The BBC, David Attenborough, and The Etches Collection:  Bringing Deep Time to Life

Few voices are as trusted or beloved as Sir David Attenborough’s, and few institutions have done more to connect the British public with the natural world than the BBC. When these two forces turn their attention to a hidden gem like The Etches Collection in Kimmeridge, the results can be truly transformative not just for the museum itself, but for how we understand and appreciate the extraordinary prehistoric legacy of the Jurassic Coast.

The Etches Collection houses the life's work of Dr Steve Etches MBE, a self-taught fossil collector whose discoveries from the Kimmeridge Clay have reshaped our understanding of marine life in the Late Jurassic. With over 2,800 fossils, some delicate, some dramatic. Steve’s collection tells stories of creatures that lived 150 million years ago in a warm, shallow sea where Dorset now lies. But while the fossils themselves are stunning, it takes a great storyteller to bring their full meaning to life for the wider public. That’s where the BBC and Sir David Attenborough stepped in.

In 2017, the BBC aired Attenborough and the Sea Dragon, a prime-time documentary featuring one of Steve’s most remarkable finds: the fossilised remains of a previously unknown species of ichthyosaur. Unearthed from the Kimmeridge Clay, the specimen was unusual not just for its completeness but for its anatomy—a powerful predator with a deep, muscular body unlike any previously known. It was eventually named Thalassodraco etchesi, or “Etches’ Sea Dragon,” in Steve’s honour.

The documentary followed the painstaking excavation, preparation, and analysis of the fossil, using cutting-edge CGI and stunning cinematography to bring the Jurassic seas vividly to life. At the heart of the story, however, was Steve himself—his quiet determination, his deep local knowledge, and his lifelong passion for uncovering stories from deep time. Sir David Attenborough’s narration brought warmth, clarity, and reverence to the story, weaving Steve’s personal journey into a much bigger picture of life on Earth and the power of curiosity.

The impact of the documentary was profound. Visitor numbers to The Etches Collection rose significantly, and the museum received widespread national attention. For many viewers, it was the first time they had heard of Kimmeridge or the unique fossil record of the area. For others, it was a chance to rediscover a coastline they thought they knew, now seen through the lens of ancient life and dramatic scientific discovery.

More than just a television programme, Attenborough and the Sea Dragon helped cement The Etches Collection’s place in the national imagination. It showed that scientific discovery isn’t confined to distant labs or remote deserts—it can happen in quiet village garages, on windswept Dorset cliffs, and in the hands of people like Steve, who never stopped looking.

Thanks to the BBC and Sir David, the story of The Etches Collection and the creatures it holds continues to inspire new generations to look deeper, ask questions, and marvel at the rich natural heritage all around us.

How a village watched history rise from the cliffs

When word began to spread around Kimmeridge that Steve Etches had found something special; even more special than usual, there was a ripple of quiet excitement through the village. Locals were used to Steve appearing with a grin and a new fossil under his arm, often muddy and wind-blown from the cliffs. But this was different. The specimen was big, nearly complete, and possibly a species no one had ever seen before.

People started asking questions at the pub, at the village hall, at the slipway café. “Have you seen it?” “Where did he find it?” “Is the BBC really coming?”

And then, quite suddenly, they did come. Trucks rolled into the village. Camera crews unloaded gear outside The Etches Collection. A quiet corner of the Dorset coast became the backdrop for a full-scale BBC documentary, complete with drones buzzing the cliffs, digital scanning rigs, and a few whispered mentions that David Attenborough himself would be narrating the story.

Steve’s long-time helpers, some of them neighbours, farmers and friends from nearby villages, worked behind the scenes to move equipment, steady ladders, and help pack tools up and down the path. One farmer friend of ours worked tirelessly in his workshop to design and weld the lifting cradle used to haul the main slab of the sea monster up the side of the cliff.

The fossil came out in pieces, huge slabs of ancient seabed, each bearing part of the creature’s skeleton. Some of the village children were invited to see the early stages of the cleaning process. One likened the vertebrae to "buttons on a giant coat." Another said it looked like something from a dragon story. The name sea dragon stuck.

Inside the museum, while filming continued, there was a tangible sense that something important was happening, not just for science, but for Kimmeridge itself. One local remarked, “It’s funny, you live your whole life next to these cliffs, and suddenly the rest of the world is noticing them.” Another said simply, “It makes you proud, doesn’t it?”

After the documentary aired, more people than ever made their way down the winding lanes to visit The Etches Collection. For those who were here when the sea dragon came out of the rock, when history was lifted by hand from the cliff face, it was something personal. A shared moment of awe, a rare and beautiful intersection of place, people, and deep time.

And Steve? He was back out on the cliffs not long after, hammer in hand, still searching, still listening to the stories the rocks have to tell.

Why not come and visit the museum and stay with us. Click here to see the studio rooms accommodation we have on offer