In 2016 a researcher looking through the Zoo Quest (1954) archives held at the BBC's Natural History Unit in Bristol unearthed more than six hours-worth of original location-shot material on colour 16mm film. (This had been believed to provide better definition on the monochrome 405-line picture of 1950s UK television. Having vetoed the BBC's directive to use cumbersome 35mm cameras, David Attenborough and his cameraman Charles Lagus had opted for the more mobile handheld 16mm cameras.) These films comprised footage for the first three expeditions: "Zoo Quest to West Africa" (1954), "Zoo Quest to Guiana" (1955) and "Zoo Quest for a Dragon" (1956).
This was the first natural history series the BBC shot on film.