Into the DEEP

As Jaws turns 50, marine activist WENDY BENCHLEY tells us how her late husband Peter's novel changed cinema and our relationship with sharks for ever

-  HANNAH DAVIESb

JAWS @ 50: THE DEFINITIVE INSIDE STORY NEW FRIDAY, 8PM, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, & FROM FRIDAY 11 JULY, DISNEY+ FACTUAL

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Jaws resurfaces again... Having premiered in US cinemas on 20 June 1975 before arriving on UK shores later that year on 26 December, American director Steven Spielberg's film about a great white shark preying on a coastal community is now celebrating its 50th anniversary.

To mark the milestone, a new documentary for National Geographic and Disney+ will deep dive into how author Peter Benchley's 1974 novel made a splash on the big screen, becoming the 'first summer blockbuster'.

Featuring behind-the-scenes anecdotes from Steven and never-before-seen archive footage, Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story will also see Peter's widow, Wendy, share how the movie's success changed their family's lives.

Here, shark conservationist Wendy, 84, whose husband passed away in 2006, joins TV Times for an exclusive interview about Jaws' legacy...

What inspired your late husband Peter to write a novel about a great white shark, Wendy?