Doug Allen's life through a lens

And he says that his homeland is ahead of England in terms of tackling the issue of single-use plastics, one of two big problems facing the planet.
Mr Allan, originally from Dunfermline, has travelled the world working on TV series including Blue Planet and Frozen Planet.

The Scottish Government has made a commitment to ban plastic straws by the end of the year, while also introducing a deposit return scheme for some drinks containers.
Speaking before another trip to the Arctic to film, the 68-year-old, who now lives in England, said the devolved Government in his homeland was “ahead of the curve”.

Doug films a whale 

He said: “We’ve got two big issues that have been highlights recently.
“David Attenborough in Blue Planet 2 undoubtedly brought plastics to the forefront, which was a huge thing that needed to be done.

READ MORE: Floating Antarctic ice goes from record high to record lows

“There are now Government initiatives to stop so much waste, but also to develop new plastics, which will be totally biodegradable or totally recyclable so that we don’t end up just ditching so much.

“The Scottish Government in particular are ahead of the curve in terms of bringing in bottle deposits, all that sort of thing, and banning single-use plastics, straws. Scotland are ahead of England in that respect.”

He added: “Now we’ve finally begun to become aware of climate change, which in its way is the biggest issue facing the planet because it’s going to affect all of us and every environment that we know of.

“It may be the UK sitting where it does between 45-55 degrees north that has always had a variable climate we can maybe cope with some of it, but I don’t know how we cope with sea level rises, which could be a long-term problem.”

Initially an industrial diver, Mr Allan graduated and did various jobs, including a stint in the Red Sea with a group of biologists and working for a year with Bill Abernethy, who was Scotland’s last full-time professional pearl fisherman.

It was while working in the Antarctic that he made the switch to filming the natural world, after encountering a BBC crew making a documentary.

Filming in the Arctic

He explained: “It was a chance meeting with David Attenborough, of all people, in 1981. He turned up in our base with a small film crew.

“I helped him for a couple of days and quite literally at the end of those two days I looked at the cameraman and thought, ‘you know, you are doing all the things I like doing’.

“Even though at that point I had not picked up a movie camera that’s more or less where I thought that’s what I want to be.

“David and the others were really helpful, gave me a bit of advice and things.”
The cameraman,who has won five Baftas and four Emmys, also praised Scotland when comparing its seas to the cleanliness of other areas he has travelled to.

READ MORE: Plastic pollution a catastrophe, says Sir David Attenborough​

He said: “I think if you learn to dive in Scotland and then you pile into several hundred dives to experience the weather, the cold all these kind of things then ... everything else is almost straightforward. Except of course diving under the ice.

“I’ve seen the world encompass some big changes, but I’ve also seen the world at its very best and it’s funny you know I sometimes get asked what’s on your bucket list, where would you like to go next. I’m looking forward to spending more time in the UK... particularly Scotland and the west coast of Ireland.

“When those two are at their best they are unsurpassable. It really is the most beautiful scenery on our doorstep.”

The Scot is also planning his own piece about climate change in the Arctic and will return to Antarctica next year with the Peruvian navy to film their new research vessel.

Mr Allan said: “In terms of my passions, what I do, everything started with diving and diving has been at the core of what I’ve done during the whole of my career.

“People say to me ‘tell us something about your career path’ and I say, ‘well it’s not so much a career path as much as a careering path’.

“It’s just flowed from one interest to the next and if I hadn’t met David I probably would still be doing stills photography and writing but I may not have gone into television.”

READ MORE: Sir David Attenborough warns climate change will cause great 'social unrest'​

Mr Allan is also the new ambassador for Old Pulteney’s “Rise With The Tide” campaign, with the whisky highlighting its coastal roots by following the stories of those whose lives have been shaped by the sea.

Malcom Waring, Pulteney Distillery manager, said: “Meeting Doug was like meeting a kindred spirit. He understands perfectly how the sea can be embraced for the betterment of people, place and product, and that’s a value we hold dear here at Pulteney.”