"I went behind the scenes at Springwatch and this is what it's like..."
Maisy Inston
Studio Guest
Earlier this year, I was given the opportunity to be in the Springwatch Unsprung audience! I’ve watched the show for as long as I can remember, so this was a big deal for me! I’m currently studying zoology at the University of Exeter’s Cornwall campus, so when I was asked if I could make it to Sherborne – I assumed I was to make my way to the Sherborne, Dorset - not too far from Exeter…
When I found out I had to get to Sherborne, Gloucestershire I was a bit worried! But I was not to be defeated, and managed to get there by train!
I met lots of lovely fellow audience members who were all very welcoming and surprised at how far I’d travelled! We made our way to the studio tent and it was awesome to see all the cameras and how the show was made. The crew did a quick rehearsal and then as soon as live recording began – thunder and rain shook the tent! They were not put off in the slightest and the recording went brilliantly! I smiled so hard my face hurt!
Afterwards, I was very lucky to be given a tour of behind the scenes! This was a dream come true! Me and another group of yet more lovely audience members were shown around the rooms where pre-recorded films are edited, where the live cameras were watched and where the crew have meetings and eat sweets!
Where the magic happens - the BBC Springwatch studio at Sherborne
"When I was asked if I could make it to Sherborne – I assumed I was to make my way to the Sherborne, Dorset - not too far from Exeter… When I found out I had to get to Sherborne, Gloucestershire I was a bit worried!"
When the sun shines the studio isn't used, instead these benches become the main set.
After that, I had to wait a while for my taxi so I was provided with some tasty fruit salad and sat with some of the crew whilst they had their dinner. All of the crew were so friendly, smiley and keen to chat! They made me feel right at home!
Unfortunately, my taxi was only able to pick me up much later than I’d thought. The team said not to worry and I could sit and watch the live show in one of their offices. This was so exciting! Watching Springwatch where Springwatch was being made! About halfway through, the team recognised my name as someone very interested in bats! They’d got in contact with me regarding possibly filming some of the bat-related things I do. I showed the team my bat scrap book which I’ve kept going since 2003! It contains everything from childish drawings to survey results and biro sketches! And then I was told I could show it to Chris Packham!
Chris is a huge hero of mine – and seeing him look through my bat book and tell me it was fantastic was ANOTHER dream come true! After that, the crew loaded me up with some fruit to eat and drove me back to the train station! Thank you so much to everyone who helped me out and made me feel welcome! You made my year!
