Steve Backshall has completed many impressive adventures. He’s descended into unexplored sinkholes; trekked to the heart of America’s most inhospitable terrain; walked solo across the western half of New Guinea; explored the jungles of Colombia; walked across Israel’s Negev Desert and trained with special forces.
STEVE BACKSHALL – TV PRESENTER
Steve’s profile is bigger than ever. In 2023, he travelled across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans filming Whale for Sky TV – a ground-breaking new series tracking our most iconic, yet threatened, species. He also filmed series two of Our Changing Planet for BBC One, an ambitious seven-year series documenting six of the planet’s most threatened ecosystems and has presented many TV projects for Channel 5.
He is the front of the phenomenally successful Deadly series, which includes Deadly Mission Shark (2023), Deadly Pole to Pole (2013-17), Deadly 60 (2010-20), Live and Deadly (2010), Deadly 360 (2011), Deadly on a Mission (2014), and Backshall’s Deadly Adventures (2015). In 2011, he received a BAFTA for Best Children’s Television Presenter for his work on Deadly 60. The series itself won a BAFTA for Best Factual Series.
In 2022, Steve came face to face with some of the world’s deadly creatures for Deadly Predators – a new version of the award-winning Deadly 60 franchise. In 2021 Shark with Steve Backshall saw Steve dive with great white sharks, hammerhead sharks, tiger sharks and more. The same year saw a new series of Expedition with Steve Backshall and Fantastic Foxes: Their Secret World.
Previous TV credits include Blue Planet Live (2019), Deadly Dinosaurs (2018) and Monster Mountain (2018), the hugely successful Wild Alaska Live (2017) and Hedgehog A&E (2017) with Brian May. Steve received critical acclaim for his canoeing expedition on one of the world’s wildest rivers, the Baliem in New Guinea, for Down The Mighty River with Steve Backshall (2017). Prior to this, Steve featured in the two-part series Extreme Mountain Challenge (2016) and Fierce (2016). Also in 2016 Steve co-presented Big Blue Live from Monterey, California. He also completed an expedition to Venezuela on behalf of the BBC and appeared on Strictly Come Dancing (2014).
Steve’s extreme adventures include Lost Land of the Tiger (2010), Lost Land of the Volcano (2009) and Lost Land of the Jaguar (2008). He explored a sinkhole for the Emmy Nominated epic Expedition Borneo (2007), and trekked to the heart of America’s most inhospitable terrain for Expedition Alaska (2017). Closer to home, Steve has presented Britain’s Lost World (2008), Extreme Caving (2016), Inside Out, The One Show (2007-2023), The Nature of Britain and The Really Wild Show (2004-06).
An experienced and highly accomplished presenter and speaker, Steve has inspired and enthused audiences around the world with his live shows. In 2015 he took ‘Steve Backshall’s Wild World’ tour across the UK. This was followed by his ‘Deadly 60’ tour the following year across Australia. In 2023, he toured the UK with his sell-out show ‘Ocean’.
Steve with another popular Great British Speaker Aldo Kane
STEVE BACKSHALL – AUTHOR
Steve is a prolific author, having published 19 books, across memoir, factual, and children’s books. His most recent, Deep Blue (2023) is a fascinating blend of memoir, travel, and marine and environmental science. His other books include:
– Venom: Poisonous Creatures in the Natural World (2007), a scientific analysis of venoms and poisons in wild animals.
– Deadly 60 (2009), a diary-style breakdown of each animal filmed for the first series of the TV show with the same name.
– Wildlife Adventurer’s Guide (2009), which is aimed at young naturalists and provides a guide to having adventures in the UK.
– Looking for Adventure (2011), describes his expeditions in New Guinea, his childhood and how he got into television.
– Predators (2011), an illustrated guide to predatory animals.
– Deadly Diaries (2012), a diary-style book linked to series 3 of Deadly 60.
– Deadly Detectives (2013), a ‘how-to’ book, teaching how to track animals.
– Expedition: Adventures into Undiscovered Worlds (2019), an exploration of Steve’s journeys into unchartered territory.
– Mountain: A Life on the Rocks (2015), a memoir about Steve’s climbing and mountaineering exploits.
– Saved From the Waves: Animal Rescue of the RNLI (2022), a collection of first-hand accounts by members of the RNLI who have been involved in sea-based animal rescues.
He is also the author of the fiction series The Falcon Chronicles, including:
– Tiger Wars (2012), is about the adventure of a young boy and girl on the run from a shadowy gang of assassins, set against the background of the war on tiger poaching. In 2013 it reached the longlist for the Branford Boase Award for debut children’s novel.
– Ghosts of the Forest (2013), set in the forests of Borneo and Indochina, with the same characters battling illegal loggers.
– The Wilds of the Wolf (2014), same characters travelling to the Yamal peninsula in Serbia tracking wolves in the snow, and battling against the big oil and gas companies destroying the Arctic environment.
– Shark Seas (2016), the same characters saving the world’s most endangered sea animals.
STEVE BACKSHALL – WILDLIFE AMBASSADOR
Steve is an ambassador or supporter of a number of environmental charities, including Wolftrust, The World Land Trust, Young People’s Trust For The Environment, Wildlife Trusts, Buglife, Bite-Back, Exotic Pet Refuge, Longridge UK, Mantra Trust, Shark Trust, the Scout Association, Cubs, and the CCFA.
STEVE BACKSHALL – AWARDS & RECOGNITION
In 2011, Steve won two BAFTAs for Best Children’s Television Presenter and Best Factual Series. In 2009 and 2013 he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Children’s Television Presenter, Deadly 60 for Best Children’s Series and Lost Land of the Jaguar for Best Factual series. Expedition Borneo was nominated for an Emmy in the US. Lost Land of the Volcano won the 2012 Wildscreen award for best popular broadcast. In 2012 he was awarded an honorary PhD from the University of Exeter. In 2012 he was awarded the animal carer badge in the scout birthday badge awards. In 2017 he and Glover were awarded charity fundraisers of the year after raising £360,000 for the World Land Trust. They also won the mixed category of the celebrated Devizes to Westminster kayak race. He was appointed MBE in 2020 and the scientific exploration society explorer of the year award.
If that wasn’t enough, Steve is also a world record holder! In 2023, he showed immense resilience, determination, drive, and ambition to become the fastest person to paddle the length of the Thames River.
Steve is an ideal speaker for discussing sustainability, the environment and adventure, as well as being a highly competent event host.
STEVE BACKSHALL – SPEAKING TOPICS
– The Environment
– Extreme Conditions
– Journalism
– Planning and Preparation
– Resilience
– Risk Taking
– Sustainability
– Teamwork
– Television
Uniquely, we also have his Olympian wife Helen Glover on our books and they are available (diaries permitting) as a team.
