Climate Content

The Boat Race (2025)

The Boat Race’s is one the UK’s most iconic sporting events, drawing in 2.8 million viewers in 2025. At its heart lies the River Thames, an essential part of the competition. This year, the production team chose to highlight the environmental challenges the river has been facing by integrating climate storytelling into the live broadcast, bringing to the screen how these issues increasingly affect both the athletes and the sport itself.

The health of the river directly impacts the health of the athletes. Flooding, sewage overflow, agricultural and urban runoff have led to rising level of E. coli in the river, posing risks to rowers and even stopping traditional elements of the race such as the cox’s throw-in.

FilmNova’s embedded climate storytelling throughout the three-hour broadcast by:

Engaging talent: using trusted voices such as Steve Backshall, Helen Glover and Clare Balding, they draw attention to and humanise complex issues. The river is a personal story to Helen and Steve as they live alongside it, they spotlighted the biodiversity that relies on the river and brings its story to life.
Graphics and data: Integrated water and air quality visuals into the sports coverage, making science accessible and directly relevant to the boat race itself
Editorial philosophy: Utilises sports’ convening power and reach to create engaging climate-conscious stories within a live broadcast. During extended coverage (3 hour window), engagement is maintained through VT sequences that enrich the storytelling when the live action pauses.

Climate storytelling works best when embedded naturally into existing narratives. Sport, and the traditions and fanbases that come with it can be used as a platform for millions to tune in and connect emotionally with environmental issues.