This show introduced us to a lot of new neat creatures and events not covered in other nature shows. It could have easily been an 8-star program, rather than 6. But some bad production choices were Really Irritating! The narrator's speech impediment forced us to use captioning, but kudos to him for sticking with it. (By the time of Autumnwatch / Winterwatch / Springwatch 2020, this has improved to the point it's hardly noticeable.)
Sadly, there were several very off-putting "features."
1 Often, events were introduced in an overly dramatic way that wasn't supported by the rest of the segment. It's okay, if people were scared or mystified, to show that. But often, subject matter was merely unfamiliar, and yet the program tried to present "solving" it as a matter of life and death, when it wasn't.
2 I hate the introductory graphics! I've noticed this sort of Olde-Fashioned Arte on a couple of other UK shows... but they're the horrid exception. The maps are pathetic. Also, the intro is too long, the tell-them-what-you're-going-to-say and then tell-them-what-you-said approach wastes time, and the soundtrack is just weird.
3 And at the top of the crap-list: WHY are the eyewitnesses and the science experts introduced through what could pass as felons' mug shots, complete with jump-scare type changes in distance??? Why prohibit any of them from smiling??? This is a show that could induce the joy of learning; to couple it with grimness is a mismatch! Why present these shots without dialog, when the show could progress as the folks are introduced??? This was terrible production!
The show is informative. But it's not "nicely done!"