Children or animals
- 1 Jul 06, 09:34 AM
A suggestion for the next 'This is What We Do' campaign...
"Don't work with children or animals." A well worn quote. On Newsround, it's a qualification for the job.
Newsround staff are have been dispatched to places such as the Tsunami region and Iraq. Of course, such deployments are never taken lightly.
However one recent sequence of events turned an idyllic English allotment into a hostile wildlife environment.
The shoot should have been simple. A Press Pack (young reporter) film about beekeeping. The type of film which helps keep our news agenda as wide as possible. The type of film which sweetens the pill for young children digesting stories about Iraq, or Gaza, or violence in and around schools.
There had been lots of assurances from the family that the shoot would be straightforward. The bees would be subdued after a good smoking.
The hive was open, but dramatically the heavens opened too. Two things director Zo毛 and cameraman Carl learned very quickly was that bees don't like storms, and when wet, bee suits offer little protection as they cling to the skin.
Cue some thunder claps - and cue the bees' instinct to swarm. With safety training in mind, Zo毛 ordered a retreat.
It was a bit like scene from a cartoon. One swarm, six bee suited individuals (two children, parents, cameraman, and director) running for cover. The cover turned out to be one of the smallest sheds money can buy.
Squeezed sardine-like inside were six people, a camera, and a small number of bees. Just enough angry insects to keep the tension inside running high.
Outside was the swarm. Also in the air mixing with the drone of the bees was a series of 'yelps!' coming from the shed as another bee gave its life to prove that sodden bee suits are not so thick after all.
They were there quite a while.
This is what we do.
Ian Prince was editor of until mid-2006
