Steve Backshall (1973)

Steve Backshall

Armed with an infectious appreciation for the natural world and the muscular physique of a silverback gorilla, there's no environment on Earth that poses a challenge to British naturalist, explorer, wildlife presenter and writer Steve Backshall.

Born Stephen James Backshall to parents who worked for British Airways, Steve grew up on a smallholding in Bagshot, Surrey, where he spent his childhood catching lizards and beetles in the woodlands surrounding his home.

Perhaps best known for presenting the long-running BBC documentary series Deadly 60, Backshall started his career as a travel guide writer before buying a video camera and travelling to Colombia to film footage of native wildlife which he later sold to National Geographic and started his career in wildlife television.