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05th Apr 2018

BBC found to be “breaking editorial standards” for fabricating scenes in Human Planet

Kate Demolder

The BBC has confirmed that a sequence from one of the scenes in the show was fabricated.

In an episode which aired back in 2011, the programme showed the Korowai people of West Papua, Indonesia move into a treehouse en masse.

But during recent filming for a different programme, the tribe said the houses were “commissioned for filming”.

The BBC has come forward and said it “breached editorial standards” and had since revised its guidelines.

Clip via BBC

Human Planet was released as an eight-part British television documentary series by the BBC back in January 2011. It describes the human species and its relationship with the natural world by showing the remarkable ways humans have adapted to life in every environment on Earth.

The Human Planet error was discovered as producers made BBC Two’s upcoming series, My Year With The Tribe.

In the new programme, presenter Will Millard tells viewers: “This is not where they live, this is total artifice”.

A BBC spokeswoman said: “The BBC has reviewed a sequence in Human Planet depicting this [the treehouses] and found that the portrayal of the tribe moving into the treehouse as a real home is not accurate.

“Since this programme was broadcast in 2011, we have strengthened our mandatory training for all staff in editorial guidelines, standards and values.”

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Topics:

BBC,Nature,TV