The BBC has finally name-checked the man who found the prehistoric star of David Attenborough’s latest documentary after a barrage of complaints that he had been “airbrushed” from the programme.
There was outrage that Philip Jacobs, who discovered the 150m-year-old fossilised pliosaur during a beach walk in Dorset, was only fleetingly mentioned in the credits of Attenborough and the Giant Sea Monster rather than in the main body of the much-lauded show.
More than 5,000 people signed a petition that criticised the BBC and called for the creature to be named after Jacobs.
The makers of the programme have now gone back to the iPlayer version of the show and inserted the caption: “Original discovery footage courtesy of Philip Jacobs” over his video clip of the moment he found the fossil.
His name has also beenmoved to the top of the “with thanks to” section in the end credits and Jacobs has written an article entitled: “How I discovered the Giant Sea Monster” for the BBC website.
Jacobs, an artist and textile designer from West Bexington, Dorset, said: “While it would have been nice to have my name actually spoken by Sir David, rather than being [described as] ‘a fossil enthusiast’, I am pleased that the BBC has made amends and I would like to thank the producer for working on trying to correct this omission.”
A spokesperson for the BBC said: “We worked closely with the people involved in the discovery and excavation of the pliosaur, including Philip Jacobs, who is credited at the end of the programme.
“We also filmed a short interview with Philip, but unfortunately the time constraints of a 60-minute programme meant we weren’t able to include everything we filmed. Our intention is to celebrate the hard work and expertise of all involved, and we have now name-checked Philip on the footage that he provided of his find.”
Jacobs, 69, who has been an avid fossil hunter for 40 years, spotted what at first appeared to be an odd-looking rock at Kimmeridge Bay in April 2022. When he looked closer, he knew it was the snout of a pliosaur. Rather than take the fossil home with him, Jacobs buried it, marked the spot with some driftwood and sought help.
The expert Steve Etches helped unearth the rest of the pliosaur fossil. The specimen went on display at the Etches Museum in Dorset at the start of the month and has been a huge hit with visitors.
The explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes was among those who criticised the BBC, saying: “It is an absolute disgrace that his gift to the world has been ignored and undermined, by the BBC … utterly shameful.”
