Interview with Michaela Strachan

What is the best thing about working on Autumnwatch?
All the Watches are amazing programmes to be involved with. I love doing live television. I love the buzz, the pressure, the concentration, the challenge and the fact that there are no re-takes.

Autumn is in some ways more challenging and in some ways less. More because we don't have the storylines of young animals coming into the world to rely on so we have to be more creative with our content, less because we can plan a bit more in advance.

I love working with a big team. Everyone on the Watches is highly experienced and brilliant at what they do and it makes you feel completely supported. I of course look forward to spending time with Chris and Martin. We get on so well and have such a laugh together, it makes the job a complete pleasure.

What is your favourite thing about autumn?
The colours. I love the deep reds, oranges, purples, yellows; it's a changing season. I love the sound of crunching leaves and that it's chilly but not freezing cold!

What are you looking forward to about the new series?
It'll be great to see if we can catch up with the barn owls we filmed in Springwatch and I hope we manage to follow the fallow deer rutting. Some people get a bit fed up with rutting deer every year but I can watch it endlessly, it's always fascinating. I'm also looking forward to Gillian's foxes, which always provide entertainment and interest.

It'll also be great to go back to Sherborne and see how the countryside has changed in autumn and to see if we can follow Madonna the badger who was so elusive during Springwatch. I’m looking forward to seeing more of the red kites. We had so many amazing birds of prey on Springwatch so hopefully we'll have a few for Autumnwatch as well.

What is your favourite memory of working on Autumnwatch?
It was last year in Poole Harbour in Dorset watching the amazingly beautiful starling murmuration. It was a stunning evening with gorgeous light and 10,000 birds swirling around in the sky making intricate patterns. It was like watching a wildlife ballet. I love a show and that really was an impressively beautiful one.

What’s the best thing about hosting a live TV show - do you get nervous or excited?
I love live TV, it's a real buzz. I don't really get nervous anymore but there is definitely adrenalin.

How do you prepare for the show?
A lot of hard work and preparation goes into the show - people are always surprised to hear how much effort goes into a one hour show!

They're long days. We start with reading notes that researchers have prepared; we then have a production meeting about that day's show, usually around 8.30am. We then watch the edited films so we know how to link in and out of them and are across the content. We then write our scripts. We don't use an autocue so we need to be totally familiar with the script by the live show. We write notes on our cards and they are vital.

We have hair and make-up before we record a trail to promote the show. Next is the technical rehearsal. We then watch anything that's been edited that day and write something to say over the pictures. A dress rehearsal follows, then we get notes and sometimes have to cut items out if the rehearsal goes over time. Then we're on at 8pm and it's all over by 9pm. A big glass of wine before bed and it all starts again the next day!

How do you deal with when something doesn’t go to plan?
Sometimes when things don't go to plan it makes the best telly. Our audiences love it when things go wrong. They actually don't go wrong often enough! The worst time I remember was when Chris started violently vomiting an hour and a half before the live show. It was obvious he couldn't go on so we had to re-write everything in an hour and do it without him. It went surprisingly well but it was probably the least scientific Watch we've done.

What are your top tips for people at home to be more wildlife friendly in autumn?
There are the obvious things like putting food out for the birds and water. Also make a pond in your garden and even if it's tiny it will attract wildlife. Leave some of your garden wild.

The biggest thing I can say is get your kids outside into the natural world. Put warm clothes on and get them to connect with their environment. We need young naturalists but more importantly we need kids not to be disconnected. I once said to my son that he wasn't allowed to go on his tablet until he'd spotted five birds in the garden. He went out and said "five starlings there you go!" You don't always win but you've got to keep trying.

Another idea is to do a beach clean. I think that should be a top thing to do. Plastic has become such a major problem in our oceans. I did a clean the other day and couldn't believe the amount of plastic straws. If we all did a clean-up every time we went to a beach it would make such a difference.

Highlight films

Willow Emerald Damselfly
A shimmer of metallic green and a flicker of delicate wings, the spectacular Willow Emerald Damselfly is a recent colonist to the UK - first appearing in recordable numbers in 2009. Unusually for damselflies, this species is an autumn breeder, laying their eggs in a surprising place, well out of the water. We follow their story; from the mating dance to egg laying in the last of summer warmth.

Fulmars - the flying dustbins
Raymond Besant is a cameraman with a passion for fulmars. He learnt his trade filming these beautiful seabirds in Scotland but more recently has noticed a worrying trend. They gained their dustbin nickname as they skim food off the surface of the ocean – but as our oceans become increasingly choked with floating plastic debris, the fulmars are filling up on rubbish rather than food.

Harvest Mouse house
With a name that screams autumn, the harvest mouse is Europe’s smallest rodent and one of our most industrious. Its extreme small size means that it has to keep itself constantly busy to survive. During the autumn the cycle of eating, building nests and staying away from predators is a full-time job.

Tadpole shrimp - a dinosaur in your puddle
In a few small areas of the UK, a prehistoric-looking animal prowls the puddles. The tadpole shrimp is a freshwater crustacean with a remarkable lifecycle. Lying dormant in soil for the summer, the eggs start to hatch as the water builds in an ephemeral pool. It’s then a race against time for these line-like creatures – they need to eat, mate and lay their own eggs before everything dries up once more.

People-led films

Rob MacFarlane on JA Baker
Twenty five years ago renowned nature author Rob Macfarlane read a book that changed his life: JA Baker's The Peregrine. In this beautiful film, Rob explores the extraordinary writing that makes this book stand out, and looks at its legacy on the 50th anniversary of its publication.

The Illustrators
Brothers Richard and Ian Lewington are the most prolific and respected wildlife illustrators of their time. They’ve illustrated some of the most famous and well know wildlife identification guides used by countless naturalists worldwide. We delve into their lives to discover what inspires them and follow the process of how they create their exquisite anatomically accurate creations.

Westonbirt Poetry
Marchant has cerebral palsy but won’t let that get in the way of his twin passions - writing poetry and being among the trees. This year he has brought them together in a remarkable exhibition at Westonbirt Arboretum, exploring some of the iconic individual trees in the UK’s most famous collection through verses hung from their boughs for all to enjoy.

Kate MacRae’s badger sett
Kate has been a friend of the show for many years often ahead of the team in developing and trying new technologies for herself. Over the last year she fulfilled a long-held ambition, tempting badgers into a specially designed filming sett to reveal some incredible and intimate behaviour.

Related BBC Links

• Springwatch 2017