What’s on Derbyshire: Hear from Doug Allan, Sir David Attenborough’s favourite cameraman

This is high praise for the man who has been behind the lens for countless wildlife films and incredible photographs.

Doug Allan is a stills photographer and filmmaker specialising in wildlife –both on land and underwater. He first worked with Sir David Attenborough in the early 1980s, and his work can be seen on BBC Discovery Channels, National Geographic, The Blue Planet, Life of Mammals, Planet Earth, Life, Human Planet and Frozen Planet.

He has four Emmys and five Baftas among his accolades and has been named Wildlife Photographer of the Year more than once, but it is his personal stories – his close encounters with wild animals, which are what make the stories behind the films and photographs as fascinating as the end result.

This September he’s coming to Derbyshire with a critically-acclaimed show where you can hear more about his incredible life, the trials and tribulations of wildlife photography, and hear his thoughts and observations on climate change.

Doug is a master story-teller, whether recounting hair-raising moments with Polar bears at his window, or getting on the wrong side of a Walrus or speaking passionately and with experience and authority on the challenges of plastics in our oceans and climate change.

The man behind the lens

If you’ve ever wondered how wildlife cameramen get those shots or what life is really like in the world’s wildest places, this is your chance to find out.

After a sell-out Irish run in Autumn 2022, Doug Allan brings this critically-acclaimed brand new tour to England – and you can see him in the glorious Buxton Opera House.

Doug, who is both a charismatic speaker and a down-to-earth person, looks back over the ups and downs of 35 years of natural history filmmaking.

This show, on Tuesday September 12, will be in part a retrospective, illustrated by film clips and incredible still photography, but it is also his perspective on climate change and its impacts on our world’s wildernesses and wild places.

“There are big days when animals behave spectacularly right in front of your lens. And other quieter times when a deeper understanding reveals itself, a new insight into the environment and what’s alive there. I’ll be talking about these moments of truth and how they’re the biggest privilege of a wildlife cameraperson.”

Doug is an expert on the Arctic, first visiting back in the 1970s. But he has travelled all over the globe and has concerns about the changes he sees.

“I’ve always balanced optimism with reality but the latest world climate report lays bare the need for radical, urgent action. There are solutions, and I want to talk about them. They’re all challenging; some are scary and depend on us making deep changes to how we live. The planet’s at a crossroads and we’re at the wheel. The next few years are going to be exciting.” Doug Allan.

See Doug in Buxton

Tickets are on sale now for this two-hour show on September 12, which is suitable for all ages. The spectacular 902-seater venue is a stunning theatre in which to showcase Doug’s incredible work. He often stays on to answer questions, and prints of his work will be on sale and Doug will be available to sign them personally.

For more information and to get tickets please visit the website here