Dr Wendy Darke has a PhD in Marine Science, from the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences and James Cook University, Australia (1991), and a BSc Joint Honours Degree in Geology and Zoology, from the University of Bristol (1986). Following on from her 25-year career at the BBC Natural History Unit (NHU), which included 4 years as Head of the NHU, (2012-2016), Wendy founded True To Nature (TTN), an independent production company, based in Bristol, specialising in innovative, premium nature, animal character led series, premium adventure travel, children’s and specialist factual productions. Since launching TTN Wendy and her team have secured over 30 commissions, and made over 240 programmes, including PREDATORS narrated by TOM HARDY, 5 X 60’ for Sky Nature and Netflix, released in Winter 2022; WHALE WITH STEVE BACKSHALL, 4 x 60’ for Sky Nature due to premiere in Winter 2023, following on from the success of SHARK WITH STEVE BACKSHALL, 4 X 60’, and a 10 X 10’ SHARKS UP CLOSE for Sky Kids which were both showcased at COP 26 in 2021 in the IMAX theatre; the ‘Gangs of’ brand has included GANGS OF LEMUR ISLAND, 5 X 60’, which premiered in the UK on Sky Nature and was produced for Blue Ant Media, Love Nature, Smithsonian Networks and Arte, and GANGS OF BABOON FALLS, 5 X 60’, for Sky Nature and distributed by Sky Studios and NBCU. TTN have also produced 20 X 60’ programmes to build the EXPEDITION WITH STEVE BACKSHALL brand including: EXPEDITION WITH STEVE BACKSHALL SERIES I, 10 X 60’, for UKTV Dave and PBS, UNDISCOVERED WORLDS, 4 X 60’, for BBC Two, and EXPEDITION WITH STEVE BACKSHALL SERIES II, 6 X 60’, for UKTV Dave and distributed by Fremantle. And over 100 children’s programmes including the recently announced OZT GOES WILD IN BRITAIN, 5 X 22’, following on from the success of ONE ZOO THREE SERIES I and II, both 26 X 22’, for CBBC, 3 series of DREAMFLIGHT, all 20 X 5’, 12 episodes of which are available on Sky Kids’ brand new You Tube channel, and GARDEN TALES, a 26 X 7’ series for CBeebies. Specialist factual titles include LIVING VOLCANOES, 1 X 60’, a co-production between ZDFE, PBS, WNET Thirteen, Nature, ZDF and ARTE, and premiered in the UK on Sky Nature. Prior to this, as Head of the BBC NHU, Wendy was responsible for ground-breaking award-winning titles such as: BAFTA winning Big Blue Live (2015), double BAFTA winning Deadly 60 with Steve Backshall; Life Story (2014); Africa (2013), and multiple trilogies such as Wild Japan (2016); Wild New Zealand (2016), Wild Patagonia (2016) and the multi-award winning Planet Earth II (2016) & Blue Planet II (2017).