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Miniature Monsters

1964 , Morston (Norfolk)

Cat no. 205537

Anglia Television item profiling the marine biologist, Dick Hammond and the microscopic species in Norfolk’s creeks and marshes.

Colin Willock visits a hut on Morston marshes. Opening in the style of a low- budget horror movie, the mystery of the featured hut is soon revealed to belong to marine biologist, Dick Hammond, who investigates the microscopic life forms that he collects from the creeks and from the sea near Blakeney Point. Inside the hut, Hammond discusses the significance of his research to marine science, and reveals how a childhood hobby collecting from Morston Creek led to a career as a research scientist. Accompanied by his Labrador, upon a boat near Blakeney Point, Hammond demonstrates how and where he collects his specimens. A microscopic close up of each Norfolk species is shown as he describes the anatomical and behavioural characteristics of a Copepod (water-flea); Sagitta (arrow worm); Mysid (type of shrimp); Berrere (the sea gooseberry); and Tomopteris (sea worm). Hammond then explains his methods of record keeping and we see examples of his camera lucida drawings.

Keywords

Marine biology; Microscopy; Natural history

Other Places

Blakeney Point, Norfolk

Background Information

Information about Colin Willock: Independent obituary http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1487611/Colin-Willock.html Times Online obituary http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article523933.ece Guardian Online obituary http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2005/apr/09/broadcasting.guardianobituaries Cited from … http://www.wildfilmhistory.org/person/94/Colin+Willock.html Colin Willock, wildlife writer and film-maker, was a pioneer of Anglia Television's flagship wildlife documentary series Survival. He enlisted to help with Anglia Television's first natural history programme, The London Scene, in 1961, which then led to the establishment of Anglia Television's Survival Unit. Colin became the Unit's Creative Head and remained in the post for over thirty years, writing and producing over 400 films. His objective was to reach a wide audience by making wildlife conservation a popular issue using innovative styles, punchy language and carefully choosing the stories to present, becoming a genre that was christened 'Pop-Nat-Hist'.

Manifestations

Miniature Monsters

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