Tony Soper (10 January 1929 – 18 September 2024) was a British naturalist, author, and broadcaster.[1][2]
Tony Soper | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 January 1929 Southampton, Hampshire, England |
| Died | 18 September 2024 (aged 95) |
| Education | Hyde Park Junior School Devonport High School for Boys |
| Occupation(s) | Author and broadcaster |
| Employer | BBC |
| Known for | Ornithology |
| Spouse | Hilary |
| Children | Two sons |
Life and career
editSoper was born on 10 January 1929, in Southampton, Hampshire, the son of Ella (nee Lythgoe), a former shop assistant and member of the local Townswomen's Guild, and Bert Soper, a shipping agent. Soon after Soper's birth the family moved to Plymouth where he attended Hyde Park Elementary School and Devonport High School for Boys.[1] He joined the BBC at age 17 as a "youth-in-training", subsequently graduating by way of studio manager to features producer in radio, then moved into television. Among the radio programmes that he produced were Birds In Britain.
Soper co-founded the BBC Natural History Unit as its first film producer, with Patrick Beech the then South West Controller. Cutting his teeth on the LOOK series he organised far-flung wildlife filming projects. He presented live television programmes, including Birdwatch, Birdspot, Discovering Birds, Discovering Animals, Beside the Sea, Wildtrack and Nature. Soper also co-presented Animal Magic with Johnny Morris for a few years in the 1960s. He also had a supporter of the RSPB.[3][4]
As Expedition Leader and a pioneer of wildlife cruising, he spent twenty years between 1992 and 2012 exploring both the North and South polar regions.[1] He held a British yachtmaster's certificate and was a qualified compressed-air and oxygen hard-hat diver.[5]
Soper's wife Hilary is a wildlife painter, and they had two sons. Soper died on 18 September 2024, at the age of 95.[1]
Honours
editSoper was a recipient of the British Naturalists' Association's Peter Scott Memorial Award.[6] He was awarded the British Trust for Ornithology's Dilys Breese Medal in 2009.[7][8]
DVDs
editA single 23-minute episode of Wildtrack is available as a bonus feature on the DVD and Blu-ray release of David Attenborough's 1979 series Life on Earth.[5]
Selected bibliography
edit- The Bird Table Book (1965, several editions to 2006)
- The Shell Guide to Beachcombing (1972)
- Wildlife Begins at Home (1975)
- Everyday Birds (1976)
- Wildlife of The Dart Estuary (1982)
- Discovering Birds (1983)
- Penguins [with John Sparks] (1987)
- A Passion For Birds (1988)
- Owls [with John Sparks] (1995)
- Wildlife of the North Atlantic (2008)
- The Arctic: A Guide to Coastal Wildlife (2012)
- The Northwest Passage (2012)
- Antarctica: A Guide to the Wildlife (2013)[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Moss, Stephen (19 September 2024). "Tony Soper obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ "Tony Soper, BBC birdwatching and wildlife pioneer who co-presented Animal Magic in the 1960s". The Telegraph. UK. 19 September 2024.
- ^ "Tony Soper – Part of Sutton Coldfield Local Group History". group.rspb.org.uk. UK: RSPB. 22 September 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "Getting to know birds with Tony Soper RSPB Video". YouTube. August 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ a b "Tony Soper: Broadcaster, exhibition leader, writer". tonysoper.com. Retrieved 19 October 2024.
- ^ "The Peter Scott Memorial Award" (PDF). bna-naturalists.org. British Naturalists' Association. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
- ^ Whitby, Max. "A Gong For Barclay". BirdGuides. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ "Dilys Breese". WildFilmHistory. Wildscreen. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ Chalfont St Peter: Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 9781841624839
External links
edit- Tony Soper website
- Tony Soper at IMDb
- Tony Soper discography at Discogs