BBC Natural History Unit co-founder Tony Soper dies aged 95

A retired wildlife television host from the BBC, who was also an author and naturalist, has passed away at the age of 95.

Tony Soper was one of the founding members of the BBC's Natural History Unit, established in Bristol in 1957. Since its inception, the unit has created numerous wildlife documentaries that have been showcased globally.

Mr. Soper was born in Southampton in 1929 and raised in Plymouth, where he began his professional journey in 1947 as a trainee engineer at the corporation.

He worked as a wildlife camera operator and film producer and later hosted several television programs, such as Birdwatch and Beside the Sea.

In an interview with BBC Radio Devon in 1995, Mr. Soper mentioned that the team responsible for establishing the unit needed to be quite inventive and adaptable during its initial phase.

"We equipped our editing room with a projector and a splicing machine that we purchased from a nearby camera store. We longed to own a camera so that we could create our own films," he shared.

As mentioned on his website, he began his freelance career in 1963 to be able to live nearer to the ocean in Devon.

He then embarked on a career guiding wildlife cruises to the Arctic and Antarctica, while also authoring numerous books on wildlife both in the UK and around the world.

Mr. Soper is remembered by his wife Hilary, his two sons Tim and Jack, and his five grandchildren.