Autumnwatch cancelled: why has Chris Packham BBC series been axed, will Springwatch and Winterwatch continue?

The BBC announced that it is cancelling nature programme Autumnwatch in an effort to ‘re-allocate funding’ to more popular programmes. The show has been on air since 2006 and is hosted by Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan, Gillian Burke, and Iolo Williams.

News of the cancellation comes a week after Packham announced that he would be taking a three-month break from TV work to ‘get some brain space’. He said: “To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of my burnout have been much exaggerated. But I do badly need some time just for me.”

The final season of Autumnwatch, which aired in October last year, was filmed at Wild Ken Hill, and at Teifi Marshes and Cardigan Bay in Wales. Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance supported the decision - he said: “The end of Autumnwatch presents an opportunity for the BBC to rebalance its wildlife programming.

“The BBC covers many rural issues well and produces lots of good countryside content, but there have been concerns about Autumnwatch’s unrealistic and anthropomorphic approach for many years. It won’t be missed in the countryside.”

Why has Autumnwatch been cancelled?

The BBC confirmed the cancellation of Autumnwatch in a statement: “These are challenging times financially and we need to make difficult decisions and focus our resources on content that has the highest impact.

“Sadly, this means that Autumnwatchwill not be continuing. Instead, we are investing more money into Springwatch and Winterwatch, as they are most popular with audiences.

“We are incredibly proud of the Watches and would like to thank the presenters and production team, who will continue on Springwatch when it returns in May for three weeks and Winterwatch when it returns next year for one week, reduced from two weeks."

Speaking about financial issues affecting the BBC during the broadcaster’s 100th anniversary last year, BBC Media Editor Amol Rajan said: “Its funding is capped at around £5bn. Streaming services have also driven up staff and programming costs. Ultimately, the BBC will have to do less, which means it will have to work out what it can do that others can’t.”

All three of The Watches series have seen ratings drop in recent years, but Autumnwatch has fared the worst - 1.4 million viewers tuned in for the first episode in October last year but that number fell to around 1 million for later episodes.

Winterwatch launched last month with a viewership of 1.9 million for the first episode, down by half a million from last year - Springwatch also saw a decline from 2.4 million viewers in 2021 to 2 million last year.

Have Springwatch and Winterwatch been cancelled?

No, Springwatch and Winterwatch will continue - although the next season of Winterwatch will be reduced to one week when it airs next year. Springwatch, which will return in late May, will continue to run for two weeks.

Director-general of the BBC, Tim Davie, told The Telegraph: “We are surrounded by global players with monster budgets. We must pick our battles carefully and make sure we get the biggest bang for limited bucks. This... is about re-allocating funds to where they generate most value - to ensure that we make our output world-beating and utterly distinctive.”