Catch up TV

Series 8: 3. The Seal Whisperer

Witness magical scenes in a documentary that explores Ben Burville’s extraordinary relationship with the seals of the Farne Islands. By day, this busy GP is hard at work seeing patients in the coastal town of Amble, Northumberland. In his spare time, he takes us beneath the waves to spend time with seals. They trust him so much, some even shake hands (flippers) and others give him a cuddle. Ben shares his feelings of the importance of being able to spend time in the ocean with the seals. \n\nThrough many years watching the seals, he has built a unique rapport with them and become a leading seal expert, linked to Newcastle University. Some of the unique behaviours he has filmed include how males use sound, clapping their flippers together to warn off other males during courtship. Other remarkable scenes include seals taking a nap underwater and scooting along the seabed on their backs. Exactly why seals do this is still a mystery.\n\nFilmed over six months, the film includes moving scenes of a young seal pup being rescued by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue team after violent winter storms strand it on a Northumberland beach. And, as spring comes to the Farne Islands, Ben witnesses a spectacular transformation as puffins court and tens of thousands of seabirds return to the islands to breed.

Source: BBC 2