Animal Park presenter Kate Humble has sadly admitted she now has “very little influence” on whether she takes a step back from her TV career, despite her work spanning over three decades on-screen.
Just months after bravely opening up on her struggles to land new jobs, Kate, 55, explained in an exclusive interview with Reach plc: “The brutal truth is, you have very little influence on whether you slow down your filming or not.
“If TV programmes aren’t being made, everyone’s slowing down. I mean, the industry at the moment, something like 85 percent of freelancers, both on and off screen, are out of work. People are not talking about this, but it’s a huge thing.
“There is a fundamental shift in the way that people are watching content. And the numbers of people when I first started doing Springwatch, four million people would watch it, and now it might be a million – and that’s not a reflection of the programme – that’s a reflection of the way that people watch TV now.
“The bottom line is people aren’t really watching TV, or they’re not watching us in the same way, and so the industry is having to adapt very, very quickly. And it does mean that, at the moment, as we go through this shift – less programmes are being commissioned – there’s less advertising revenue for the mainstream channels and promotional channels.
“So, you know, I would be mad to sit here thinking I’m going to see out my career on television and just sit and hope – it’s not gonna happen.”
As a result, the BBC star has been diversifying her career by teaming up with train company LNER, as part of a campaign to encourage people to consider their environmental impact during the summer holidays.
Kate insisted that even if all offers of TV jobs cease for her, she will continue to follow her objective of inspiring people to take care of the planet by working with companies like LNER on raising awareness of environmental issues.
She continued: “It sounds ridiculous, but I have a real feeling of responsibility, because I think I’ve been so lucky to see so much of the world; to have experienced some incredible landscapes, habitats, animals, people living in so many different parts of the world.
“I have seen first-hand just how precious this planet is, and how fragile it is, I have seen first-hand the impact of our changing climate. And so, for me, the most important thing that I can do, and I love doing, is somehow to inspire people in all sorts of ways; whether it’s through TV, whether it’s through writing books, whether it is through working with companies at the moment to say there are better ways that you can offset your carbon.
“So I’m doing consultancy for that and I’m doing campaigns like this one with LNER. For me, I’m a storyteller, I’m a communicator, I think I’m good at it.
“If I can use that to do the absolute joyful job of telling people how special our planet is, and encouraging them – not nagging them, not bullying them, not harassing them – to do the right thing, but just going, you know what, we can all do the right thing and actually take a lot of joy from it, well, that’s what I’ll do, and I’ll do it in whatever way I can.”
Opening up about the importance of LNER’s campaign, Kate said: “Carbon confusion can happen to any of us, and there’s a lot to take on board.
“I’ve been lucky enough to travel all over the world, and I always look for ways to holiday responsibly – from supporting local businesses and minimising waste, to picking more sustainable ways to travel.
“Knowing the steps you can take to reduce your carbon impact can be really powerful. With this campaign, we want to make it easier to understand the effect of our travel choices on the environment, so we can be more informed and armed with all the information.”
This summer, Kate introduced LNER’s Carbon Saving Departures Board, which is a traditional split-flap travel information board with a twist.
The board equates the emissions that passengers save while travelling by train with LNER from London King’s Cross on a typical day (as opposed to car and plane) to easily recognisable objects, aiming to make it simpler for holidaymakers to understand their positive impact.
Kate Humble is working with LNER to encourage the nation to consider the environmental impact of their travel plans. For more information and sustainable inspiration for your next break, read the LNER Green Guides at LNER.co.uk. LNER will be at Edinburgh Waverley station with the Carbon Savings Board on August 7.