48 Facts About Chris Packham

Christopher Gary Packham CBE was born on 4 May 1961 and 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 to 1995.

Chris Packham has presented the BBC nature series Springwatch, including Autumnwatch and Winterwatch, since 2009.

Chris Packham was educated at Bitterne Park Secondary School, Taunton's College and the University of Southampton, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology.

In 1983, Chris Packham was a part-time camera assistant for wildlife filmmaker Stephen Bolwell working with him on A Toad's Tale.

Chris Packham is known for his work as a television presenter, which began in 1986 with the BAFTA-winning BBC1 children's programme The Really Wild Show and nature photography series Wild Shots on Channel 4.

Chris Packham wrote and presented the BBC One series The X Creatures and BBC Two's Hands on Nature and Nature's Calendar.

Chris Packham was the lead presenter on BBC South's Inside Out, and has worked on BBC South East's Inside Out with Kaddy Lee-Preston.

Chris Packham has led yearly birdwatching tours in The Gambia.

Chris Packham formed the production company Head Over Heels with producer Stuart Woodman, making wildlife programmes for Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and the BBC.

In 2011, Chris Packham won an episode of the BBC's Celebrity Mastermind.

Chris Packham presented the BBC programme The Animal's Guide to Britain.

In 2014, Chris Packham presented a two-part BBC documentary in which he, Martha Kearney and Adam Hart examined in detail the behaviour of the honeybee, as well as a BBC series on animal cognition, called Inside the Animal Mind, which partly featured his own pet dogs.

In 2017, Chris Packham co-presented Earth Live on Nat Geo Wild with Jane Lynch and Phil Keogan.

Chris Packham worked with Jaguar Land Rover on a promotional podcast series called The Discovery Adventures.

In March 2019, Chris Packham presented, along with Liz Bonnin and Steve Backshall, four-part series Blue Planet Live.

In 2021, Chris Packham presented a six-part BBC Two 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.

Chris Packham narrated the three-part BBC nature series Dogs in the Wild: Meet the Family, that aired from late December 2022 to early January 2023.

In February 2023, Chris Packham presented Inside Our Autistic Minds, a two-part BBC documentary about autism.

Chris Packham is president of the Hawk Conservancy Trust, the Bat Conservation Trust, the Hampshire Ornithological Society, the British Trust for Ornithology and the Southampton Natural History Society.

Chris Packham was president of the Hawk and Owl Trust between 2010 and 2015.

Chris Packham is patron of Population Matters, Africat, and The Sholing Valleys Study Centre.

Chris Packham is patron of the Woolston Eyes Conservation Group, which manages Woolston Eyes Bird Reserve, The Humane Research Trust, The Fox Project, ORCA, The Seahorse Trust, The NatureWatch Foundation, Raptor Rescue, The Fleet Pond Society and Birding for All.

Chris Packham became the Ambassador for the National Autistic Society in October 2017.

Chris Packham set up Wild Justice in February 2019, a not for profit company limited by guarantee which aims to ensure that the legal system in the UK protects wildlife.

In December 2013, Chris Packham was made an honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Southampton, having originally graduated from the university more than 30 years earlier.

In December 2014, Chris Packham was voted "Conservation Hero of the Year" by readers of Birdwatch magazine in association with the online BirdGuides website for his work in publicising the illegal slaughter in Malta of millions of migrating birds.

Chris Packham was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to nature conservation.

In 2009, during an interview with the Radio Times, Chris Packham suggested that the giant panda was too expensive to save and "should be allowed to become extinct" so that funds could be redistributed to protecting other animals and habitats.

Chris Packham made a comment, in September 2009, saying he would "eat the last panda" if doing so would retroactively redistribute the money spent on panda conservation.

In 2015, Chris Packham signed a letter to MPs to block the proposed changes to amend the Hunting Act 2004.

Chris Packham has worked to raise awareness of the illegal persecution of birds of prey in the UK.

Chris Packham resigned as President of the Hawk and Owl Trust in 2015 citing "Personal differences over ideas of policy".

Later in 2015 Chris Packham wrote an article in BBC Wildlife magazine complaining about the silence of many of Britain's leading conservation organisations on the issues of fox hunting, badger culling and hen harrier persecution.

Chris Packham organised the writing of a manifesto for UK wildlife in 2018 which he delivered to Downing Street via The Peoples Walk for Wildlife.

Chris Packham took part in Veganuary in 2019 and subsequently decided to remain a vegan, following three decades of vegetarianism.

Later that year, Chris Packham stated he would no-longer take internal flights and that he had purchased an electric car.

Chris Packham opposes the currently under construction High Speed 2 project and launched legal action against it in March 2020, without success.

Shortly after midnight on 8 October 2021, Chris Packham's home was the object of a suspected arson attack, by two masked men who set fire to a vehicle which exploded and destroyed the gates to his property.

Chris Packham commented that the attack was an escalation in the harassment he has received over some years, and that discovering dead animals, including foxes and badgers, tied to his gate was now a "normal occurrence".

Chris Packham said such "activity had escalated to the point where he now feared for his life and the safety of his family", but that it would not stop his activism, and publicising of the conservation causes he believed in.

Chris Packham is the older brother of fashion designer Jenny Chris Packham, and grew up in Hampshire with natural history as his main passion.

Chris Packham found his time at school very difficult, being socially excluded and regularly bullied by fellow pupils.

In 2003, at the age of 42, Chris Packham began seeing a therapist after the death of his dog.

Chris Packham has stated that he has had severe depression.

In 2016 Chris Packham lived in the New Forest with his pet poodle, Scratchy.

For over ten years Chris Packham has been in a relationship with Charlotte Corney, owner of the Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, although the couple live separately.

Chris Packham has a step-daughter, Megan McCubbin, a zoologist, who has appeared with him on Springwatch.