TV presenter known for bringing science documentaries into a new age. Lachmann also took the pig farmer Jimmy Doherty around the world to explore the pros and cons of GM foods, and made thought-provoking programmes on great scientists and the space race. His skill in popularising science without dumbing down included placing Cox inside a derelict Rio de Janeiro jail for a sequence in the 2011 BBC Two series Wonders of the Universe. Cox sprayed chemical element symbols on the walls, and Lachmann had the building dramatically blown up. The four-part series attempted to answer the question: 'What are we and where do we come from?' In Stardust, the episode directed by Lachmann, he and Cox travelled not only to Brazil, but also to Kathmandu and Chile, to reveal the origins of humans in distant stars. Both had previously worked together on Wonders of the Solar System (2010), with Lachmann, as lead director, making two of the five episodes filmed in extreme locations on Earth to explain how the laws of physics carved natural wonders. This breakthrough series for Cox attracted more than 6 million viewers on BBC Two, and Lachmann used CGI techniques to tell the story. It also won two Royal Television Society awards, in the best presenter and science and natural history programme categories. Cox regarded Lachmann as fun to work with and said his 'visual imagination and ability to tell a story without intellectual compromise were second to none', adding: 'I never quite knew what he would dream up to illustrate an idea: an exploding prison in Rio, a race around Rome in a vintage Fiat 500, a journey of a thousand metres below the waves in a 1960s submersible.' The pair's collaborations continued through episodes of Wonders of Life, Science Britannica and In Search of Science (all 2013) before they made the single, feature-length documentary Brian Cox: Seven Days on Mars (2022), with Lachmann negotiating access to Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, mission control for Mars 2020. They spent a week filming the surface of the red planet through the eyes and instruments of the Perseverance rover as it searched for evidence of long-extinct life. Lachmann was born in Cambridge, to Sylvia (nee Stephenson), a doctor, and Peter Lachmann, an immunologist who at the time was assistant director of research at the Cambridge University department of pathology. On leaving the Perse school, Cambridge, he gained a degree in natural sciences and zoology from Peterhouse, Cambridge, and a master's in science communication from Imperial College London. He entered television with an independent production company, McDougall Craig, as the researcher on a 1996 programme for Channel 4's science series Equinox, about how social status affects human health. Moving to John Gau Productions, he was assistant producer on the three-part documentary Plane Crazy (1997), for Channel 4, and the US network PBS, about a resident of California's Silicon Valley who claimed he could build an aeroplane in his garage in 30 days. When progress was painfully slow, Lachmann and the director, Paul Sen, worried about meeting their shooting deadline – then had the idea of turning it into a story of failure. In 2000, Lachmann joined the BBC to work as assistant producer on Walking With Beasts, the sequel to Walking With Dinosaurs. Screened the following year, it traced the story of life on Earth from the death of the dinosaurs to the dawn of the age of man, using CGI animation and pioneering red-button features. The six-part series won Bafta's interactive/enhancement of linear media award. Lachmann then became a founding member of the BBCi department, the corporation's first foray into interactive and streaming TV services, working on other projects before producing and directing programmes, including episodes of the science series Horizon (from 2008 to 2018). Jimmy's GM Food Fight, in 2008, brought with it controversy. Lachmann, whose father had been an advocate of genetically modified crops, followed Doherty – an organic farmer – on a quest to Argentina, Pennsylvania and Uganda to assess whether the crops could feed the world or start an environmental disaster. When some anti-GM campaigners complained about bias, the BBC rejected the criticisms, asserting that the programme was 'carefully balanced to take in both sides of the debate' and had concluded that 'any future development of GM should be done with great care'. Later, Lachmann made the Horizon film Should I Eat Meat? How to Feed the Planet (2014), presented by Michael Mosley, who destroyed some myths in the 'meat-eater versus vegetarian' debate. His standalone documentaries included Cosmonauts: How Russia Won the Space Race (2014), contending that the Soviet Union was the real pioneer during the cold war, and The Celts: Blood, Iron and Sacrifice (2015), with Alice Roberts and Neil Oliver telling the story of Queen Boudicca's revolt against the Roman army. Lachmann was series editor for Neanderthals: Meet Your Ancestors (2018), which put more myths to bed, this time about these early humans often depicted as 'apemen'. An anthropologist, Ella Al-Shamahi, revealed that 2% of most people's DNA comes from Neanderthals, and motion-capture animation transformed the Lord of the Rings actor Andy Serkis into one. From 2015 to 2020, Lachmann was also series producer on The Sky at Night. To mark the first anniversary of the death of Stephen Hawking, he wrote and directed the Emmy-nominated Einstein and Hawking: Unlocking the Universe (2019), looking at how the two scientists' theories revolutionised human understanding. More recently, away from the BBC, Lachmann was the writer and director of Spacetime Capsule (2024), a series for Chinese television that explored China's latest advances in science and space technology. Lachmann's 2002 marriage to Lisa Suiter ended in divorce. He is survived by their sons, Dexter and Max, and by his mother, brother, Robin, and sister, Helen. Michael Alan Lachmann, writer, producer and director, born 20 August 1970; died 8 June 2025
