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''Big Cat Diary'', also known as ''Big Cat Week'' or ''Big Cat Live'' according to the format of the show,was a long-running nature documentary series on BBC television which follows the lives of African big cats in Kenya's Maasai Mara. The first series, broadcast on BBC One in 1996, was developed and jointly produced by Keith Scholey, who would go on to become Head of the BBC's Natural History Unit. Eight further series have followed, most recently ''Big Cat Live'', a live broadcast from the Mara in 2008. The original presenters, Jonathan Scott and Simon King, were joined by Saba Douglas-Hamilton from 2002 onwards. Kate Silverton and Jackson Looseyia were added to the presenting team for ''Big Cat Live''. ==Background== The BBC Natural History Unit originally wanted to film in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, but when this proved too expensive, they switched to Kenya. Filming is timed to coincide with the arrival of the annual wildebeest migration in the Mara, which is when the most predators gather to take advantage of abundant prey. Each series has followed the daily lives of a lion pride, a cheetah family and a leopard family. The crew, which can number up to 60 people,〔 〕 use specially modified 4WD vehicles to travel around the Mara, tracking, spotting and filming the cats. The presenters also travel in the vehicles, addressing the camera as the action unfolds in front of them. They use names and develop personalities for particular cats to draw the audience into a relationship with them, creating empathy for the characters. The similarity to soap operas has led to ''Big Cat Diary'' being called "the original wildlife soap opera".〔 Originally intended to be a one-off series, ''Big Cat Diary'' proved so popular that a further eight series have been broadcast to date, plus occasional specials. Recent series have drawn audiences of over 7 million viewers to BBC One,〔BBC Three immediately after the BBC One episodes. On 5 October 2008, the series returned to British television screens as ''Big Cat Live'', the BBC Natural History Unit's most ambitious live international broadcast. Host Kate Silverton and local Maasai guide Jackson Looseyia joined regular presenters King and Scott for two weeks of nightly live programmes on BBC One. Additional broadcast content included ''Little Big Cat'' on CBeebies and ''Big Cat Raw'', a webcast hosted on BBC Online. An update programme with highlights was shown at Christmas 2008. The BBC have yet to announce whether the series will be recommissioned. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Big Cat Diary」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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