Wildlife SOS is a long-running documentary series that follows the work of Wildlife Aid. The show is presented by co-founder Simon Cowell and veterinary nurse Sara Cowen. Simon is generally featured lampooning around the countryside rescuing wildlife, while Sara is in charge at the hospital looking after the patients during their stay. They are backed up by a dedicated team of vets, wildlife experts and over 120 volunteers, whose many and varied characters help to give the show its unique charm.

Wildlife SOS was first broadcast in 1997 on Channel 5, with the first episode of series 1 airing on their launch day - Easter Sunday 1997. Since then it has run continuously on Animal Planet, and has also been co-produced by ITV Meridian and ITV London. What started as a low-budget, back room production is now one of the most popular shows on Animal Planet. The programme is also shown throughout Europe and Africa, and seems to have a particularly strong following in the Netherlands.

Click here to see clips from past series of Wildlife SOS

Wildlife SOS is made by Wild Productions, a video production company run by Simon Cowell that shares premises with Wildlife Aid. Being so closely linked to the charity means that the film crew can respond quickly and efficiently, and because they are familiar with the work of the charity, are able to film with minimum disruption. Every effort is made to ensure that filming does not interfere with the animals’ welfare; if an animal is stressed, it comes first - not Wildlife SOS.

Click here to meet the Wildlife SOS crew

Wildlife Aid benefits from massive exposure through Wildlife SOS, with the charity logo and helpline telephone number appearing at the end of each programme. This unique partnership has allowed Wildlife Aid to raise awareness of its cause to a growing audience, while retaining control over how the charity is portrayed. Although the benefits are not fully measurable, we do get donations, memberships and even legacies from people well outside our local area who are avid viewers of the show.

Series breakdown:

Simon in the very first series!