On location in Africa, with Gordon Buchanan

For most people, the thought of watching a magnificent wild animal being eaten alive right in front of them would be the stuff of nightmares, but it’s all in a day’s work for our guest, the celebrated Scottish wildlife filmmaker Gordon Buchanan. Fresh from filming the latest series of the BBC’s Big Cats 24/7, Gordon discusses what it’s actually like to sit in a safari vehicle for endless hours in the scorching sun, waiting for something to happen. He looks back at his childhood on a council estate outside of Glasgow, and reflects on the difficulties of maintaining a work/life balance while filming away from home for months at a time. Gordon’s live tour show, Lions and Tigers and Bears, covers 30 dates in England and Scotland from January through March 2026. Get your tickets at ⁠gordon-buchanan.co.uk⁠ The new series of Big Cats 24/7 will be on BBC Two in February 2026. In the meantime, many of Gordon’s films are available to watch online – search under his name on the BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Apple TV, National Geographic, or whichever services you use. Photo: Gordon Buchanan And to get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: ⁠https://www.discoverwildlife.com⁠ BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices