MARION SAUVEBOIS talks to a fearless wildlife filmmaker

DISTURBING a bear from his cave unintentionally, or finding himself in the path of an elephant are just occupational hazards for wildlife filmmaker Gordon Buchanan.

Thankfully, these incidents are far and few between. Like a true adventurer, the Scot is always prepared and thoroughly researches the subjects of his documentaries before getting up close and personal.

Of course when things do not quite go as planned and you get caught off guard, having a moderately high fear threshold always comes in handy.

“I’ve been surprised by an elephant, and charged at by a bear from a cave that I didn’t know was there. It’s funny after the fact.

“I supposed you learn you’ve got to always know where the bear is. Maybe I’ve got a higher fear threshold than most people but I don’t do things blindly.”

The most enthralling footage and apparently dangerous situations Gordon is placed in, such as being attacked by a polar bear from the confines of a glass cube are ‘safe’, by his own standards anyway.

“I always get an understanding of the animals first,” adds the 42-year-old.

“They might seem unpredictable but humans are probably the most unpredictable species on the planet. If you have got the knowledge and experience you can start predicting what animals are going to do.

“It’s about getting as physically close to the animals as possible to give people an understanding of these animals and the problems they face.

“Once you actually get right in there with them it’s easier to relate to them. There are a lot of situations I’m in that would terrify the majority of people but I’m getting to know the animals so well that you know what there are capable of. A lot of the situations may appear dangerous but I feel perfectly safe.”

Predictability aside, this does not mean that there is not a fair amount waiting around to get that ‘killer’ footage. Yet, according to Gordon, who once had to bide his time for 30 days for that very reason, his job is not about patience but optimism.

“It really is as much about optimism as it about patience. And I’m not a particularly patient person. It’s rare to get to the end of a project and think ‘I’ve got everything I wanted’.

“You’re only really scratching the surface with these animals and that’s what keeps me engaged. I’m as excited about going back as I was on the first day there.”

Although a lover of the great outdoors – there was not exactly much else to do on the Isle of Mull, where he grew up, he quips – he never harboured ambitions to capture the secret lives of wild animals, until he took up a summer job at a restaurant owned by wildlife cameraman, Nick Gordon.

Nick was offered a contract to film primates in West Africa and asked Gordon if he would join him as an assistant.

“I messed around so much at school that I was not going to be able to go to college or university and suddenly I had this opportunity fall at my feet. I had never even been on a plane before. It was a bit of a shock to the system.”

Since then, Gordon has shot and presented several nature programmes on the BBC including Winterwatch, The Lost Land, The Polar Bear Family And Me and the award-winning The Bear Family And Me. His last, and most memorable to date, two-part documentary The Snow Wolf Family and Me aired last December and revealed extraordinary footage of Gordon bonding with a wild wolf family on Ellesmere Island.

“The Snow Wolf will be a very hard project to beat. I love the Arctic, its emptiness, and the wolves were incredible. They are the most amazing animals on earth. I was genuinely sad to be leaving them.”

A firm fixture in the world of nature filmmaking, he has been tipped as the next David Attenborough – a state of affairs which leaves him with no end of embarrassment.

“It’s enormously flattering for people to think of you in that way but my embarrassment about it is far greater. He has been a huge hero of mine for a long time.

“They’ve been looking for the ‘next Attenborough’ for years but he is as busy as ever. There is no need for a new Attenborough. I would only hope that I could get a career that lasted as long as his.”

Gordon Buchanan will share stories and behind-the-scenes photographs and footage of his documentaries, as well as answer questions from the audience at the Wyvern Theatre on Wednesday, March 11.

 Tickets to see Gordon on March 11 at the Wyvern Theatre cost £18.50.

To book call 01793 524481 or visit www.swindontheatres.co.uk