Meet the team
Find out more about the team...
Scroll down for some of their memorable moments and a few facts you may not know about them already!
Steve Backshall
Specialist skills:
Steve is always seeking out his next adventure!
Steve is an expert diver, rock climber and martial arts black belt. Whatever we throw at him, he can handle it!You may not know...
He’s dedicated his life to exploring our planet’s wild places, discovering new habitats and the weird, wonderful, and downright deadly animals that inhabit them.
This time, Steve is diving into the warm waters of the Bahamas and getting up close with the animals he most admires: tiger sharks, huge great hammerheads, vast schools of reef sharks and giant stingrays. These top predators are under threat globally, and Steve is finding out what the future holds for them.
Background:
Steve has filmed all over the planet and knows how to get up close and personal with some of the world’s most elusive and intimidating species.
He’s best known for his high octane adventures on Deadly 60, the “Lost Land” Expeditions, and two of our other epic live spectacles - Wild Alaska Live and Big Blue Live!
Watch some of Steve's memorable moments:
Steve sees a blue whale live on air during Big Blue Live, cutting short an interview with whale expert, Doris Welch. Despite the shock of seeing one against the odds, Steve holds it together to deliver some great insight into the largest animal to have ever lived on the Earth.
Steve dives into the waters of Monterey Bay to swim live with sea lions on Big Blue Live. He shows how animals that are so clumsy on land become elegant acrobats in the water, perfectly adapted to their habitat. He explains how as a group they watch out for predatory sharks which could be lurking in the blue.
This won’t be Steve’s first time in the water with tiger sharks - here he gives a little introduction to one of the biggest predators in the ocean.
Liz Bonnin
Specialist skills:
Liz is a highly qualified zoologist who has travelled the globe tracking down emerging wildlife stories and cutting-edge science.
While studying for her MSc she investigated the diet of tigers β which involved studying lots of scatsβ¦ or tiger poo! Sheβs certainly not afraid to get her hands dirty in the name of science!You may not know...
She is on Heron Island tracking the fortunes of two huge gatherings - nesting seabirds and turtle hatchlings, in the middle of the biggest green turtle nesting site in the world.
Liz is also checking in on the health of a coral structure that can be seen from space - the Great Barrier Reef.
Background:
Liz is a biochemistry graduate with a Masters in Wild Animal Biology, so she really knows her stuff when it comes to wildlife!
She’s an animal behaviour specialist who is no stranger to live TV, with Wild Alaska Live and Big Blue Live under her belt, as well as shows like Operation Snow Tiger and Super Smart Animals.
Liz also recently presented the recent environmental documentary Drowning in Plastic, an issue that we’ll be delving into on Blue Planet Live.
Watch some of Liz's memorable moments:
Liz is no stranger to the often deadly effects that plastic can have on seabirds across the world. Here she meets the flesh-footed shearwaters that breed on a remote island in the Tasmanian Sea, and whose chicks may have ingested plastic which could prove fatal.
Liz accompanies submarine captain, Buck, and marine biologist, Pelayo Salinas De Leon, 1km down into the waters of the Galapagos Islands, the deepest dive to date in this area.
Liz joins Dr Cesar Penaherrera as he dives with hammerhead sharks, attaching tags to collect crucial data about the species. Logging their movements reveals information that can be used to better protect them.
Chris Packham
Specialist skills:
Chris is famous for his encyclopedic knowledge of all things wildlife and he’ll be bringing that with him to Baja California, in Mexico!
Chris originally trained as a wildlife cameraman, but gave way to presenting on his first job - βThe Really Wild Showβ, back in 1986. And he hasnβt stopped since!You may not knowβ¦
He is on a trip that is taking him into the air, over the land and across the water to find three iconic giants of the deep.
Chris is in world’s biggest gray whale nursery, on the hunt for humpbacks and is tracking down the largest animal ever to have lived - the blue whale.
Background:
Chris Packham has been a naturalist and television presenter for over two decades and has travelled across the globe seeking out wild encounters and constantly expanding his incredible wildlife knowledge. Chris is no stranger to live TV as a regular on Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch for ten years.
His other programmes include Nature’s Weirdest Events, Operation Iceberg and Secrets of our Living Planet.
Watch some of Chris' memorable moments:
Chris explores the amazing brain of dolphins, to find out just how smart they are. Their intelligence enables them to be fantastic predators, who have evolved amazing methods of hunting cooperatively.
Chris investigates zombie starfish on Nature’s Weirdest Events - they lose limbs which continue to move around by themselves…
Swimming amongst the plankton blooms, Chris comes across two ocean giants feeding on some of the smallest creatures in our oceans.
