productions. In production As well as returning series such as Natural World and Springwatch and natural history content for BBC One's The One Show, the Unit has television series currently in production: Planet Earth III (8 x 60min, transmission on BBC One in 2023) Awards and recognition The Natural History Unit as a whole was awarded the Gold Medal at the 2001 Royal Television Society awards for its "outstanding contribution over the past 44 years to broadcasting about the natural world". It was praised for being "a national resource for people's understanding and love of wildlife on our planet, and a symbol of both quality and talent in public service broadcasting". NHU filmmakers are regularly nominated and rewarded at film festivals such as Wildscreen, the Missoula International Wildlife Film Festival and the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and their output has been recognised by the wider broadcasting industry too, winning four Emmys, eleven BAFTAs, and the Prix Italia on three occasions. Recognition has also come in the form of high audience viewing figures and audience approval ratings, particularly for 'blue-chip' series such as Planet Earth. When first screened in the UK it was watched by more than 8 million people. In 2008, episodes of Life in Cold Blood and the Wildlife Special miniseries Tiger: Spy in the Jungle both reportedly achieved the highest-ever audience appreciation index (AI) rating for a factual programme. New customers and audiences Since launching commercially, the Natural History Unit has won commissions from international broadcasters including Apple TV+ (The Year Earth Changed and Prehistoric Planet), Discovery Channel (Endangered, narrated by Ellen DeGeneres), NBCUniversal (The Americas previously known as The New World), National Geographic (Ocean Xplorers in partnership with James Cameron), as well as producing for the BBC. Content is marketed internationally under BBC Studios' BBC Earth brand. Original content is also broadcast on the BBC Earth YouTube channel. Staff Heads According to Nicholas Crocker (1957–1959) Bruce Campbell (1959–1962) Nicholas Crocker (1962–1973) Mick Rhodes (1973–1979) Christopher Parsons (1979–1983) John Sparks (1983–1988) Andrew Neal (1988–1992) Alastair Fothergill (1992–1998) Keith Scholey (1998–2003) Neil Nightingale (2003–2009) Andrew Jackson (2009–2012) Wendy Darke (2012–2016) Julian Hector (2016–present) Other Mary Colwell, BBC Natural History producer Richard Matthews, BBC Natural History wildlife filmmaker References Sources Parsons, C. (1982) True to Nature: Christopher Parsons looks back on 25 years of wildlife filming with the BBC Natural History Unit. Patrick Stephens Limited. Attenborough, D. (2002) Life