Nature world without end

Press, 10 February 1982, Page 18

Nature world without end

pßeviewl!

Douglas McKenzie

•Even if TV last for a thousand years no plant or animal or little crawly thing that inhabits the earth shall have failed to inhabit the screen at least 2000 times — and that's without the repeats.

The present' vogue for nature programmes in all their numberless manifestations shows no sign of abating, and the Bellamys and Attenboroughs of electronica have assured financial annuities for the foreseeable future.

As a matter of fact. Bellamy and Attenborough are very good indeed; it’s just that it's almost impossible to find a week without them. Whether they are doing originals or repeats is not the point: so much of their work has turned up in the last few years that the viewer could be forgiven for finally believing that he's going round in circles with the albatrosses, and that the little fishes picking the ticks off the flank of the crestedtail ant-eater are really humming-birds flying up the nostrils of hippopotamuses.

“Botanic Man" (One. Monday) had the delightful and educational; David Bellamy plunging uphill in equatorial Ecuador scattering information and vegetation in tortured vowels and staccato enthusiasm, and displaying the most outrageously dirty finger-nails seen on TV outside a gardening session.

Whether Mr Bellamy is first time round or second tinfie round he is still. good value: but he is going to wear himself out, that man.

On his own terms, though, the Ecuador piece was not one of his best. It might have seemed a good planning idea in London to make altitude from the sea to the snowline right on the Equator. But the trouble was: no coconut palms at sea level — it didn't look like the Equator.

Generally speaking, the vegetation throughout was not especially interesting. Mr Bellamy had to work twice as hard as usual for half the usual effect.

In the same way that Mr Bellamy's programme can

carry an “(R)" without automatically causing crossness of a “(Final)” without leading to demonstrations of satisfaction and relief, so also the “(R)“ alongside “To the Manor Born” has generally survived without obloquy.

This is because Penelope Keith built up a quick reputation as a “favourite actress." largely, it seems, because of her work in "The Good Life." She is still very nice but now she is smiling too much.

She suits scathing snobbery best, not gracious forgiveness. Miss Keith shines not at being humorous, but only at looking humorous.

As she once demonstrated fairly tragically on the Parkinson show, she is a natural comic only if the material is written for her.