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Philip Wayre's Otters Star in Filming of 'Tarka the Otter'

1978 , Bintry Mill (Norfolk)

Cat no. 119893

Anglia Television news report on location of shooting for the film 'Tarka the Otter'.

The production crew of ‘Tarka the Otter’ films an on location scene in Norfolk. A captive tame otter named ‘Spade’ runs down a grass bank into the water and swims along towards a camera and film crew capturing the scene. The otter trainer runs along a stretch of grass with ‘Spade’ following close behind. Alison Leigh interviews the director of the film, David Chobham, who explains the difficulties of working with the supposedly ‘tame’ animal and the techniques used to get the otter to perform. The keeper releases ‘Spade’ into the water and the film crew capture the otter swimming. David Chobham talks about the film, its adaptation from the novel and themes of the story.

Keywords

Animals; Film-making; Otters

Background Information

‘Tarka the Otter’ is a family film about the life of a real otter and its experiences in the wild. Released in 1979, the film was based on the novel of the same name, first published in 1927, written by Henry Williamson. ‘Spade’ was the name of one of the otters that performed the starring role in the movie. He was one of the captive otters kept by naturalist Philip Wayre in Norfolk. Philip and Jean Wayre were famously responsible for breeding captive otters and reintroducing them to the wild, saving the species from near-extinction in the UK.

Manifestations

Philip Wayre's Otters Star in Filming of 'Tarka the Otter'

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