Steve Backshall – Buglife President

Steve opened Buglife’s first Bug Nature Reserve – Canvey Wick.

Born on 21^st  April 1973, in Surrey, Steve grew up on a smallholding, surrounded by rescue animals. He studied English and Theatre Studies at the University of Exeter, and then Biology at the Open University, before living in Japan for a year, studying martial arts.

In 2014 Steve appeared on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing with dance partner Ola Jordan, Steve first appeared in television on the National Geographic Channel as a presenter and producer in 1998, moving on to the BBC’s Really Wild Show alongside Nick Baker and Michaela Strachan in 2003. In 2008 Deadly 60 was commissioned, followed by Live n Deadly aimed at inspiring children to get outside and interested in wildlife.

Steve was appointed an MBE in the 2020 New Year’s Honours for services to charity and wildlife conservation.

Books and literature include:

Steve previously worked as an Indonesian travel writer for Rough Guides and writes in British newspapers.

Venom: Poisonous Creatures in the Natural World (2007) is his analysis of the science behind venom and poison. He also explores the world’s most poisonous creatures.

Deadly 60 is the book of TV series one; Wildlife Adventurer’s Guide (2009) is a guide to having adventures in the UK; Looking for Adventure (2011) which was the story of his many expeditions in New Guinea, including much about his childhood and how he got into television; Predators (2013) breaks down predatory animals into their main features.

In 2012, Steve released Deadly Diaries a diary-style book of Series 3 of Deadly 60; Deadly Detectives(2014) a ‘how to’ book, teaching the skills of tracking animals by their signs, scat and prints and the first novel of the fictional series The Falcon Chronicles; the first novel, Tiger Wars, was quickly followed by the second Ghosts of the Forest (2013), and third book The Wilds of the Wolf (2014).

TV shows include:

The BBC’s Supergiants, Lost Land of the Tiger, Lost Land of the Volcano and Lost Land of the Jaguar, Ultimate Caving, Secret Wilderness Japan, Expedition Borneo, Springwatch Trackers,  as well as presenting Nature Reports for The One Show and voicing the BBC Four series Nature’s Microworlds.

Sky One’s Inside the King Cobra and Discovery TV’s Swimming with Monsters and Venom Hunter.

On the National Geographic channel, Steve presented the expedition series Game For It and contributes to the long running environmental series EarthPulse.

Notable achievements:

2011 – Steve won two BAFTAs; best Children’s Television Presenter, and Best Factual series.

2012 – Lost Land of the Volcano won the Wildscreen award for best popular broadcast.

2012 – Long running CBBC series Blue Peter awarded him their highest honour of a Gold Badge

2012 – Awarded an honorary PhD from the University of Exeter.