Hamza: Strictly Birds of Prey follows the wildlife cameraman as he goes off on a search to find birds of prey across the UK.
Most recently, Hamza dazzled fans on Strictly Come Dancing 2022 where he cemented his place in the Strictly Come Dancing winners list alongside his professional partner Jowita Przystal. But while he loves dancing, Hamza has revealed that his love of nature takes precedence in his life.
The presenter is known for his work as Ranger Hamza on CBeebies and has also appeared on shows like Countryfile and Animal Park, so this new documentary is taking him back to his natural roots.
Hamza told us: "Much as I love dancing, Mother Nature is my first love and, in particular, birds. I fell in love with birds of prey as a child. I love their grace, intelligence, and power and I want to show the British public how amazing they are. They’re just phenomenal. There are birds of prey everywhere if you look. There’s even a peregrine’s nest next to Big Ben!"
Here's everything you need to know about Hamza: Strictly Birds of Prey...
Hamza: Strictly Birds of Prey release date
Hamza's new show is a one-off documentary and airs on Sunday, September 24 at 7 pm on BBC One. It will also be available to watch on demand via iPlayer.
Hamza: Strictly Birds of Prey premise
According to the BBC, the premise of Hamza's new series is as follows: "Wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin travels across the UK to track down and attempt to film his favourite birds – our birds of prey.
"His journey takes him from the wilds of Scotland to the heart of Ealing Borough in Greater London. Along the way, he meets a host of old friends, dedicated conservationists and fellow filmmakers, whose love for the natural world shines through.
"Hamza starts his journey at home, on the remote and beautiful Ardnamurchan Peninsula on the west coast of Scotland. The incredible array of wildlife here gives him the opportunity to film many different birds of prey and his first love - eagles. He has been following and filming a family of white-tailed eagles here for years, watching every stage of their life cycle from a hide he built on a steep sea cliff near the nest. It has given him an intimate knowledge of these impressive eagles – the largest bird of prey in the British Isles."
It adds that his journey continues to the London borough of Ealing, the Somerset Levels, and suburban Essex, so he's visiting a wide variety of places on his quest to track down some of his favourite feathered friends.
Interview with Hamza Yassin
Hamza Yassin spoke to What To Watch about his long-time love of birds, what we should expect from the new film, and some of his biggest inspirations.
Where did your fascination with birds begin?
"As a child. I was always looking up and noticing their grace, elegance and intelligence. I’m severely dyslexic and couldn’t read books about them so my mum would drive me to RSPB nature reserves where I’d sit next to birdwatchers and borrow their binoculars, constantly asking, ‘What’s that one?’. It was the love of those birdwatchers, taking on this inquisitive kid, that made me fall in love with the natural world. Those guys and Sir David Attenborough…"
The living legend himself! Tell us more…
"I moved from Sudan to the UK when I was eight and the first time my parents turned on the TV I saw David Attenborough talking about birds. Then I watched him in those fantastic gorilla scenes and thought, ‘I want to be him! Or his cameraman’. Steve Irwin inspired me too. I remember him saying, ‘Crikey, that crocodile nearly ripped my arm off - isn’t she a beauty?’! That was it – the passion of Steve and the grace of Attenborough – my two natural history idols. I knew I wanted to work with animals."
Why are you focusing on birds of prey for this film?
"Because they’re the charismatic ones, most likely to get people hooked! If I started talking about the lesser-spotted warbler from Africa, you might go, ‘Boring, next!’ – even though they’re just as important in the food chain as eagles. People relate to birds of prey better and they’re everywhere – if you look. You might think you can’t see peregrine falcons in urban areas, but there’s a nest next to Big Ben - slap, bang in the middle of London! You don’t need to be in the remote Scottish Highlands, where I live, to see these phenomenal predators – although they look pretty wonderful there too!"
What else will we see in the film?
"I show white-tailed eagles which I’ve watched for 14 years in my hometown of Kilchoan, and common buzzards cuddling behind my house! Peregrine falcons – the fastest animals on the planet and pure hunting machines – feeding their chicks in a nest on top of Ealing Hospital in west London. Hobbies and marsh harriers in Somerset, tawny owls in a Sussex garden, ospreys in Loch Garten and hen harriers and golden eagles in the Cairngorms National Park. But I don’t want viewers to see this as a documentary about birds – it’s about humanity."
Is it true that many of the birds you film are increasing in numbers?
"Yes, and I wanted to show positivity. The human race is doing some good stuff with rewilding and conservation, let’s celebrate that! Okay, previous generations have caused a mess, but we’re cleaning it up - kids have taken up the baton. Humanity is ace, it’s beautiful, and with education we’ll conquer the global warming fight."
Finally Hamza, what’s next for you?
"World domination! I’ve got a Netflix documentary on polar bears coming out, a book on birdwatching, but mostly I just want to keep making wildlife documentaries. I feel the luckiest person on earth to be doing my job."
Is there a trailer for Hamza: Strictly Birds of Prey ?
No, but the BBC has revealed a first-look clip of the film which you can watch below. In it, Hamza introduces himself and what he's setting out to do, teamed with some lovely clips of the local wildlife.
Take a look below...
