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Stephen James Backshall (born 21 April 1973) is an
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
naturalist, explorer, presenter and writer, best known for
BBC TV 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 19 ...
's ''
Deadly 60 ''Deadly...'' is a strand of British wildlife documentary programming aimed principally at children and young people, which is broadcast on CBBC on BBC One and Two and on the CBBC Channel. It is presented by Steve Backshall, with Naomi Wilkinson ...
''. His other BBC work includes being part of the expedition teams in ''
Lost Land of the Tiger ''Lost Land of the Tiger'' is a three-part nature documentary series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit which follows a scientific expedition to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. The expedition team is made up of specialist zoologists, expl ...
'', ''
Lost Land of the Volcano ''Lost Land of the Volcano'' is a three-part nature documentary series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit which follows a scientific expedition to the island of New Guinea. The expedition team, which includes specialist zoologists, explorer ...
'', ''Deadly Dinosaurs'' and ''
Lost Land of the Jaguar ''Lost Land of the Jaguar'' is a 2008 British nature documentary series on the fauna of Guyana's rainforest. The four presenters are George McGavin, Steve Backshall, Justine Evans, and Gordon Buchanan. The series is a production of the BBC Nat ...
'', as well as '' Expedition with Steve Backshall'' for the TV channel
Dave Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...
. He has worked for the
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 ...
and the
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 ...
. He has published a series of four novels for children called ''The Falcon Chronicles'', three adult non-fiction works and numerous other children's non-fiction books.


Early life

Backshall's parents worked for
British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...
, and he was brought up in a
smallholding A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology ...
in
Bagshot Bagshot is a town in the Surrey Heath borough of Surrey, England, approximately southwest of central London. In the past, Bagshot served as an important staging post between London, Southampton and the West Country, evidenced by the original c ...
surrounded by rescue animals. Backshall attended Collingwood College in
Camberley Camberley is a town in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately south-west of Central London. The town is in the far west of the county, close to the borders of Hampshire and Berkshire. Once part of Windsor Forest, Cambe ...
and
Brooklands College __NOTOC__ Brooklands College is a further education college in Weybridge and Ashford, England. In August 2007 Brooklands merged with Spelthorne College in Ashford. The Weybridge campus is in the grounds of Hugh F. Locke King's historic mansio ...
,
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
in the
sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...
. He backpacked solo around Asia,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and Africa. After this he studied English and theatre studies at the
University of Exeter The University of Exeter is a public university , public research university in Exeter, Devon, England, United Kingdom. Its predecessor institutions, St Luke's College, Exeter School of Science, Exeter School of Art, and the Camborne School of Min ...
. In 2020, he received his MSc in bioscience from
Canterbury Christ Church University , mottoeng = The truth shall set you free , established = 2005 – gained University status 1962 – teacher training college , type = Public , religious_affiliation = Church of England , city ...
. He is fluent in Japanese, Indonesian and Spanish.


Career


Rough Guides

Backshall's first job after returning from Japan was as an author in the
Rough Guide Rough Guides Ltd is a British travel guide book and reference publisher, which has been owned by APA Publications since November 2017. In addition to publishing guidebooks, the company also provides a tailor-made trips service based on customer ...
s to Indonesia and South East Asia.


Television


National Geographic TV

In 1997, Backshall attempted to walk solo across the western half of New Guinea, then known as
Irian Jaya New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...
; he was in the rainforest for three months, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He then had an idea for a series, bought a video camera, and went to the jungles of
Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
, where he made a pilot which he sold to the
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 ...
, which employed him in 1998 as its 'Adventurer in Residence' and he spent five years as a producer and presenter. For National Geographic International, Backshall presented the expedition series ''Game For It'' and the environmental series ''EarthPulse''. On ''A Walk in The Desert'' he walked across Israel's Negev Desert. For ''Bootcamp'', he completed the Israeli special forces selection course, running 60 miles overnight to gain their red beret. ''Cracking the Canyon'' was nominated for Best Adventure Film at the
Banff Mountain Film Festival The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival is an international film competition and annual presentation of films and documentaries about mountain culture, sports, environment and adventure & exploration. It was launched in 1976 as ''The Banff Festival ...
.


BBC TV

In 2003, he moved to BBC's ''
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. In ...
''.Steve Backshall.com Personal profile
 In his first series, he travelled up Australia's east coast from
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
to
Cape Tribulation Cape Tribulation is a headland and coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas in northern Queensland, Australia. In the , Cape Tribulation had a population of 118 people. Geography The locality is north of Cairns. It is within the Daintree Na ...
. In the next series, he travelled around Central America, the Galapagos, and then Southern Africa for the final series in 2006. He competed with fellow naturalist Nick Baker in a series of wildlife challenges. After four years, ''The Really Wild Show'' was axed so he joined the
BBC Natural History Unit The BBC Studios Natural History Unit (NHU) is a department of BBC Studios that produces television, radio and online content with a natural history or wildlife theme. It is best known for its highly regarded nature documentaries, including '' ...
's expedition team. In ''Expedition Borneo'', BBC 2005, the team went in search of new species. With other cavers he made the first exploration of the passages below the mighty 'Solo' sinkhole in the Mulu mountains of Borneo, and also made the first ascent of the north side of Mount Kuli. He co-presented '' Springwatch Trackers'' (BBC Two) with
Kirsten O'Brien Kirsten Lindsey O'Brien (born 23 February 1972) is an English television presenter and actress. She is perhaps best known for her work presenting for the BBC, including the popular CBBC art programme ''SMart'' from 1999 to 2009, and CBeebies pr ...
which was broadcast live from the ''Springwatch'' farm in
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
between 28 May and 15 June 2007. Teams of boys and girls were set a series of tracker challenges. In 2008, his ''
Deadly 60 ''Deadly...'' is a strand of British wildlife documentary programming aimed principally at children and young people, which is broadcast on CBBC on BBC One and Two and on the CBBC Channel. It is presented by Steve Backshall, with Naomi Wilkinson ...
'' was commissioned, followed by the ''Live n Deadly'' offshoot, the aim of which was to inspire children to get outside and interested in wildlife and adventure; his live wildlife question and answer appearances attracted up to 14,000 people per event. In the ''"Deadly"'' programmes he searched for predators that were "Not just deadly to me, but deadly in their own world". He dived outside of the cage with great white,
bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includin ...
,
great hammerhead The great hammerhead (''Sphyrna mokarran'') or great hammerhead shark is the largest species of hammerhead shark, belonging to the family Sphyrnidae, attaining an average length of and reaching a maximum length of . It is found in tropical and w ...
,
mako , better known by the mononym name Mako (sometimes stylised MAKO), is a Japanese voice actress, singer and a member of the band Bon-Bon Blanco, in which her prominent role is as the maraca player. She has also performed in a Japanese television d ...
and
tiger shark The tiger shark (''Galeocerdo cuvier'') is a species of requiem shark and the last extant member of the family Galeocerdonidae. It is a large macropredator, capable of attaining a length over . Populations are found in many tropical and tempera ...
s, caught king cobras,
black mamba The black mamba (''Dendroaspis polylepis'') is a species of highly venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. It is native to parts of sub-Saharan Africa. First formally described by Albert Günther in 1864, it is the second-longest ...
s and lanceheads, had a
redback spider The redback spider (''Latrodectus hasselti''), also known as the Australian black widow, is a species of highly venomous spider believed to originate in South Australia or adjacent Western Australian deserts, but now found throughout Australi ...
crawl across his hand and was bitten on the leg by a
caiman A caiman (also cayman as a variant spelling) is an alligatorid belonging to the subfamily Caimaninae, one of two primary lineages within the Alligatoridae family, the other being alligators. Caimans inhabit Mexico, Central and South America fro ...
while searching for
anaconda Anacondas or water boas are a group of large snakes of the genus '' Eunectes''. They are found in tropical South America. Four species are currently recognized. Description Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used ...
in an Argentinian swamp. The programmes were transmitted on
Nat Geo Wild National Geographic Wild (shortened as Nat Geo Wild and abbreviated NGW) is a global pay television network owned by National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (73%) and the National Geographic Society (27%). T ...
,
Animal Planet Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1, 1996, the network is primarily dev ...
and
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. ...
...
to 157 countries worldwide. The fourth season of the series, ''Deadly Pole to Pole'' was filmed in 2013–2014 from the
Arctic circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...
to
Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
, journeying south through the Americas. The scenarios included being hunted by a polar bear whilst kayaking in
Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range ...
, filming feeding sharks and eagles (using timeslice technology), exploring flooded caves and the insides of a glacier, and catching dozens of species of snake and crocodile. He was bitten by a shark but was saved by a chain-mail shark suit. The finale was diving underneath Antarctic icebergs alongside predatory
leopard seal The leopard seal (''Hydrurga leptonyx''), also referred to as the sea leopard, is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic (after the southern elephant seal). Its only natural predator is the orca. It feeds on a wide range of prey incl ...
. In ''
Lost Land of the Jaguar ''Lost Land of the Jaguar'' is a 2008 British nature documentary series on the fauna of Guyana's rainforest. The four presenters are George McGavin, Steve Backshall, Justine Evans, and Gordon Buchanan. The series is a production of the BBC Nat ...
'', BBC One 2008, he led the first expedition to successfully climb
Mount Upuigma Upuigma-tepui, also known as El Castillo, is a tepui in Bolívar state, Venezuela.Huber, O. (1995). Geographical and physical features. In: P.E. Berry, B.K. Holst & K. Yatskievych (eds.) '' Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Volume 1. Introduction. ...
. On the summit, they discovered an endemic species of frog and mouse, and also footprints of an unidentified mammal. Lead climber John Arran named the route "Spiders in the Mist" and gave it a British grade of E7. He filmed ''Ultimate Caving'',
BBC One 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, p ...
2008, with
Kate Humble Katherine Mary Humble (born 12 December 1968) is an English television presenter and narrator, mainly working for the BBC, specialising in wildlife and science programmes. Humble served as President of the Royal Society for the Protection of Bir ...
, ''Secret Wilderness Japan'',
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 ...
2008, and also presented Nature Reports for the BBC's ''
The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Ronan K ...
''. In ''
Lost Land of the Volcano ''Lost Land of the Volcano'' is a three-part nature documentary series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit which follows a scientific expedition to the island of New Guinea. The expedition team, which includes specialist zoologists, explorer ...
'', BBC One 2009, he led the first western expedition into the crater of the extinct volcano,
Mount Bosavi Mount Bosavi is a mountain in the Southern Highlands province, Papua New Guinea. It is the collapsed cone of an extinct volcano on the Great Papuan Plateau, part of the Kikori River basin.Feld, pp.3–4 The crater is approximately 4 km wide ...
, in Papua New Guinea, where they discovered, among other things, one of the largest species of rats known anywhere in the world, provisionally called the
Bosavi woolly rat The Bosavi woolly rat is a species of rodent that was discovered deep in the jungle of Papua New Guinea in 2009. It is believed to belong to the genus '' Mallomys'', within the family Muridae, according to initial investigation, although this has ...
while its scientific name is determined. They also uncovered miles of undiscovered passages in the Mageni cave system in
New Britain New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dam ...
. In ''
Lost Land of the Tiger ''Lost Land of the Tiger'' is a three-part nature documentary series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit which follows a scientific expedition to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. The expedition team is made up of specialist zoologists, expl ...
'',
BBC One 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, p ...
2010, the expedition team travelled to
Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
and filmed, via remote cameras, the
Bengal tigers The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies. It ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna. The tiger is estimated to have been present in ...
above the tree-line in the
Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
, categorically higher than had ever been filmed before. Their presence at these altitudes has been previously reported from reports from India, Nepal and Bhutan. In ''Supergiants'',
BBC One 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, p ...
2013, he sought to explain why species grow very large. It included diving with Nile crocodiles in Botswana, sperm whales in the Caribbean, and avoiding 2-ton elephant seals in California. In 2013, he voiced ''Nature's Microworlds'' on
BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002
. He was a contestant on the twelfth series of ''
Strictly Come Dancing ''Strictly Come Dancing'' (informally known as ''Strictly'') is a British dance contest show in which celebrities partner with professional dancers to compete in mainly ballroom and Latin dance. Each couple is scored by a panel of usually 4 ...
'' from September 2014 on
BBC One 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, p ...
. He was partnered with former champion
Ola Jordan Aleksandra "Ola" Jordan (''née'' Grabowska; born 30 September 1982) is a British-Polish professional ballroom dancer and model. She appeared as a professional on the British TV show ''Strictly Come Dancing'' from 2006 to 2015. After winning a ch ...
. The couple left the series in week nine after dancing a jive to "
Little Bitty Pretty One "Little Bitty Pretty One" is a 1957 song written and originally recorded by Bobby Day. The same year, the song was popularized by Thurston Harris. Produced by Aladdin Records (located in Los Angeles, Calif.), and featuring The Rivingtons, the Shar ...
" by
Frankie Lymon Franklin Joseph Lymon (September 30, 1942 – February 27, 1968) was an American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of the New York City-based early rock and roll doo-wop group Th ...
. In August 2015, along with
Matt Baker Matthew James Baker (born 23 December 1977) is a British television presenter. He co-presented the children's television show ''Blue Peter'' from 1999 until 2006, BBC One's ''Countryfile'' since 2009 and ''The One Show'' from 2011 to 2020, wit ...
and
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'' ...
, Backshall co-presented ''Big Blue Live'', a series of three programmes for BBC1, featuring marine life in
Monterey Bay Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area and its major city at the south of the bay, San Jose. San Francisco itself is further north along the coast, by a ...
, California. The series won a BAFTA for best live series. In 2016, the BBC aired a series called ''Steve Backshall's Extreme Mountain Challenge'', in which the explorer attempted another first ascent by climbing one of Venezuela's remote and forbidding ''
tepuis A tepui , or tepuy (), is a table-top mountain or mesa found in South America, especially in Venezuela and western Guyana. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran S ...
'' - sheer-sided flat-top mountains. In episode 1 Backshall and his team tackle Amaurai Tepui in south Venezuela's
Canaima National Park Canaima National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Canaima) is a park in south-eastern Venezuela that roughly occupies the same area as the Gran Sabana region. It is located in Bolívar State, reaching the borders with Brazil and Guyana. History Ca ...
. The expedition nearly ended in tragedy when a storm hit the mountain, and rockfall nearly hit his climbing partner, Aldo Kane. In 2017, the BBC premiered another two-part documentary following Backshall's expedition to New Guinea called ''Down the Mighty River with Steve Backshall''. The team of whitewater kayakers attempted to make the first ever descent of the 500 mile long
Baliem River The Baliem River (or Vriendschaps River) is a river in the Highland Papua and South Papua provinces of Western New Guinea, Indonesia. It is the largest tributary of the Pulau River, formerly called the Eilanden River. With a total length of . Hy ...
in Papua; an expedition Backshall had been planning since 1997. Over the course of six weeks, they battled against some of the hardest whitewater on earth, capsizes, illness and local politics. Eventually they made it from source to sea, although were open that they had not kayaked the entire length of the journey. A two-part series ''Japan's Northern Wilderness'' was presented by Backshall and his wife Helen Glover. A three-part series, ''Wild Alaska Live'', co-presented by
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'' ...
and
Matt Baker Matthew James Baker (born 23 December 1977) is a British television presenter. He co-presented the children's television show ''Blue Peter'' from 1999 until 2006, BBC One's ''Countryfile'' since 2009 and ''The One Show'' from 2011 to 2020, wit ...
, aired in July 2017. In January 2018, Backshall participated in '' And They're Off!'' in aid of
Sport Relief ''Sport Relief'' was a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002. It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Director of Educati ...
. Later in the year, he appeared in the first five episodes of ''Springwatch'' for 2018 and also presented an hour-long documentary ''Steve Backshall Vs The Monster Mountain'' on CBBC. In summer 2018, he presented a ten-part series entitled ''Deadly Dinosaurs'', also for CBBC. In March 2019, Backshall, along with Liz Bonnin and
Chris Packham Christopher Gary Packham CBE (born 4 May 1961) is an English naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author, best known for his television work including the CBBC children's nature series ''The Really Wild Show'' from 1986 t ...
, presented a four-part series ''Blue Planet Live'' on BBC One. Backshall was seen diving live with great hammerhead sharks, tiger sharks, bull sharks and reef sharks from the shark sanctuary of
Bimini Bimini is the westernmost district of the Bahamas and comprises a chain of islands located about due east of Miami. Bimini is the closest point in the Bahamas to the mainland United States and approximately west-northwest of Nassau. The populat ...
. In 2018-19, Backshall launched the project ''Expedition'', which was televised by
BBC2 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 ...
,
UKTV UKTV Media Limited, simply known as UKTV, is a British multi-channel broadcaster, which, since 2019, has been wholly owned by BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide), a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. It was formed on 1 November 1992 through ...
, SBS,
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
and
Discovery Asia Discovery Asia (formerly known as Discovery HD and Discovery HD World) is a Southeast Asian pay television channel that features Asia-related documentaries and original Asian programming. It is operated by Warner Bros. Discovery through its Asi ...
. This involved ten expeditions to parts of the globe that had never been explored before. The team uncovered many miles of sunken cave passages in the
cenotes A cenote ( or ; ) is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater. The regional term is specifically associated with the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, where cenotes were commonly used ...
of the Yucatan. They made the first descents of rivers in
Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
and discovered a waterfall that had no record of ever being seen before. At over 100 m high, it was the second highest in the nation. In
Bhutan Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainous ...
on the first descent of the Chamkhar Chhu river, Backshall was caught in a rapid for five minutes and nearly drowned. His life was saved by rescue kayaker Sal Montgomery. They also made an ascent of Jebel Samnhan in
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
, and the first exploration of a desert canyon with a local explorer.


Discovery TV

In ''Venom Hunter'',
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 ...
TV, 2008, he travelled South America aiming to find out as much as possible about venom, including taking part in the
bullet ant A bullet is a kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is shot from a gun barrel. Bullets are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax. Bullets are made in various shapes and c ...
ritual where he was stung hundreds of times by the world's most painful stinging insect. In ''Swimming with Monsters'', Discovery TV 2013, he swam with large animals, including anaconda, hippopotamus, Humboldt squid, and great white sharks without the safety of a cage.


Sky TV

In 2006 he filmed ''Inside the King Cobra'' for
Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non-terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...
.


Channel 5

In 2017, Channel 5 aired one-hour documentary called ''Meet the Hedgehogs'' presented by Backshall and
Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Fredd ...
.


Writing

Backshall began working as a writer for publisher
Rough Guides Rough Guides Ltd is a British travel guide book and reference publisher, which has been owned by APA Publications since November 2017. In addition to publishing guidebooks, the company also provides a tailor-made trips service based on customer ...
, and is an author on their
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
guide. He continues to contribute to British newspapers.


Wildlife writing

* ''Venom: Poisonous Creatures in the Natural World'', 2007, is a scientific analysis of venoms and poisons with an in-depth look at animals that use natural toxins. * ''Deadly 60'' is the book of series one, and is a diary style breakdown of each animal and how they were found and filmed. * ''Wildlife Adventurer's Guide'' was published in 2009. It is aimed at young naturalists, and provides a guide to having adventures in the UK. * ''Looking for Adventure'', 2011, describes his expeditions in New Guinea; his childhood and how he got into television. * ''Predators'' is an illustrated guide to predatory animals. * ''Deadly Diaries'' is a diary-style book of Series 3 of ''
Deadly 60 ''Deadly...'' is a strand of British wildlife documentary programming aimed principally at children and young people, which is broadcast on CBBC on BBC One and Two and on the CBBC Channel. It is presented by Steve Backshall, with Naomi Wilkinson ...
'', released in 2012. * ''Deadly Detectives'' is a 'how to' book, teaching the skills of tracking animals by their signs, scat and prints.


Fiction

Backshall stated "I was a big reader when I was a kid ... Fiction was a massive, massive part of my formative years, far more so than television ever was, and I always hoped that my future would lie with writing. When I was given the opportunity I absolutely leapt at it. It's an idea that I've had in mind for a long time, of these two youngsters on the run who become almost wildlife vigilantes, and it's one that I've had tremendous fun writing." In May 2012 he published the first of a series of fiction novels entitled ''The Falcon Chronicles''. *''Tiger Wars'', 2012, is about the adventures of a young boy and girl on the run from a shadowy gang of assassins, set against the background of the war on tiger poaching. In 2013 it reached the selection longlist for the
Branford Boase Award The Branford Boase Award is a British literary award presented annually to an outstanding children's or young-adult novel by a first-time writer; "the most promising book for seven year-olds and upwards by a first time novelist." The award is sha ...
for debut novels for children. *''Ghosts of the Forest'', 2013, is set in the forests of
Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...
and
Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...
, with the same main characters battling illegal loggers. *''The Wilds of the Wolf'', 2014, features the same main characters travelling to the Yamal peninsula in Siberia, tracking wolves in the snow, and battling against the big oil and gas companies that are destroying the fragile Arctic environment. *''Shark Seas'', 2016 Backshall stated, "First and foremost I hope that the reader will be entertained," but added "I hope that some of the readers – and if it's a very small percentage that's fine – will come away and want to learn more and will want to go out and find out for themselves what they can do."


Rock climbing and other sports

Backshall is a rock climber and mountaineer, and does adventure races, fell runs and endurance sports. In 2014, he summitted the highly technical granite
Mount Asgard Mount Asgard ( iu, ᓯᕙᓂᑎᕈᑎᖑᐊᒃ, ''Sivanitirutinguak'') is a twin peaked mountain with two flat-topped, cylindrical, rock towers, separated by a saddle. It is located in Auyuittuq National Park, on the Cumberland Peninsula of Baff ...
in Arctic
Baffin Island Baffin Island (formerly Baffin Land), in the Canadian territory of Nunavut, is the largest island in Canada and the fifth-largest island in the world. Its area is , slightly larger than Spain; its population was 13,039 as of the 2021 Canadia ...
, in one single 27-hour summit push. Ice and alpine climbing are described as being among his great passions, and he has climbed such peaks as
Cho Oyu __NOTOC__ Cho Oyu (Nepali: चोयु; ; ) is the sixth-highest mountain in the world at above sea level. Cho Oyu means "Turquoise Goddess" in Tibetan. The mountain is the westernmost major peak of the ''Khumbu'' sub-section of the Mahalangur ...
, the sixth highest mountain in the world at 8201 m, and Cholatse in the Himalayan
Khumbu Khumbu (also known as the Everest Region) is a region of northeastern Nepal on the Nepalese side of Mount Everest. It is part of the Solukhumbu District, which in turn is part of Province No. 1.Bradley, Mayhew; "Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya"; ( ...
. He qualified as an advanced Himalayan Expedition leader from India's Nehru Institute of Mountaineering. He partnered John Arran and Ivan Calderon up the first ascent of Upuigma-tepui in Venezuela, and led the first ascent of the North face of Mount Kuli in Borneo. In 2005, he ran the
Marathon des Sables ''Marathon des Sables'', or MdS, (French for Marathon of the Sands, also known as Sahara Marathon) "Facing Africa NOMA : The Marathon des Sables", FacingAfrica.org, 2010, webpage: -->pages/mds/default.asp FA8. is a six-day, ultramaratho ...
243 km across the Sahara desert to raise money for the Wolftrust. Backshall has a black belt in judo, attained after a year living in Japan studying the martial art. He is an experienced BCU four star sea and whitewater and has three times completed the 125-mile, 24-hour, canoe race from Devizes to Westminster on the river Thames. He has competed in numerous triathlons, adventure races and fell running events. His best finishes include winning the 'Extreme' and 'Last Man Standing' events at UK
Tough Guy The Tough Guy Competition was an endurance challenge that claims to be the world's most demanding one-day survival ordeal. First staged in 1987 and organised by Billy Wilson under the pseudonym of "Mr. Mouse", it is held on a 600-acre (2.42 sq ...
, finishing 9th overall at Tough Guy and 4th in the Welsh 1000m peak marathon. In July 2008, while attempting to climb a wet cliff face in the
Wye Valley The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; cy, Dyffryn Gwy) is an internationally important protected landscape straddling the border between England and Wales. The River Wye ( cy, Afon Gwy) is the fourth-longest river in th ...
in the
Forest of Dean The Forest of Dean is a geographical, historical and cultural region in the western part of the county of Gloucestershire, England. It forms a roughly triangular plateau bounded by the River Wye to the west and northwest, Herefordshire to the n ...
, he fell onto rocks. The impact sent his heel bone through the bottom of his foot, dislocated his ankle, and fractured two vertebrae in his back. He required twelve operations and several years of rehab to get back to fitness.


Honours and awards

In 2011, Backshall won two
BAFTAs The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...
; best Children's Television Presenter, and Best Factual series. In 2009 and 2013, he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Children's Television Presenter. ''
Deadly 60 ''Deadly...'' is a strand of British wildlife documentary programming aimed principally at children and young people, which is broadcast on CBBC on BBC One and Two and on the CBBC Channel. It is presented by Steve Backshall, with Naomi Wilkinson ...
'' was nominated for Best Children's series. ''
Lost Land of the Jaguar ''Lost Land of the Jaguar'' is a 2008 British nature documentary series on the fauna of Guyana's rainforest. The four presenters are George McGavin, Steve Backshall, Justine Evans, and Gordon Buchanan. The series is a production of the BBC Nat ...
'' was nominated for Best Factual series. ''Expedition Borneo'' was nominated for an
Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
in the US. ''
Lost Land of the Volcano ''Lost Land of the Volcano'' is a three-part nature documentary series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit which follows a scientific expedition to the island of New Guinea. The expedition team, which includes specialist zoologists, explorer ...
'' won the 2012
Wildscreen Wildscreen is a wildlife conservation charity based in Bristol, England. The charity was founded in December 1987 from a trust which had operated since 1982, with the initial aim of encouraging and applauding excellence in the production of na ...
award for best popular broadcast. In 2012, ''
Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Tel ...
'' awarded him a Gold Badge, their highest honour. In 2012, he was awarded an honorary PhD from the University of Exeter. In 2012, he was awarded the Animal Carer Badge in the Scout Birthday Badge Awards. In 2017, Backshall and Glover were awarded Charity fundraisers of the year, after raising £360,000 for the
World Land Trust The World Land Trust is a UK registered charity. It raises money to buy and then protect environmentally-threatened land in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. In 2018 it claimed to have raised more than £25 million and to have bought ...
. They also won the mixed category of the celebrated Devizes to Westminster kayak race. Backshall was appointed
Member of the Order of the British Empire 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 ...
(MBE) in the
2020 New Year Honours The 2020 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebration ...
for services to charity and wildlife conservation. In 2020, he was awarded the Scientific Exploration Society Explorer of the Year Award.


Charities

*President (one of nine) -
Young People's Trust for the Environment Young People's Trust for the Environment (YPTE) is a British charity founded in 1982, to encourage young people's understanding of the environment. The charity's main goal is to give young people a real awareness of environmental issues such as cli ...
. *President - Berks, Bucks and Oxfordshire
The Wildlife Trusts The Wildlife Trusts, the trading name of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, is an organisation made up of 46 local Wildlife Trusts in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and Alderney. The Wildlife Trusts, between them, look after more than 2, ...
*Vice-President - Buglife – The Invertebrate Conservation Trust *Patron -
World Land Trust The World Land Trust is a UK registered charity. It raises money to buy and then protect environmentally-threatened land in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. In 2018 it claimed to have raised more than £25 million and to have bought ...
*Patron - Bite-Back (shark and marine conservation) *Patron - Exotic Pet Refuge *Patron - Longridge UK *Patron - Manta trust *Patron - Shark trust *Ambassador -
The Scout Association The Scout Association is the largest Scouting organisation in the United Kingdom and is the World Organization of the Scout Movement's recognised member for the United Kingdom. Following the origin of Scouting in 1907, the association was for ...
and for the 'Cubs 100' events celebrating 100 years of Cub Scouting


Filmography

1998 - 2003 * ''Earthpulse'' -
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 ...
* ''Game For It'' - National Geographic Channel * ''The Toughest Race'' - National Geographic Channel * ''Tracking the Canyon'' - National Geographic Channel * ''Boot Camp'' - National Geographic Channel * ''SOS: Save Our Seas'' - National Geographic Channel * ''The Holiday Programme'' - National Geographic Channel * ''Dive the World'' - National Geographic Channel * ''Primary Geography'' - National Geographic Channel * ''Adventure Diaries India'' - National Geographic Channel * ''Adventure Diaries'' - National Geographic Channel007, Springwatch Trackers'', BBC Two * ''Inside Out'' * ''Expedition Borneo'' * ''The Really Wild Show'' * ''Inside - King Cobra'' 2008 * ''Lost Land of the Jaguar'' * ''The One Show - Natural'' * ''Britain’s Lost World'' * ''Outdoor Britain Extreme Caving'' * ''Spring Watch Trackers'' * ''Secret Wilderness Japan'' * ''Expedition Alaska'' * ''Venom Hunter'' * ''Inside Out'' 2009 * ''Deadly 60'' * ''Lost Land of the Volcano'' 2010 * ''Deadly 60 II'' * ''Natural Born Hunters'' * ''Lost Land of the Tiger'' * ''Live And Deadly'' 2011 * ''Deadly 360'' * ''Live And Deadly'' 2012 * ''Deadly 60 III'' 2013 * ''Deadly Pole to Pole'' * ''Super Giant Animals'' * ''Swimming with Monsters'' 2014 * ''Deadly on a Mission: Pole to Pole'' * ''Personal Expedition: Mount Asgard'' * ''Strictly Come Dancing'' 2015 * ''Big Blue Live'' * ''Backshall's Deadly Adventures'' 2016 * ''Fierce'' * ''Steve Backshall's Extreme Mountain Challenge'' 2017 * ''Down the Mighty River with Steve Backshall'' * ''Japan's Northern Wilderness'' * ''Meet the Hedgehogs'' * ''Wild Alaska Live'' * ''Shark Bites'' 2018 * ''Steve Backshall Vs The Monster Mountain'' * ''Springwatch'' * ''Deadly Dinosaurs'' 2019 * ''Blue Planet Live'' * ''Undiscovered Worlds with Steve Backshall'' * ''Saving Britain's Hedgehogs'' * '' Expedition with Steve Backshall'' * ''Animals After Dark'' 2020 * ''Deadly 60 IV'' * ''Blue Planet Revisited'' * ''Springwatch'' * ''DIY Deadly'' 2021 * ''
Celebrity Mastermind ''Celebrity Mastermind'' is a celebrity version of ''Mastermind'', a British television quiz show broadcast by BBC television. It began in 2002 as a one-off special, expanding to the current arrangement of 10 episodes, broadcast during December a ...
'' * ''Our Wild Adventures'' * ''Expedition with Steve Backshall II'' * ''Shark with Steve Backshall'' 2022 * ''Our Changing Planet'' * ''Deadly Predators''


Personal life

In 2015, Backshall and Olympic champion rower Helen Glover announced their engagement. The couple married at
Prussia Cove Prussia Cove ( kw, Porth Legh), formerly called King's Cove, is a small private estate on the coast of Mount's Bay and to the east of Cudden Point, west Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Part of the area is designated as a Site of Special Scien ...
,
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, on 10 September 2016. In March 2018, it was announced that Backshall and Glover were expecting twins. In April, Glover stated that one of the twins had died, but that she and Backshall were "hopeful for the remaining baby to arrive this summer". On 24 July 2018, Backshall and Glover announced the birth of their baby boy. On 20 January 2020, Backshall and Glover announced the birth of their twins. All their children's names had Cornish connections as Glover was born in
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
.


See also

*'' Deadly'', UK TV series


References


External links


Biography

''The Really Wild Show''
*
Steve's wildlife stories on location with the BBC

Steve Backshall on BBC's Live'n'Deadly show
{{DEFAULTSORT:Backshall, Steve 1973 births Living people Alumni of Canterbury Christ Church University Alumni of the University of Exeter English naturalists English television presenters English travel writers Members of the Order of the British Empire Multilingual writers People from Bagshot