Chris Packham’s Autumnwatch ignites BBC licence fee row as fans rage at ‘pathetic’ series change: ‘Not what I pay for!’

Autumnwatch fans have been left up in arms this week after it was confirmed Chris Packham would be back with new editions of the nature programme.

On the face of it, the return of Autumnwatch would be welcome news for long-time fans of the show but this time around, Packham’s pieces to the camera have been reduced to segments on The One Show.

By reducing Autumnwatch to mere footnotes in the running order of the BBC’s weekday staple, fans have taken to social media to slam the decision.

Packham’s reprisal of Autumnwatch comes 18 months after the BBC canned the long-running series after 17 years on the air due to “challenging times financially”.

The One Show viewers were transported to Wytham Woods in Oxfordshire for the minutes-long segments, beginning on Tuesday, October 29 and concluding with a special Halloween edition on Thursday, October 31.

On X, formerly Twitter, fans made their feelings known on the underwhelming return of Autumnwatch, with many blasting the Beeb for cutting the much-loved nature programme to a feature on The One Show.

After The One Show’s X account promoted the return of Autumnwatch on social media, one fan replied: “Why are you announcing this as something to be excited about, 3 5min slots in the One Show is a disgrace for Autumn Watch.”

A second raised the contentious matter of their licence fee: “#Autumnwatch Has Autumn watch really been reduced to 3 – 5min slots on the one show, that is not what I pay my TV licence for Chris.

“If the BBC is hard up it should drop programs about drag queens, and shows like the Traitors both total dross. #bbc #chrispackham.”

The complaints kept coming from a third who fumed: “Is that all we get for Autumn Watch… 5 flipping mins?? What a pointless segment that was. Hang your heads in shame BBC and bring back the proper programme. #theoneshow #autumnwatch.”

This week, #Autumnwatch makes its home on #TheOneShow! 🍁

Join @ChrisGPackham as he ventures into Wytham Woods, Oxfordshire, for an up-close look at Europe’s largest badger settlement.

Watch more 👉 https://t.co/wlXHH93cUJ pic.twitter.com/gSexpWSl2d

— BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) October 29, 2024

A fourth concurred: “Watching #TheOneShow only and I say only to see #Autumnwatch segment with #ChrisPackham how the @bbc decided to scrap this show which shows off the beautiful scenery and wildlifee in our country, defies me #BBC #BringBackAutumnwatch.”

Another raged: “Wow, is that all we get? 5 mins of Autumn Watch via the one show, completely pointless. Might as well not of bothered. Pathetic from the BBC.”

And a sixth avid fan of the original series hit out: “I hate having to watch the one show to see just 5 minutes of #AutumnWatch… It’s f***ing insipid.”

The BBC stood by its decision to axe Autumnwatch in its traditional form back in February 2023.

The corporation’s full statement on Autumnwatch’s cancellation read: “These are challenging times financially and we need to make difficult decisions and focus our resources on content that has the highest impact.

“Sadly, this means that Autumnwatch will not be continuing. Instead, we are investing more money into Springwatch and Winterwatch, as they are most popular with audiences.

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“We are incredibly proud of the Watches and would like to thank the presenters and production team who will continue on Springwatch when it returns in May for three weeks, and Winterwatch when it returns next year for one week, reduced from two weeks.”

Packham has spoken out about the new-look Autumnwatch return, telling the BBC what his hopes are for viewers following the release of the new segments.

“Our aim and mission on The Watches is to show our audience how amazing our natural world is. How beautiful, how delicate, how inspiring, how incredibly intricate, complicated and perfectly tuned it is,” he said.

“The undeniable mental health benefits that being outside, amongst nature can bring and ultimately that all of this is accessible to everyone. Nature doesn’t discriminate. If people can see and love the natural world around them, hopefully they will have a desire to protect it.”