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Christopher Gary Packham
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(born 4 May 1961) is an English
naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author, best known for his television work including the
CBBC
CBBC (initialised as Children's BBC and also known as the CBBC Channel) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the bran ...
children's nature series ''
The Really Wild Show
''The Really Wild Show'' is a long-running British television show about wildlife, broadcast by the BBC as part of their CBBC service to children. It also runs on Animal Planet in the US.
The show was broadcast each year from 21 January 1986. I ...
'' from 1986 to 1995. He has also presented the BBC nature series ''
Springwatch
''Springwatch'', ''Autumnwatch'' and ''Winterwatch'', sometimes known collectively as ''The Watches'', are annual BBC television series which chart the fortunes of British wildlife during the changing of the seasons in the United Kingdom. The p ...
'', including ''Autumnwatch'' and ''Winterwatch'', since 2009.
Early life
Packham was born in
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
, Hampshire on 4 May 1961.
He was educated at
Bitterne Park Secondary School,
Taunton's College and the
University of Southampton
, mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour
, type = Public research university
, established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...
, where he received a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
degree in
Zoology
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...
.
After graduating, he cancelled his study towards a
Doctorate of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
to train as a wildlife cameraman.
Television career
Early career
In 1983, Packham was a part-time camera assistant for wildlife filmmaker Stephen Bolwell working with him on ''A Toad's Tale''.
From 1983–1985, he worked on ''
The Living Planet
''The Living Planet: A Portrait of the Earth'' is a BBC nature documentary series written and presented by David Attenborough, first transmitted in the UK from 19 January 1984.
The sequel to his pioneering '' Life on Earth'', it is a study of t ...
'' series and ''The Living Isles'' for the BBC and ''Ourselves and Other Animals,'' a series for
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
.
Packham is known for his work as a television presenter, which began in 1986 with the
BAFTA-winning
BBC1
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
children's programme ''
The Really Wild Show
''The Really Wild Show'' is a long-running British television show about wildlife, broadcast by the BBC as part of their CBBC service to children. It also runs on Animal Planet in the US.
The show was broadcast each year from 21 January 1986. I ...
''
(1986–1995) and
nature photography
Nature photography is a wide range of photography taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as landscapes, wildlife, plants, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures. Nature photography tends to put a stronger emphasis o ...
series ''Wild Shots'' on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
. He also wrote and presented the BBC One series ''
The X Creatures
''The X Creatures'' is a British documentary television series that was produced by the BBC which was broadcast from 26 August to 30 September 1998 on BBC One. It was presented by Chris Packham, and examined the possibility of the existence of m ...
''
and
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
's ''Hands on Nature'' and ''Nature's Calendar''. Other television series included ''Go Wild (Live)'' and ''Travel UK'' for
Central Television, ''Nature's Detectives'' (BBC), ''Really Wild Guide (BBC2)'' and ''The Great Dinosaur Trail'', which he wrote and presented for LTV
Carlton Television
Carlton Television (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties from 9.25am every Monday to 5.15pm every Friday. The company is now managed with London Weekend Televi ...
, ''Watchout Series II and III'' as lead presenter, ''Animal Zone'' (BBC2), ''Postcards from the Wild'' and ''An Evening with Chris Packham'' for Discovery Animal Planet. Other network television programmes included
Flying Gourmets Guide' (BBC1), ''The Great British Birdwatch (Live)'' for BBC, ''Smokescreen'' for Harlech Television, ''Beachwatch (Live)'', ''Flamingo Watch (Live)'', ''Heading South (Live)'' for the BBC, and ''Behind the Scenes of the Lost World'' for Meridian Television.
During this time, Packham was involved in numerous regional television series, such as ''The London Wildlife Challenge'' for ITV Carlton Television, ''Anything Goes (Live)'', ''Birdwatch with Chris Packham'', ''The Pier on Film'' and ''Wildwatch with Chris Packham'' for Meridian Television, and ''Go for Green'' for BSB Satellite and Cable. Regional television programmes included: ''Through Two Cameras'', ''The Wild Garden'', ''The Wood Worker'', ''The Disappearing Down'', ''Jewels in the Sand'', ''Wildfowl Seasons'' and ''The Keepers of the Forest''.
He was the lead presenter on
BBC South
BBC South is the BBC English Region serving
Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Dorset, Berkshire and parts of Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Surrey, West Sussex and Wiltshire, with geographic coverage varying b ...
's ''
Inside Out'',
and has also worked on
BBC South East
BBC South East is the BBC English region serving Kent, East Sussex, most parts of West Sussex and southern parts of Surrey.
The BBC region was created in September 2001 by the joining of the Heathfield transmitter (formerly part of the BBC ...
's ''Inside Out'' with Kaddy Lee-Preston.
Since 2009
Since June 2009, he has co-presented the BBC Two nature programme ''
Springwatch
''Springwatch'', ''Autumnwatch'' and ''Winterwatch'', sometimes known collectively as ''The Watches'', are annual BBC television series which chart the fortunes of British wildlife during the changing of the seasons in the United Kingdom. The p ...
'' – and its sister programmes ''BBC Autumnwatch'' and ''BBC Winterwatch'' – along with various others. He has also led yearly birdwatching tours in
The Gambia
The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...
.
He formed the production company Head Over Heels with producer Stuart Woodman, making wildlife programmes for
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...
,
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
, and the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
.
In 2011, Packham won an episode of the BBC's ''
Celebrity Mastermind''. His specialist subject was the
Battle of Rorke's Drift
The Battle of Rorke's Drift (1879), also known as the Defence of Rorke's Drift, was an engagement in the Anglo-Zulu War. The successful British defence of the mission station of Rorke's Drift, under the command of Lieutenants John Chard of the ...
. He also presented the BBC programme ''The Animal's Guide to Britain''.
In 2013, he presented a four-part documentary series entitled ''Secrets of Our Living Planet'', which demonstrated the complex
ecological
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...
relationships upon which apparently unconnected species, such as tigers and crabs, depend.
In 2014, Packham presented a two-part BBC documentary in which he,
Martha Kearney
Martha Catherine Kearney (born 8 October 1957) is a British-Irish journalist and broadcaster. She was the main presenter of BBC Radio 4's lunchtime news programme ''The World at One'' for 11 years, and in April 2018 became a presenter of the ear ...
and
Adam Hart
Adam Hart is an English scientist, author and broadcaster, specialising in ecology, entomology and conservation, especially in southern Africa. He has co-presented three BBC TV documentaries on social insects (BBC4's ''Planet Ant: Life Inside ...
examined in detail the behaviour of the
honeybee
A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current cosmo ...
, as well as a BBC series on
animal cognition
Animal cognition encompasses the mental capacities of non-human animals including insect cognition. The study of animal conditioning and learning used in this field was developed from comparative psychology. It has also been strongly influenc ...
, called ''Inside the Animal Mind'', which partly featured his own pet dogs. In 2014, he presented a 10-part series ''The Wonder of Animals'' for the BBC. It included episodes on birds of prey, dolphins, crocodiles, great apes, elephants, foxes, ants, big cats, bears and penguins.
In 2016, Packham co-presented a two-part series for the BBC, ''Cats v. Dogs: Which Is Best?'', along with
Liz Bonnin
Elizabeth Bonnin (born 16 September 1976) is a French science, wildlife and natural history presenter, who has worked on television in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. She presented morning show '' RI:SE'' and music show ''Top of the Pops'' ...
. The programmes compared cat behaviour and relationships with humans, against those of dogs, in the format of a mock contest. It also explored some recent research on the subject.
In 2017, Packham co-presented ''Earth Live'' on Nat Geo Wild with
Jane Lynch
Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series '' Glee'' (2009–2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recog ...
and
Phil Keogan. The programme was a live journey exploring some of the most spectacular wildlife on the planet. He also worked with
Jaguar Land Rover
Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC is the holding company of Jaguar Land Rover Limited (also known as JLR), and is a British multinational automobile manufacturer which produces luxury vehicles and sport utility vehicles. Jaguar Land Rover is a ...
on a promotional podcast series called ''The Discovery Adventures''.
In October 2017, he presented a
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...
documentary about his experience as a high-functioning person with Asperger's, ''Chris Packham: Asperger's and Me''. In the programme, Packham examined critically the approach taken to
autism
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
and
Asperger syndrome
Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in Interpersonal relationship, social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and re ...
in the United States.
In January 2018 he presented BBC Two's ''The Real T-Rex'', in which he attempted to rebuild the most authentic ''
Tyrannosaurus rex
''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' live ...
'' ever seen, from the bones up. Also in January he presented ''Chris Packham: In Search of the Lost Girl'' on
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
, in which he highlighted the impact of
palm oil
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...
consumption on the
rainforests of Sumatra.
In August 2018, Packham co-hosted ''Yellowstone Live'' on
National Geographic Channel
National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television television network, network and flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel owned by the National Geograp ...
with TV host
Josh Elliott
Josh Elliott is an American television journalist who most recently worked for CBS News. He has previously worked as the news anchor for ABC's ''Good Morning America'', a sports anchor for NBC Sports and ''Today'', and was a co-anchor for the l ...
, a four-night event showcasing the
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) is one of the last remaining large, nearly intact ecosystems in the northern temperate zone of the Earth. It is located within the northern Rocky Mountains, in areas of northwestern Wyoming, southwestern Mo ...
with feeds from dozens of live cameras and seven camera crews.
In March 2019, Packham presented, along with Liz Bonnin and Steve Backshall, four-part series Blue Planet Live.
In 2020, he narrated a three-part documentary series called ''Primates''. Along with
Ella Al-Shamahi, he also co-presented ''Waterhole: Africa's Animal Oasis'' which premiered in December of the same year.
In 2021, Packham presented a six-part
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
documentary series called ''Animal Einsteins''; the series premiered on 21 February 2021. In July 2021, a one-hour special titled ''Chris Packham: A Walk That Made Me'', in which Packham walked a familiar path in Hampshire, premiered on BBC Two. Shortly after, he co-presented a six-part series alongside step daughter Megan McCubbin titled ''Chris and Meg's Wild Summer''.
In April 2022, he presented a segment filmed in Iceland for the first episode of BBC's ''Our Changing Planet''. In August 2022, Packham co-presented with
Megan McCubbin
Megan McCubbin (born 1995) is an English zoologist, conservationist, photographer and television presenter.
Biography
McCubbin has dyslexia and took Environmental Studies at A-Level. A foundation year in Biological Science led her to study Z ...
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's ''Earth Proms'' concerts at the