Dilys Breese
| Dilys Breese | |
|---|---|
| Born |
2 June 1932 Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales |
| Died | 22 August 2007 (aged 75) |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Resting place | Churchyard, West Kington, Wiltshire |
| Residence | West Kington, Wiltshire |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Oswestry Girls' High School |
| Alma mater | St Andrews |
| Occupation | Television producer |
| Employer | BBC |
| Known for | Wildlife documentaries |
| Awards | Golden Jubilee Medal (BTO) |
Dilys Breese (born 2 June 1932, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire;[1] died 22 August 2007[1][2]) was a natural history television producer for the BBC[3] and an ornithologist with the British Trust for Ornithology, who commemorate her contribution by awarding the Dilys Breese Medal, funded by her bequest to them.[2]
Breese was brought up in Wales,[3] she was educated at Oswestry Girls' High School,[1] then graduated from St Andrews in 1954,[1] with an MA in English Literature and Language.[3]
Radio
After graduation, she applied for a position as a trainee studio manager with BBC radio.[3] While working on shows like Woman's Hour she developed an interest in natural history,[3] and by 1970 was producing the majority of BBC Bristol's natural history output,[3] with presenter Derek Jones.[3] With Jones, she created the successful radio series The Living World and Wildlife.[3]
Television
In 1970, Breese joined the BBC Natural History Unit,[3] where she produced television shows including The World About Us, Wildlife on One and The Natural World.[3]
She left the BBC in 1991[3] and set up her own company, Kestrel Productions,[3] making several short programmes until deteriorating health prevented her from working.[3]
Conservation work
Breese became a council member of the British Trust for Ornithology in 1973[3] and was its Honorary Secretary from 1998–2001.[3] She chaired the working group developing 'Garden BirdWatch', which has since become the largest year-round citizen science project in the world.[1] In 1983, she was the first recipient of the BTO's Golden Jubilee Medal for outstanding service to the Trust.[1][3]
Notable films
- The Great Hedgehog Mystery (1982) - first film to show hedgehogs mating[1]
- In-Flight Movie (1987) - won at the New York International Film and TV Festival; and at the Wildscreen film festival in 1988[3]
- Meerkats United (1987) - voted the best wildlife documentary of all time by BBC viewers[3]
- Trivial Pursuit: the Natural Mystery of Play (1988) - audience of 12 million[1]
Bibliography
- — (1981). Wildlife: questions and answers. BBC. ISBN 0-563-17171-5.
- — (1998). Everything You Wanted to Know About Hedgehogs. Midsummer Books. ISBN 1-900732-00-9.
- — (1998). Everything You Wanted to Know About Owls. Midsummer Books. ISBN 1-900732-05-X.