The programme looked at the role played by fresh water in the natural world.  Sir David Attenborough introduced the sequence involving bottlenose dolphins by saying “here in northern Scotland” and referred to the dolphins by explaining “A pod has gathered at the mouth of the River Ness”. Later in the programme a sequence referred to filming “near Inverness in north east Scotland”.  The ECU understands the dolphins were filmed close to Chanonry Point in the Moray Firth, a stretch of water relatively close to the mouth of the Ness.  The ECU did not agree viewers would have been misled in any significant or material way by the location given in the programme.

The complainant also objected to a reference to the filming of Atlantic salmon swimming upstream to their breeding ground which he claimed was incorrectly located as being in the River Ness.  In fact the sequence was filmed in several rivers in Scotland to capture the different elements of the journey salmon undertake.  This is a recognised practice in making natural history programmes and in the ECU’s view the script was not so specific as to give a misleading impression on that fact.

Not Upheld