Before Steve was the Crocodile Hunter, he had already been capturing countless crocodile-trapping quests on tape using a video camera his father had bought for him. Steve’s friend and documentary filmmaker John Stainton had the opportunity to see the amateur footage, which showed not only wild crocodiles but Steve’s dynamic communication both with and about them. Stainton realized he had something unique on his hands and with the back of Australian TV producers, began documenting the crocodile hunter’s adventures himself.
It certainly wasn’t the first TV show in history to offer up-close encounters with wild animals. Still, it was like nothing viewers had seen. It focused on crocodile and other wildlife rescues, and the camera followed the host into unknown, potentially dangerous situations. Most significantly, though, the show features someone whose mesmerizing talent lay in simply being himself.
Appropriately titled The Crocodile Hunter, the resulting program aired in Australia in 1996 and, by 1999, had reached viewers in more than 130 countries.
The following is a clip from the pilot episode. (Fun fact: Most of the footage for this episode was recorded during their honeymoon due to the urgency of the rescue.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvS7Ga5P75k