Chris Packham opens up on ‘gruesome’ side of Autumnwatch

The naturalist and television presenter is known for taking part in all kinds of wildlife-focused programmes, including the Watch series which captivates nature-loving viewers all year round, tracking the movements of wildlife throughout the seasons. This year’s Autumnwatch recently ended, and speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Chris delved into the more harrowing aspects of the BBC staple.Chris fronts Autumnwatch, Springwatch and Winterwatch, lending his expertise as cameras capture special moments from the great outdoors.However, the series often has to raise awareness of devastating events impacting animals and the natural world, which can be distressing.Speaking about the audience response to the series, the 61-year-old explained: “We get good audience response.”They’re always very excited that they see things that are new, they’re always very excited when they’ve provided a resource for wildlife, [like] bird food or bird boxes or feeding mammals and so on and so forth.READ MORE: I’m A Celebrity shake-up as live trial axed Autumnwatch: Chris talked about the darker side of the series (Image: BBC) Autumnwatch: Chris’ stepdaughter Megan sometimes joins him on the show (Image: BBC) Autumnwatch: The series also airs in Spring and Winter (Image: BBC) Autumnwatch: Chris explained how sometimes the series shows ‘gruesome’ elements (Image: BBC)”We just did a thing about bird flu in Autumnwatch which was pretty gruesome really,” he continued.”Bird flu has impacted very negatively on our wildlife populations this last year.”So yeah, we also point out some of the difficulties of that wildlife is facing and hopefully that compels people to want to get out and look after it.”Chris recently took to Twitter to blast the animal cruelty in ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!DON’T MISS…Gethin Jones snaps ‘can’t say that’ as guest swears on Morning Live [LATEST]Paul Gascoigne’s appearance leaves BBC viewers distracted [VIDEO]Matt Hancock to cause upset as I’m A Celebrity star ‘favourite’ to win [LATEST]’In a cohort of people, amongst whom there are some true gems of integrity and credibility,’ Chris wrote in view of his 578,700 followers.’But others who have sold their souls to greed, what good does it do your colleagues to sell your shirt to the ultimate in animal abusing trash TV?’Wildlife groups have hit out at I’m A Celeb in the past, with BBC TV personality Chris often leading the criticism.He has sent several letters to the ITV reality show, accusing them of “stereotyping” the animals which he believes are being used for “entertainment”.