{{Short description|Irish television producer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Orla Doherty | occupation = Producer | employer = BBC Studios Natural History Unit | notable_works = BBC ''Blue Planet II'' episodes: ''The Deep'' and ''Our Blue Planet'' | awards = ''Vogue''{{'}}s Women Shaping 2018 }} '''Orla Doherty''' is an Irish producer with the BBC Studios Natural History Unit. She is known for producing ''The Deep'' and co-producing ''Our Blue Planet'' episodes for the BBC's ''Blue Planet II''.

== Early life and career == Doherty's family comes from Donegal, Ireland.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.donegaldaily.com/2017/11/16/the-daring-donegal-woman-behind-jaw-dropping-blue-planet-ii-scenes/|title=The daring Donegal woman behind jaw-dropping Blue Planet II scenes|last=McLaughlin|first=Rachel|date=2017-11-16|website=Donegal Daily|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-26}}</ref> She has a degree in chemistry.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.irishnews.com/lifestyle/2019/02/23/news/bbc-producer-orla-doherty-on-bringing-blue-planet-ii-live-to-ireland-1557998/|title=BBC producer Orla Doherty on bringing Blue Planet II – Live to Ireland|last=Lee|first=Jenny|date=2019-02-23|website=The Irish News|language=en|access-date=2019-12-26}}</ref> She began working in television for DEF II, a part of BBC Two.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/television/one-woman-and-the-sea-the-irishwoman-behind-the-breathtaking-blue-planet-ii-36305852.html|title=One woman and the sea: The Irishwoman behind the breathtaking 'Blue Planet II'|website=Independent.ie|date=12 November 2017 |language=en|access-date=2019-12-26}}</ref> At 30 she tried scuba diving for the first time during a trip to Thailand, which led her to move away at 31 to start studying coral reefs for a non-governmental organization, the Planetary Coral Reef Foundation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pcrf.org/crew.php |website=Planetary Coral Reef Foundation |title=Meet the Crew – 2000–2008}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetvfestival.com/whats-on/speakers/speakers-and-panelists/orla-doherty/|title=Orla Doherty|website=The Edinburgh International Television Festival|language=en|access-date=2019-12-26}}</ref> She spent most of the next 10 years on a ship studying the reefs in the Pacific Ocean.<ref name=":2" /> Upon her return, she began working for the BBC's Natural History Unit, and in 2013 she joined the production team of the BBC's ''Blue Planet II''.<ref name=":1" /> In 2018 she produced the documentary ''Oceans: Our Blue Planet''.<ref name=":1" /> That same year, she was named one of ''Vogue'''s Women Shaping 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/vogue-25-the-women-shaping-2018|title=The Vogue 25: Meet The Women Shaping 2018|website=British Vogue|date=31 May 2018 |language=en-GB|access-date=2019-12-26}}</ref> In 2019, she became co-executive producer on the documentary series ''Mission OceanX''.<ref>{{Cite press release|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/bbcstudios/2019/natural-history-unit-oceans-nat-geo|title=BBC Studios Natural History Unit to make major six-part ocean life documentary series for National Geographic – Media Centre|website=www.bbc.co.uk|date=23 July 2019|access-date=2019-12-26|publisher=BBC}}</ref>

== ''Blue Planet II'' == Doherty worked as a producer for ''Blue Planet II'' for four years.<ref name=":2"/> In total she spent two and a half years filming, divided over 17 expeditions.<ref name=":0" /> She produced ''The Deep'' episode, for which she spent 500 hours in a submarine under water, going as deep as 1000 meters.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/orla-doherty-on-science-in-the-sea-and-blue-planet-2.html|title=Orla Doherty on science in the sea and Blue Planet 2|first=Katie|last=Pavid|website=www.nhm.ac.uk|language=en|access-date=2019-12-26}}</ref> She was one of the first people to go that deep in the Antarctic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/19/16907172/bbc-america-blue-planet-2-orla-doherty|title=How Blue Planet II captured never-before-seen views of the ocean|last=Potenza|first=Alessandra|date=2018-01-19|website=The Verge|language=en|access-date=2019-12-26}}</ref> She was among the team that filmed a whale fall for the first time in the Atlantic Ocean.<ref name=":4" /> She also co-produced the final episode of the series, named ''Our Blue Planet'', which showed the effect of plastics and pollution on the ocean.<ref name=":4" /> For this episode, she filmed scientists from all over the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/blue-planet-ii/biogs|title=BBC – Meet the team – Media Centre|website=www.bbc.co.uk|access-date=2019-12-26}}</ref>

== References == {{Reflist|30em}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Doherty, Orla}} Category:Irish television producers Category:Irish women television producers Category:BBC people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people