Life as a Blue Planet II cameraman

Venturing to some of the world’s most remote, inhospitable places and hanging with penguins is all in a day’s work for cameraman Alex Vail.

On a brief respite in Bristol between film locations, the 33-year-old, who has worked on Blue Planet II, reveals all, from landing what might be the ultimate dream job to facing extreme conditions and sharing a sandwich with David Attenborough.

“I grew up in research base on Lizard Island, just off the Great Barrier Reef, so I have always loved animals,” says Alex, drinking coffee from a reusable cup in the BBC’s HQ on Whiteladies Road.

Alex Vail admits his is a dream job. Photo by Zara Cowan

The Australian-born wildlife lover started out as a marine biologist, completing a PhD at Cambridge University before getting his big break and, ultimately, securing a prestigious scholarship with the Bristol-based BBC Natural History Unit.

Confessing his love for his adopted city, the cameraman says: “Bristol is the main hub for wildlife documentaries in the entire world – it’s the place to be for real high-quality wildlife film work. It all started with the Natural History Unit and then a lot of independents have joined. This is where it all happens.

“It’s amazing, all these American companies are coming to Bristol to get them to make wildlife documentaries.”

The Natural History Unit was officially formed in 1957 and is home to the likes of Dynasties, Planet Earth and Blue Planet.

The BBC now spends some £10m with independent production companies in the city every year and upcoming productions include Seven World, Wild Cities, First Year on Earth, Perfect Planet, Frozen Planet II and Planet Earth III, as well as the recently-launched Our Planet.

Alex filming leopard seals in Antarctica. Photo by Jonny Keeling

“I had always loved photography, but it was more of a hobby,” continues Alex.

“I remember one of the snow leopard sequences at the end of Planet Earth and thinking that must be the most amazing job, but I kind of dismissed it as something other people do.”

He comments it is not unusual for scientists to end up behind the camera in the world of wildlife documentaries, where detailed knowledge of the subject matter is a plus.

Recently back from stints in Antarctica and, before that, Peru, Alex admits he has seen some incredible sights.

“Antarctica will always be one of my big stand out memories,” he says. “It’s like nowhere else I have ever been to and so wild. The scenery is amazing and it’s just so harsh.

“Having no communication with the outside world is something I like in a way. Your whole world is right there, there’s no calling anyone up for help, you make it work with what you’ve got.

“You meet really interesting people in these places and develop strong friendships because you work with them in pretty harsh conditions.”

Alex says the job entails a lot of early starts and long days

After growing up on a research centre in northern Australia – where his mum and dad were directors of the base – Alex is at home in unusually remote places.

Getting close to wild animals in some of the harshest conditions imaginable is not an everyday experience for most, and Alex admits things can “get a bit hairy” at times, such as when he and a small team had to abandon one filming mission in Antarctica because the weather got too bad.

“Being in the water with big whales – that was pretty exciting,” he says, adding that getting the opportunity to work alongside David Attenborough was “amazing”.

“One time, I was on a very small boat with just him and I was a bit shell shocked, but he was just a regular gent,” remembers Alex, with a grin.

“I just feel very lucky I got to meet the great man and share a sandwich with him. He was just what I expected him to be and very knowledgeable.”

Alex in the BBC HQ on Whiteladies Road, during a brief sting back in Bristol

It’s not all glamour as a wildlife documentary maker and even with the best research, some things don’t go according to plan. There are also a lot of early starts and long days.

“We spent about two weeks in Australia getting up at 2am to film a crocodile,” says Alex.

“We would have to sit in the little boat and wait. And then we had to get into the water before the sun came up, but it [the crocodile] never did anything.”

Read more: Attenborough praises Bristol as the ‘undeniable home of natural history’