INTERVIEW
The Whale in the Living Room
John Ruthven is a veteran producer of marine natural history documentaries . On the publication of his memoir , he talks diving , natural history and megafauna with SCUBA Editor Simon Rogerson
SR : You use the image of a whale as a motif for the enormity of the world you are trying to present to your viewers in their living rooms . What are the special considerations you must make when working with , for instance , the biggest animal ever to have lived on this planet ?
JR : If you want to get near enough to film a whale in the water you will need the right permissions and filming permits and often you will be with a science team who can justify the close interaction because they are doing good science . Listen to the experts you have with you and discuss everything honestly with your whole team . Yet , while being sensible , you also have to let your interest overtake your fear otherwise you might not do anything .
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Blue whales weighing 100 tonnes can do 30 knots – that ’ s a lot of energy if it hits you . Luckily they seem sensitive to you in the water and will avoid you . But context is everything with animals , and the conditions need to be calm and clear – you will know the right moments from the advice of longstanding science researchers with you – often making it their life ’ s work to study the whales .
Sir David Attenborough presents his introduction to Blue Planet 1 alongside a blue whale
SR : Your entry into the Natural History Unit seems to be the conventional route of a degree in zoology , followed by the PhD . Looking back , was it a natural progression that your career should gravitate so much to the marine world , or was that the reaction you had envisaged ?
JR : There ’ s isn ’ t a conventional way to get into the BBC ; particularly today the organisation prides itself on trying to be as inclusive as possible . Perhaps it was somewhat different when I started in 1986 but I think the main thought I had was that this was really something I wanted to do , something I believed in , and that kind of thinking will get you a long way . I was also fearless because at that time I did not realise how competitive it is – that is one of the best things about being young , you believe everything is possible . Qualification in the life sciences is not necessary for wildlife film making , but you must have some passion for the natural world , and you should be interested in telling visual stories through video that more than ever is an important communication tool online and off .
SR : Please tell us how and when you trained to dive . Was it an easy process for you , and how did you react at the time ? How far did you take your training and what was the most difficult skill you had to master ?