Blow for Chester Zoo as 'Our Zoo' axed by the BBC
by Tom Anstey | 16 Dec 2014
The show has been given the chop despite being generally well received / BBC
Our Zoo, the popular TV drama about the history of Chester Zoo, has been cancelled “to create room for new shows” according to the BBC.
The news will come as a blow for Chester Zoo, which according to the zoo’s managing director Jamie Christon, was worth around £30m (US$48.1m, €38m) in free PR for the visitor attraction in the north of England.
“£30m is PR equivalent,” said Christon speaking to AM2 in October. “If we were out there buying space to promote the zoo, it would have cost us £30m to get the same sort of media exposure with the amount of publications and media outlets the zoo has appeared in."
The popular drama told the tale of Chester Zoo founder George Mottershead and how he decided to start the establishment along with the trials and tribulations he came up against while doing so. The show – which ran for six episodes airing every Wednesday on BBC One in a prime time spot between September and October – garnered an average rating of 5.1 million viewers an episode.
Chester Zoo is also currently halfway through construction on its £30m Islands project, set to be completed in December this year and opened to the public in May 2015.
10 Oct 2014
'Our Zoo' TV show worth £30m in PR to Chester Zoo, says MD
03 Sep 2014
Chester Zoo launches crowd sourcing project for heritage collection
28 May 2014
Chester Zoo announces phase two expansion
08 Oct 2013
Work starts on £30m Chester Zoo islands project
24 Jul 2013
Work to begin on £30m Chester Zoo project next month
29 Nov 2012
Chester Zoo to create authentic Asian habitat
09 Mar 2012
Chester Zoo unveils £30m Islands plans
14 Dec 2011
Record visitor numbers for Chester Zoo
06 May 2011
Chester Zoo's biodome project put on hold
21 Sep 2010
Council backing for Chester Zoo expansion
Our Zoo, the popular TV drama about the history of Chester Zoo, has been cancelled “to create room for new shows” according to the BBC. The news will come as a blow for Chester Zoo, which according to the zoo’s managing director Jamie Christon, was worth around £30m (US$48.1m, €38m) in free PR for the visitor attraction in the north of England. “£30m is PR equivalent,” said Christon speaking to
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