'Whale with Steve Backshall' Sky

Following on from the success of Sky Nature’s Shark with Steve Backshall, Steve sets out to reveal that whales are ‘mightier than myth’. In this brand-new series, Steve takes us deeper and closer to the most iconic, mysterious and threatened whales and their dolphin cousins.

As a naturalist, conservationist and Sky Ocean Hero Ambassador, Steve will free dive alongside whales in the world’s greatest oceans. We’ll meet mighty sperm whales, caring humpback whales, intelligent killer whales and ingenious bottlenosed dolphins, exploring their complex social relationships, revealing their surprising hunting techniques, and discovering that just like us, many whales have close family units. Teaming up with world-leading scientists and conservationists, Steve will uncover the secret lives of whales and dolphins, and confront the uncomfortable and urgent truths of overfishing and pollution. Joining whale advocates across the globe, he will discover why whales are essential for the health of our oceans, what we can do to ensure their survival, and reveal the most remarkable conservation story of all.

'Patrick and the Whale' First Encounter

While swimming near the Caribbean island of Dominica in 2019, Patrick Dykstra has a momentous meeting with a sperm whale - the following clip was filmed by Mark as part of the ‘Chasing Ocean Giants’ series however, this chance encounter became the inspiration and foundation of a feature documentary called 'Patrick and the Whale'.

Following this encounter Patrick was encouraged to gain further insights into the mysteries of whales; how they interact, sing to each other, form bonds, and express emotion. His quest to connect with and understand the hidden nature of the sperm whale is explored in ‘Patrick and the Whale’ a PBS film produced by Terra Mater Studios which shines a light on their intelligence and complexity, as well as highlighting their current and past relationship with humankind.

Sadly Mark was unavailable for the follow up trip to Dominica but has an incredible memory capturing the Patrick’s first meeting with ‘Dolores’.

'Deadly Mission Shark' CBBC

Deadly Mission Shark is the toughest challenge yet, to protect the future of sharks who are facing extinction. Steve Backshall and a team of kids from the UK and Bahamas step in to inspire and change the world. But will the kids complete their mission and learn to dive with sharks?

Watch here

'Life on Our Planet' Netflix

Life's extraordinary journey to conquer, adapt and survive on Earth across billions of years comes alive in this groundbreaking nature documentary. Narrated by Morgan Freeman and Executive Produced by Steven Spielberg and the team behind "Our Planet."

Chapter 1: The Rules of Life: Evolution. Competition. Mass extinction. Three fundamental rules have driven the rise and fall of life on Earth for over four billion years.

Chapter 2: The First Frontier: For billions of years, land on Earth was uninhabitable. But in the seas, predation allowed species to thrive before — and after — two mass extinctions.

Chapter 3: Invaders of the Land: Sprawling moss, towering trees, flying insects, limbed amphibians: Early species vied for domination as the land went from hostile to hospitable.

Chapter 4: In Cold Blood: After Earth's third mass extinction, mammals' surviving ancestors ruled the supercontinent Pangea. But lizards soon ushered in the age of reptiles.

Chapter 5: In the Shadow of Giants: The formation of continents with varied environments allowed for an explosion of biodiversity — and turbo-charged the evolution of mighty dinosaurs.

Chapter 6: Out of the Ashes: The dinosaurs met their end with a cataclysmic asteroid impact. Rising from the ashes, birds reinvented themselves into a dynasty 10,000 species strong.

Chapter 7: Inheriting the Earth: Emerging from the dinosaurs' shadows, mammals went from underdogs to global power, with game-changing adaptations that would conquer land, air and sea.

Chapter 8: Age of Ice and Fire: As the Ice Age thawed, humans rose above the rest. But the possibility of a sixth mass extinction now looms: Has our ingenuity caused our downfall?

'Evolution Earth' PBS, Sky Nature & NOW

Traveling to the far corners of the world, we discover the extraordinary ways animals are adapting to our rapidly changing planet. We witness nature’s remarkable resilience, as our perception of evolution and its potential is forever transformed. A series revealing how the animals around us are adapting to our changing planet and evolving before our eyes. Narrated by Shane Campbell-Staton

On the Galápagos Islands, Greg Lewbart and his team are trying to catch a marine iguana. Their goal is to study the iguana’s unusual adaptation. They have evolved the ability to shrink and regrow their vertebrae in response to changes in food availability. These conditions arises when the Pacific Ocean that is home to the algae they feed on warms, a result of the weather system known as El Niño.

S1: E1: Earth
S1: E2: Islands
S1: E3: Heat
S1: E4: Ice
S1: E5: Grasslands

Now available in the UK on Sky Nature and NOW TV.

'Expedition with Steve Backshall' (S.2) PBS

Host Steve Backshall travels the world seeking out adventurous expeditions such river rafting in the Himalayas, trekking through the jungles of South America and climbing mountains in the Middle East.

'Epic Adventures with Bertie Gregory' Disney+

“I had the pleasure of joining Bertie and the Epic Adventures (series one) team in October 2020 to film around the island of Cocos, 550km off the coast of Costa Rica. It was my first shoot back after six months of lost work due to the Covid lockdowns that year and this was the first shoot in Cocos in a run of three I did there within 12 months. We stayed on the M/V Sharkwater, which is operated by Fins Attached NGO. We had some great encounters with Galapagos, scalloped hammerhead and tiger sharks, as well as huge schools of jacks and a general abundance of aquatic life as a result of Cocos being a protected area, although the threat of illegal fishing seems like an ongoing nearby threat.”
— Underwater Cameraman Mark Sharman

Part wildlife and part adventure show, follow the escapades of young National Geographic Explorer Bertie Gregory as he travels the world capturing extraordinary footage of wild animals. Using a combination of technical wizardry, secret fieldcraft and extreme perseverance, he and his team try to overcome the challenges and dangers and get as close as possible to wildlife on its own terms.

'Shark with Steve Backshall' Sky

Shark with Steve Backshall is a revelatory series that celebrates the wonder of sharks and dispels the myth of sharks as just cold blooded killers.

Steve Backshall, a naturalist and shark expert, gets us closer to sharks, to encounter a diverse and incredible family of over 400 different types. This global journey will take us to the remotest parts of our planet, from the sun-drenched tropics to the mysterious depths of our oceans. Teaming up with world-leading scientists, Steve will make stunning discoveries, revealing glow in the dark sharks, sharks that walk on land and ancient sharks over 400 years old. Now more than ever this incredible family needs our help. Every hour we lose over 11,000 sharks to overfishing, shark finning and habitat destruction. Steve will confront the uncomfortable truths and join shark advocates across the globe to help turn the tide for sharks. Coming eye to eye with this feared yet misunderstood predator, Steve will reveal sharks in a brand new light.

In the Eastern Pacific lies Cocos - the island of the sharks. While filming for ‘Shark with Steve Backshall’ Steve, Mark and the team battled weather and stormy seas to document the shivers of hammerheads that gather here…

‘Night on Earth’ Netflix

New technology reveals wonders of the planet in a completely new light. Across the globe we discover a hidden side to the world's greatest landscapes and animals. This series lifts night’s veil to reveal the hidden lives of the world’s creatures, from lions on the hunt to bats on the wing.


Mark’s work features in the following episodes (*)

Night on Earth: Dusk Till Dawn The night unfolds to reveal magic in the air, drama in the deep and danger on the ground as animals across the planet rise with the sunset (*orca in Norway - see a selection of stills taken from Mark’s sequence above)

Night on Earth: Shot in the Dark This look behind the scenes shows how worldwide camera crews climbed, dived and froze to capture the documentary's ground breaking night footage (*behind the scenes in Norway - see a selection of stills captured from location above)

Night on Earth: Dark Seas The oceans’ tides ebb and flow in concert with the moon, and so do the lives of the creatures below, from the largest whale shark to the smallest prawn (*manta ray and plankton in Hawaii)

A selection of publicity stills taken from across the series: