{"id":38913,"date":"2024-05-24T11:15:15","date_gmt":"2024-05-24T09:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/7fe38530-dd2d-46b9-829a-186adbc66c26"},"modified":"2024-05-24T12:35:53","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T10:35:53","slug":"who-is-michaela-strachan-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-springwatch-presenter","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/who-is-michaela-strachan-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-springwatch-presenter\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is Michaela Strachan? Everything you need to know about the Springwatch presenter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"rssexcerpt\">Naturalist and TV presenter Michaela Strachan is best known for her work on Springwatch, but did you know she once had a career in pop music? Here is everything you need to know about Michaela Strachan. <\/p><p class=\"rssauthor\">By <\/p><p class=\"rssbyline\">Published: Friday, 24 May 2024 at 09:15 AM<\/p><hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/><?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"UTF-8\" standalone=\"yes\"?>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><p>Michaela Strachan is a wildlife presenter appearing regularly as a co-host of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/news\/when-is-springwatch-on-tv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Springwatch<\/em><\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/news\/when-is-winterwatch-on-tv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Winterwatch <\/em><\/a>(collecting known as<em> \u2018The Watches<\/em>\u2019), alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/people\/who-is-chris-packham-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-winterwatch-presenter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Chris Packham<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/people\/12-facts-you-should-know-about-gillian-burke\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gillian Burke<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/people\/iolo-williams-guide-interview\">Iolo Williams <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/people\/who-is-megan-mccubbin-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-autumnwatch-presenter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Megan McCubbin<\/a>. She is known for her cheerful, enthusiastic presence on the screen.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-who-is-michaela-strachan\">Who is Michaela Strachan?<\/h2><p>Many children of the 1980s will remember Strachan on such programmes as <em>The Wide Awake Club<\/em> with Timmy Mallet (1985) and, most memorably, <em>The Really Wild Show with Chris Packham and Terry Nutkins <\/em>(1992). She also had a brief career as a pop singer before becoming a TV presenter.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-old-is-michaela-strachan\">How old is Michaela Strachan?<\/h2><p>Michaela Strachan was born in 1966 in Ewell in Surrey.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-did-michaela-strachan-become-a-television-presenter\">How did Michaela Strachan become a television presenter?<\/h2><p> Michaela Strachan studied musical theatre at the Arts Educational College in London. Her first job was touring in a production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which she followed with a new role on TV co-hosting <em>The Wide Awake Club<\/em>.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-did-she-break-into-wildlife-presenting\">How did she break into wildlife presenting?<\/h2><p>Strachan\u2019s first wildlife presenting job was on OWL TV (Outdoors and Wildlife TV) in 1989, which led to her place alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/people\/who-is-chris-packham-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-winterwatch-presenter\/\">Chris Packham<\/a>, Terry Nutkins, and later Steve Backshall and Nick Baker on (1992 \u2013 2006). She presented for ten years, but is probably most known now for her role on the Watches.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-where-does-michael-strachan-live\">Where does Michael Strachan live?<\/h2><p>Michael Strachan now lives in Cape Town, South Africa.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-is-michael-strachan-married\">Is Michael Strachan married?<\/h2><p>Michael Strachan is married to the film director and cameraman Nick Chevallier.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-does-michael-strachan-have-children\">Does Michael Strachan have children?<\/h2><p>Michaela Strachan has a son called Ollie, born in 2006, and 3 step children, Jade (born in 1988 )and twins Tom and Sam (born in 1990)<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-fun-facts-about-michaela-strachan\">Fun facts about Michaela Strachan<\/h2><ul><li>Her favourite animal is the African <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/birds\/facts-about-penguins\">penguin<\/a>. She told <em>BBC Wildlife<\/em> in 2021, \u201cI once wrote a poem for a children\u2019s book about them, which started off:\u2018What is it about penguins that always make you smile?<br\/>Is it the way they waddle in that funny penguin style?\u2019I can\u2019t imagine Cape Town without them.\u201d<\/li><li>So iconic was Michaela Strachan on 1980s television that pop group Scouting for girls wrote a song about her called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cZY2p_P59eY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Michaela Strachan Broke My Heart (When I Was 12)<\/a>.<\/li><li>Michaela herself had a fleeting career as a pop star with her hit singles H-A-P-P-Y:<\/li><\/ul><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"H.A.P.P.Y. Radio Music Video\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QblLC18FhCQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><p>and Take Good Care of my Heart.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"MICHAELA - Take Good Care Of My Heart\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8rACTID6BmA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><ul><li>Michaela is allergic to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/mammals\/facts-about-elephants\"> elephants<\/a>. She told <em>The Telegraph<\/em> in 2015: \u201cOrphaned elephants, with their trunks around us, their hairs on us; I don&#8217;t know what part of the elephant I&#8217;m allergic to, but when I&#8217;m surrounded by them like that I come out in a rash, my eyes start streaming. But I think I&#8217;ve got a lot better.\u201d<\/li><li>In 2002, while filming for <em>Countryfile<\/em>, Michaela entered the World Gurning Competition at Egremont Crab Fair, a traditional festival on the West Cumbrian coast. She won the <a href=\"https:\/\/protect-eu.mimecast.com\/s\/qRPyCxlLASJEZGEi8gRLi?domain=egremontcrabfair.com\">Ladies&#8217; World Gurning Crown<\/a>.<\/li><li>Because of her musical background, audiences of <em>The Masked Singer <\/em>believed Michaela to be the &#8216;mushroom&#8217; in the 2022 edition of the show. In fact, it was Charlotte Church.<\/li><\/ul><p> <\/p><p\/><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-our-interview-with-michaela-strachan\">Our interview with Michaela Strachan<\/h2><p><br\/>Discover more about the <em>Springwatch<\/em> presenter, in her own words.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-group listicle is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-19 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-28\"><p class=\"listicle__count\">1<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading listicle__title\" id=\"h-you-actually-began-your-career-in-children-s-tv-what-prompted-the-change-to-presenting-natural-history-programmes\">You actually began your career in children&#8217;s TV, what prompted the change to presenting natural history programmes?<\/h3><\/div><p>When I was younger, I was passionate about dance and theatre and after college, I toured with <em>7 Brides and 7 Brothers. <\/em>Whilst in the West End, I auditioned for the <em>Wide Awake Club<\/em>, which I began presenting in 1986. Then a few years later,<em> OWL TV<\/em> (<em>Outdoors and Wildlife TV<\/em>) wanted a well-known children presenter.<\/p><p>I always had a love for animals and wildlife, especially animal welfare, although I didn&#8217;t know much at the time. I was then poached for <em>The Really Wild Show<\/em>, and the rest is history!<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-landscape_thumbnail\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michaela working on OWL TV. \u00a9 OWL TV<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>I use this transition as an example when speaking to children and young people about careers &#8211; just because you&#8217;re not passionate about something at 12, doesn&#8217;t mean you won&#8217;t become passionate about it at a later time!<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-group listicle is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-20 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-29\"><p class=\"listicle__count\">2<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading listicle__title\" id=\"h-you-ve-been-presenting-the-watches-since-2011-what-s-your-favourite-thing-about-the-programmes\">You&#8217;ve been presenting the <em>Watches<\/em> since 2011, what&#8217;s your favourite thing about the programmes?<\/h3><\/div><p>I love the unpredictability of the <em>Watches, <\/em>where nature has written the script. Spineless Si, the three-spined stickleback fish, always comes to mind. A very familiar animal that most people actually don&#8217;t know much about! We had to bring in fish experts to find out more Si and his behaviour.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-group listicle is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-21 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-30\"><p class=\"listicle__count\">3<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading listicle__title\" id=\"h-are-there-any-questions-from-the-watches-audience-that-make-you-laugh\">Are there any questions from the <em>Watches<\/em> audience that make you laugh?<\/h3><\/div><p>I am always quite amused by the questions we get asked via Twitter. For the most part, Martin and Chris would be asked the wildlife questions, whereas I would get asked questions about where I got my hat!<\/p><p>I did find it irritating when the press would ask about how I cope with leaving my child for filming programmes, whereas the others would never get asked that.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-group listicle is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-22 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-31\"><p class=\"listicle__count\">4<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading listicle__title\" id=\"h-what-are-your-favourite-natural-history-programmes-aside-from-the-watches\">What are your favourite natural history programmes, aside from the <em>Watches<\/em>?<\/h3><\/div><p>Although I enjoy the big wildlife series such as <em>Blue Planet II<\/em> and <em>Dynasties<\/em>, I prefer the natural history programmes which also include people.<\/p><p>That&#8217;s also been the case for the wildlife programmes I&#8217;ve presented, such as <em>Wildlife Rescue, Saving Planet Earth UK<\/em> and <em>Animal Rescue Squad<\/em>. I&#8217;ve met some amazing people around the world who are helping wildlife.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-landscape_thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1168\" height=\"1743\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2019\/01\/Unknown-2-0c7d1f0.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19560\" title=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michaela Strachan on The Really Wild Show<\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-group listicle is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-23 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-32\"><p class=\"listicle__count\">5<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading listicle__title\" id=\"h-if-you-could-recommend-one-uk-wildlife-spectacle-for-people-to-see-which-would-it-be\">If you could recommend one UK wildlife spectacle for people to see, which would it be?<\/h3><\/div><p>Definitely <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/holidays-days-out\/uk\/best-places-to-see-roosting-starlings\">starling murmurations.<\/a> They&#8217;re so accessible and in so many places around the country, including cities. They are free, absolutely beautiful and every night is different. They will wow people of any age and wildlife-watching experience.<\/p><p>The most memorable starling murmuration I&#8217;ve seen was at sunset, when we were filming in Poole Harbour in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/go-outdoors\/days-out\/a-complete-guide-to-dorset-where-to-visit-stay-eat-and-walk\">Dorset<\/a>. The light was stunning, and the birds were forming incredible patterns in the sky.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-group listicle is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-24 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-33\"><p class=\"listicle__count\">6<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading listicle__title\" id=\"h-do-you-have-a-favourite-british-species\">Do you have a favourite British species?<\/h3><\/div><p>Definitely<a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/birds\/10-best-places-to-see-a-puffin-in-the-british-isles\"> puffins<\/a> &#8211; they have a sensible side, but they are also flashy. I love wildlife with a bit of character.<\/p><p>I love <a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/birds\/facts-about-golden-eagles\">golden eagles<\/a>, and after Spineless Si, stickleback fish!<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-group listicle is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-25 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-34\"><p class=\"listicle__count\">7<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading listicle__title\" id=\"h-if-you-were-an-animal-which-one-would-you-like-to-be\">If you were an animal, which one would you like to be?<\/h3><\/div><p>It has to be a dolphin, I love them! They make people smile, and I would like to be an animal that does that.<\/p><p>Plus they have the ocean as their playground! They always look like they are having a great time!<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-group listicle is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-26 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-35\"><p class=\"listicle__count\">8<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading listicle__title\" id=\"h-what-species-would-you-most-like-to-see\">What species would you most like to see?<\/h3><\/div><p>I&#8217;ve been lucky to see a lot of wild animals, but top of my bucket list would be the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/animal-facts\/marine-animals\/blue-whale-facts\"> blue whale<\/a>! One day we will get out to Baja California to see them.<\/p><p>I would also like to go back to the amazing places I&#8217;ve been and introduce my son to them and the wildlife there. Although wildlife isn&#8217;t his main passion, he does love it.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-landscape_thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4320\" height=\"3240\" src=\"https:\/\/c02.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/62\/2019\/01\/Unknown-f0fbe08.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19563\" title=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michaela Strachan on safari with her family.<\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-group listicle is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-27 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-layout-36\"><p class=\"listicle__count\">9<\/p><h3 class=\"wp-block-heading listicle__title\" id=\"h-do-you-have-a-favourite-book\">Do you have a favourite book?<\/h3><\/div><p><em>Born Free<\/em> influenced me the most as a child. I always wanted to grow up to be Joy, and it gave me a love for Kenya and African wildlife. Although I didn&#8217;t grow up to be exactly like Joy, I&#8217;ve certainly cuddled and seen a lot of animals!<\/p><p>I love fiction, and using reading to escape. I&#8217;ve just finished the <em>Langani<\/em> trilogy by Barbara Keating. It&#8217;s about three girls from very different backgrounds at boarding school together in Kenya. They become friends, and the trilogy follows their lives. I&#8217;m currently reading <em>A Gentleman in Moscow<\/em> by Amor Towles, which is beautifully written but not much happens in it (so far).<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Naturalist and TV presenter Michaela Strachan is best known for her work on Springwatch, but did you know she once had a career in pop music? 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Here is everything you need to know about Michaela Strachan.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/38913"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}