News Summary
Generated by OK AI. Editorially reviewed.
- World-renowned wildlife cameraman Doug Allen has died at the age of 74 while trekking in Nepal.
- Alan worked as a lead camera operator on BBC series such as ‘Planet Earth’, ‘Frozen Planet’ and ‘The Blue Planet’.
- He has been awarded ‘Polar Medal’ twice and ‘OBE’ in 2024 as an expert in nature filming.
Kathmandu. Famous wildlife cameraman Doug Allen, who worked with world-famous naturalist David Attenborough, has died while trekking in Nepal. He was 74 years old.
Allan was known as an award-winning cameraman. He worked as a chief camera operator in famous BBC series like ‘Planet Earth’, ‘Frozen Planet’ and ‘The Blue Planet’. He won many BAFTA and Emmy awards in his career.
His management company, Joe Sarby Management, said Alan died ‘surrounded by nature and surrounded by friends’. The company said in a statement, ‘Doug was a true pioneer of wildlife filmmaking. He captured the wonderful and intimate moments of nature. His work brought the audience closer to the wonders of the earth and instilled respect for nature.’
Alan, from Dunfermline in Fife, Scotland, graduated from Stirling University in 1973 with honors in marine biology. In 1976, he was employed as a research diver at the Signy Island Station of the British Antarctic Survey, from where his interest in filming grew.
In recent times, he has established himself as an expert in filming in the harshest environments on earth. For this contribution, he was awarded ‘Polar Medal’ twice. He was also awarded ‘OBE’ in 2024 for his contribution to broadcasting and environmental awareness.
He said in an interview about the reason for becoming a wildlife cameraman, ‘I had a chance meeting with David Attenborough in 1981. He came to our base with a small team. After helping for a few days, I looked at the cameraman and thought, this is all I want to do.’
He then bought a 16mm camera and shot scenes of emperor penguins in Antarctica and began his journey by selling them to the BBC.
In an interview in 2017, he said that he spent about 620 days of his life searching for and painting polar bears. Recalling an incident, he said, ‘For a moment, it felt like someone was cleaning the window. Looking back, it was the bear’s wet nose, which was dragging on the window.’
In another incident, a hungry walrus mistook him for a seal and grabbed his leg during underwater filming. He chased it away by hitting it on the head with the camera.
Alan’s passing marks the end of an important chapter in the wildlife film industry.