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Chris Packham

Extraordinarily creative and prolific, Chris Packham has led a remarkable life. He’s gained recognition as a naturalist, television presenter, writer, photographer, conservationist, campaigner and filmmaker.

Broadcasting
Chris presents the BBC’s BAFTA award-winning long running series Springwatch and Winterwatch for which he is perhaps best known. He recently presented the multi award-winning series Inside our Autistic Minds for BBC Two and Channel 4’s Time to Break the Law.

He has also presented notable natural history series such as Earth, Nature’s Weirdest Events, World’s Weirdest Events, World’s Sneakiest Animals, Cats v Dogs, The Burrowers, Inside the Animal Mind, Operation Iceberg and Secrets of our Living Planet. He has also been a guest on NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

During lockdown, he formed the free-to-view Self-Isolating Bird Club with his stepdaughter, Megan McCubbin.

Chris’ television presenting career began with the award winning ’Really Wild Show’ in 1986. He went on to present a string of other wildlife based shows including  ‘Wildshots’, ‘Wild Watch’, ‘Go Wild’, ‘X-Creatures’, ‘Postcards from the Wild’, ‘Hands on Nature’ and ‘Nature’s Calendar’.

Books
Chris’s autobiography, Fingers in the Sparkle Jar: A Memoir, received critical acclaim, reaching No 1 in The Sunday Times Bestsellers in just two weeks and was featured as a Radio 4 Book of the Week. He has also written Amazing Animal Journeys, telling the story of the annual migration of animals around the world, from butterflies to whales.

His first photography book, 100 Things That Caught My Eye, was published in 2014 – an eclectic collection of his photographs accompanied by his thoughts and insights as he captured each shot.

Campaigning
A leading campaigner, Chris has always been active and vocal about wildlife and conservation issues and injustice. He is a vociferous opponent of the badger cull and a leading campaigner in the call to ban driven grouse shooting. In September 2019 Chris organised the UK’s first march for wildlife – The People’s Walk for Wildlife, London.

Chris is an ambassador for numerous wildlife and environmental NGOs and organises his own independent campaigns and actions. He campaigns for just transitions towards positive environmental necessities – from fossil fuels to renewable energies, from industrial and intensive animal agriculture to plant-based alternatives, from chemical dependent to regenerative farming, and from declining biodiversity to nature recovery. He is a passionate and vocal vegan.

Awards
Chris has received numerous awards including the Dilys Breese British Trust for Ornithology Medal for “his outstanding work in promoting science to new audiences”, Conservation Hero of the Year at the Birders’ Choice Awards organised by Birdwatch magazine and was named Britain’s second most influential conservation heroes in The Wildlife Power List featured in BBC Wildlife magazine. He is also a recipient of The Christopher Parsons Award for Outstanding Achievement in recognition of his significant contribution to wildlife filmmaking, conservation and the public’s understanding of the environment.

He has been made an honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Southampton, his alma mater.

Chris was appointed a CBE in the 2019 New Year’s honours list for services to wildlife and nature conservation.

He lives in the New Forest with his partner Charlotte and his two poodles, Sid and Nancy. His mantras are ‘winning is not giving up’ and ‘shout above the noise’.

Megan McCubbin

Megan McCubbin is one of the nation’s leading wildlife presenters, combining her expertise as a scientist with a love of adventure and a passion for raising awareness of climate issues and biodiversity.

Megan is best known as one of the faces of BBC Two’s long-running and BAFTA award-winning series Springwatch and Winterwatch.
In 2022 she joined the presenting team of BBC One’s Animal Park, bringing a new conservation angle to the much-loved longstanding TV show. She has also presented BBC Three’s Undercover Tourist, CBBC’s Planet Defenders, Al Jazeera’s award-winning Earthrise, BBC Earth’s Amaze me and BBC Two’s Chris & Meg’s Wild Summer. Megan also hosted the BBC Proms Earth Day concert in 2022 which featured Hans Zimmer and Aurora.

Megan has presented films for ITV’s This Morning and appeared on Morning Live (BBC One), Steph’s Packed Lunch (Channel 4), BBC Bitesize and BBC Radio.
She co-presents and produces the podcast series The Frogs Bollocks with James Stevens, an entertaining and engaging way to bring a new audience to natural history.

During lockdown she co-founded the Self Isolating Bird Club YouTube series with Chris Packham. Her first book, Back To Nature, was published in 2020, co-authored with Chris. It highlights the state of nature conservation in the UK and serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting it. In 2023, Megan wrote Atlas of Endangered Species highlighting the global conservation of species balancing on the brink of extinction, and the book provides the basis for her live theatre tour.

Megan has extensive experience in scientific research, filmmaking and photography around the World on the plains of Africa, the oceans surrounding the UK, the glaciers of Antarctica and beyond.

Megan is an accomplished public speaker and has given talks at COP26, the Cornwall Ecological Summit, local theatres and schools. She has co-hosted the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards at the Natural History Museum since 2020.

Megan graduated with a BSc degree in Zoology from the University of Liverpool in 2018. Diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age, she worked hard and excelled in field work and communication. In between her studies, she spent time volunteering to aid research and charity organisations around the world. This included working as a behavioural intern in China to rehabilitate bears from the bear bile farming industry and researching the personalities and ecology of shark species at Bimini Sharklab in the Bahamas. Megan has experience and knowledge working in various scientific fields and communicating complex scientific concepts to wider audiences.

Megan is President of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Patron of the Winchester Science Centre and Helping Rhinos. She is an Ambassador for the RSPB, WWF, the League Against Cruel Sports, Rainforest Concern, the Beaver Trust, Global Animal Welfare, the Scottish Seabird Centre, the Wild Otter Trust, Thin Green Line UK, the National Oceanography Centre and Made By Dyslexia.

Stanley Johnson

Broadcaster, journalist, author, conservationist – Stanley Johnnson’s achievements are numerous, traveling the world in pursuit of animal welfare and spearheading environmental projects. Stanley has had many books published and regularly writes for newspapers and magazines on a range of topics – from politics and travel to society at large. He appears frequently on television and radio, guesting on news, current affairs and feature programmes. Stanley was part of the primetime BBC Two documentary A Week in the Wild, where three celebrities took on the iconic challenge of exploring Mexico’s famous Copper Canyon. He also featured in Channel 4’s recent series The Baby Boomer’s Guide to Growing Old.

Stanley was born in Cornwall in August 1940, and was educated at Ravenswood School, near Tiverton, Devon, Sherborne School, Dorset, and studied at Exeter College, Oxford, where he won a Stapeldon Scholarship in Classics. Since 1951 his family has farmed on Exmoor, on the Devon-Somerset border, and Stanley still manages the farm there today. He also has a home in London.

On leaving Oxford in 1963, Stanley was awarded a Harkness Fellowship to the United States in 1963. He is a former Conservative member of the European Parliament (MEP) where he served (1979-1984) as Vice Chairman of the Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection. He has also worked in the European Commission (1973-1979) as Head of the Prevention of Pollution division and (1984-1994) as Senior Adviser to DG Environment and as Director of Energy Policy. Before joining the Commission, Stanley served on the staff of the World Bank and the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

Stanley has been an adviser to Price Waterhouse Coopers, a director of ERM, an environmental consultancy, a trustee of the Earthwatch Institute and Plantlife International and an environmental adviser to Jupiter Asset Management. He is currently Honorary President of the Gorilla Organisation (www.gorillas.org) and an Ambassador for the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) (http://www.cms.int/)

He has had eleven books published dealing with environmental issues, including the Politics of the Environment, the Earth Summit and the Environmental Policy of the European Communities. He has also had nine novels published, including The Commissioner which was made into a film starring John Hurt. Stanley’s book, Where The Wild Things Were, is a collection of travel and environmental journalism.

The first volume of his memoir “Stanley I Presume” was published to critical acclaim (‘hilarious and rip-roaring’) in 2009.  The second volume: “Stanley I Resume: further recollections of an exuberant life” was published in 2014.

Stanley’s most recent publication, Kompromat, a satirical thriller was published in 2017 and is being developed for television.

In 1984 he was awarded the Greenpeace Prize for Outstanding Services to the Environment and in the same year the RSPCA Richard Martin award for services to animal welfare. In 2014, he received the WWF Silver Medal, and in 2015 he also received the RSPB Medal and WWF-International’s Leader of the Living Planet Award for his work on the EU Habitats Directive and Natura 2000, the Europe-wide network of protected areas. In 1962 he won the Newdigate Prize for Poetry.

Stanley has four children by his first marriage to the painter Charlotte Johnson-Wahl: Boris, Rachel, Leo and Joseph. He also has two children, Julia and Maximilian, by his second marriage to Jennifer.

Marc Abraham

Dr Marc Abraham OBE, or ‘Marc the Vet’ as he is usually known, is a multi-award-winning veterinary surgeon, broadcaster, author, and animal welfare campaigner; regularly appearing on shows including BBC Breakfast, Sky News, Tonight, as well as being a producer of US movie documentary Dog By Dog. Marc has experience across a range of different veterinary work (including small animal, mixed, emergency) as well as his volunteering abroad, allowing him to bring a unique depth and breadth of knowledge to both his broadcast and corporate commitments.

Marc is the author of four books: Vet on Call, Pets in Need, Lucy’s Law: The Story of a Little Dog Who Changed the World, and most recently #BeMoreMosquito: How you can campaign and create change; as well as writing blogs and articles to raise awareness of animal welfare across local, national, and international media, is resident vet giving advice on BBC Sussex and BBC Surrey, plus shares tips on his busy Twitter and FB channels. Marc has successfully collaborated with a whole host of household brands and events, plus is often invited to speak at public engagements as well as at meetings in Parliament.

His passion for animal welfare has also seen Marc volunteer overseas for numerous animal welfare organisations. These include vaccinating dogs against rabies in the Mumbai Slums, rescuing dancing bears in Ukraine, saving cats and dogs in post-tsunami Thailand, rescuing dogs from dogmeat farms in South Korea, neutering pets deep in the Amazon Jungle, working with pit-bulls in US prisons, operating on street dogs in Udaipur, India, going undercover to investigate Finnish fur farms, rescuing ex-breeding dogs and puppies from U.S puppy mills, as well as performing dental work on a rescued moonbear in Chengdu, China.

Marc campaigns extensively for animal welfare issues both in the UK and US, including promoting rescue pet adoption and responsible dog and cat breeding, as well as actively advocating to stop the cruel puppy farming industry. In 2009 he set up Pup Aid, a national puppy farming awareness campaign, featuring an annual celebrity-judged dog show in London’s Primrose Hill. Responsible for three of the biggest pet welfare government e-petitions of all time, Marc is also the co-founder and secretariat of the All-party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group (APDAWG) and helped source rescue dog Dilyn for previous Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie.

After leading a 10-year campaign, including 300+ visits to Westminster lobbying MPs and Ministers, the Government passed Lucy’s Law into English legislation banning the commercial third-party trade in puppies and kittens, making all dog and cat breeders accountable by providing a legislative framework to help investigation and prosecution; thus providing support and transparency for prospective puppy and kitten buyers. The campaign was also successful in changing the law in Wales, Scotland, and hopefully soon Northern Ireland.

Based in Brighton, East Sussex, Marc currently works at The Mewes Vets in nearby Rottingdean, and regularly visits local primary and secondary schools to chat with pupils about caring for animals and looking out for one another. He is proud ambassador and/or patron of several animal charities including All Dogs Matter, Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, Humane Society International UK, SPANA, Oldies Club, Friends of Animals Wales, Nowzad, Compassion in World Farming, and Together Co.

Marc has just completed filming a documentary with Donart Film Ltd about campaigning for dog welfare, including exploring canine fertility clinics, the international legal and illegal trade in puppies, and the sale of puppies in U.S pet stores. This documentary (title tbc) is due for release in autumn 2023. In recognition of his work helping animals at home and worldwide, Marc was recently awarded the OBE for Services to Animal Welfare by King Charles III at Windsor Castle, after being announced on the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Recent Awards
Winner ‘Prime Minister’s Points of Light’ Award 2020
Winner ‘Best Public Awareness Cause Campaign’ PR Week Campaigns for Good Awards 2019
Winner ‘Golden Sabre for Animal Care’ #SABREAwardsEMEA 2019
Winner ‘Voluntary Sector Campaign of the Year’ PRCA Public Affairs Awards 2018
Winner ‘Special Award’ Daily Mirror/RSPCA Animal Hero Awards 2018
Winner ‘Vet of the Year’ 2014, 2015, 2016

Angela Rippon

Angela Rippon has been a familiar face and voice in British broadcasting for nearly 60 years. She is an award-winning journalist who has embraced an impressive variety of programmes on both radio and television for both commercial and BBC channels in Britain, America and Australia.

The scope and quality of her work has been recognised by the Royal Television Society who entered her into their Hall of Fame in 1996. In 2002 she was voted European Woman of Achievement and in the Queen’s Birthday Honours of 2004 she was awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to Broadcasting, Charity and the Arts. Angela was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to dementia care in her role as development lead with Dementia Friendly Communities.

Trained as a journalist in her home town of Plymouth, Angela worked for both BBC Plymouth and the ITV station Westward Television before joining BBC National News in 1973. She was appointed the first woman journalist newsreader in 1975 and made two memorable appearances in the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Shows. She was a founder member of the commercial breakfast service TV-am in 1982 and in 1984 moved to America to work for CBS in Boston.

Angela presents BBC One’s flagship consumer programme Rip-Off Britain. She also regularly reports for The One Show and Morning Live, both on BBC One. She appeared in the 2023 series of Strictly Come Dancing, making it to Blackpool and winning the admiration of viewers with her high kicks!

She has presented a wide variety of programmes from hard news and current affairs to quiz shows and magazine programmes for both BBC and commercial radio and television. Titles include Come Dancing; Top Gear, the Antiques Roadshow, Masterteam, Crufts Championship, Holiday Hit Squad, The Holiday Programme, How To Stay Young, The Truth About Dementia, Britain’s Greatest Invention and HealthCheck UK Live, BBC One’s series offering health advice and tips, as well as companionship during the Covid lockdown. Angela was also the voice of the question master on the hit BBC One game show The Wall, with Danny Dyer.

Angela is committed to a number of charities, including the British Red Cross of which she is Vice President and The Alzheimer’s Society.

Angela has written 14 books including Fabulous at Fifty and Beyond.

Lucrezia Millarini

Lucrezia Millarini is journalist and anchor for ITV News, presenting across all main programmes including ITV Lunchtime News, ITV Evening News and News At Ten.

Lucrezia also presents ITV London’s flagship show and is a regular reporter for ITV’s documentary series On Assignment. With more than 15 years live broadcast experience, Lucrezia has reported on RTS award-winning coverage of the Grenfell Tower Fire, anchored ITV’s breaking news of the Duke of Edinburgh’s death and was part of ITV team covering Harry and Meghan’s Windsor wedding.

Other prime-time credits include co-hosting a Mortgage Crisis Special and Mental Health Special for ITV’s The Martin Lewis Money Show: Live, appearing as a guest commentator on This Morning and fronting a documentary for current affairs programme Tonight: Botched? Inside the Beauty Business.

Not afraid of a challenge, Lucrezia has been a contestant on ITV’s Dancing on Ice, competed in the multi-discipline athletics challenge The Games and C4’s hugely popular Celebrity Hunted for Stand Up To Cancer. She is also a Celebrity Mastermind champion.

As former Entertainment Correspondent for ITV London, Lucrezia is as comfortable on the red carpet as she in the studio. From politicians to National Treasures, she has interviewed everyone from Blondie to Beyonce, Dame Joan Collins to Sr Elton John, Stephen Spielberg to Meryl Streep. She remains one of the few journalists to quiz Tom Cruise about Scientology and even presented Rihanna with her first Oyster card!

Lucrezia studied law at Bristol and trained as a barrister before becoming a journalist.

She was born in London and lives there with her husband and highly demanding dog, Milo.

Aside from the day job, she has chaired conferences, hosted a number of corporate events and award ceremonies, with clients always noting her warmth and natural presence.

A keen supporter of animal rights, Lucrezia is Patron to the charities Dogs on the Street and Support Dogs. She’s also backed campaigns for Alzheimer’s Society.