In his latest documentary Invasion of the Parakeets, Chris Packham explores the growing presence of ring-necked parakeets in the UK; Once rare, these birds—native to Asia and Africa,are now estimated to number 15,000 pairs in the UK, the largest population in Europe. Packham examines how they arrived in the country, tracing their introduction to events like the 1951 filming of The African Queen and the release of birds by Jimi Hendrix’s girlfriend in the late 1960s. The documentary questions whether the parakeets are truly invasive or simply misunderstood.

Climate Change and Government Messaging

Another of Packham’s projects, a climate crisis film, takes on a more urgent and controversial tone. Structured like a government emergency briefing, the 50-minute film features nine experts addressing MPs and the public on how the UK must drastically change its energy, agriculture, and security policies to combat climate change. One speaker, Lt. Gen. Richard Nugee, calls climate change the ‘most insidious threat to our society.’ The documentary, presented in a style reminiscent of Gogglebox, juxtaposes grim scientific projections with the reactions of celebrities and members of the public. According to The Spectator, the film is being shown at events across the country, with many viewers moved to tears.

Evolution, Anuses, and Ancient Mass Extinctions

In the BBC’s new series Evolution, Packham begins on a journey through time to uncover the biological transformations that led to today’s animals — the series explores the genetic lineage of the elephant, ostrich, bat, horse, and dolphin. According to producer Rob Liddell, the series is “both epic and really personal,” tracing the evolutionary stories of these creatures back to their formative moments. One particularly curious episode looks at the Ediacaran period, around 570 million years ago, when strange fossils,known as the Ediacara biota,abruptly disappeared from the fossil record. A leading hypothesis suggests that the development of the anus may have triggered this mass extinction, allowing animals to eat constantly and disrupt existing ecosystems.

Neurodiversity and the Art of William Turner

Packham also lent his expertise to a BBC documentary on the life of the 19th-century painter William Turner, titled Turner: the Secret Sketchbooks, and the film explores whether Turner, widely regarded as England’s greatest painter, may have been neurodivergent. Drawing on his own experience as a self-identified autistic individual, Packham points to Turner’s obsessive attention to detail and intense focus,characteristics often associated with neurodiversity; the documentary features insights from artists, historians, and psychologists, including Timothy Spall, who portrayed Turner in the 2014 film Mr Turner, Meister des Lichts. Packham emphasizes that while a posthumous diagnosis is impossible, the parallels between Turner’s creative process and modern understandings of neurodiversity are striking.