ANT AND DEC
CHRIS Packham and Michaela Strachan’s on-screen banter and jokey bickering are as much a part of Springwatch as blue tits and badgers.
And while Covid put a halt to their side-by-side appearances last year, the animal world’s answer to Ant and Dec are back together for the latest stint of the popular show.
The pair have been working on TV together for three decades as they continue to try to make the nation fall in love with nature.
Michaela said of their upcoming reunion next week: “We’ve got a lot of bickering and catching up to do Chris, haven’t we?”
But whether the pair’s banter in the three-week stint will go down well with their co-hosts remains to be seen.
For this year’s Springwatch, Chris and Michaela will be in Norfolk, Gillian Burke in Northern Ireland and Iolo Williams in the Scottish Highlands as the live show is split across the UK.
Chris said: “Michaela and I will be together so we can bicker and the other two will have peace and quiet.
“We’re going to have three hubs where we’re going to be broadcasting live from and they’re very different in terms of the ecological flavour.”
Michaela added: “We’ve got a real selection of wildlife, I think that’s what the change has done for the watches. We’re now all spread out, in a triangle across the country. That’ll make it very wildlife rich.”
The four presenters were previously based in the Cairngorms in Scotland. Last year, Michaela, who lives in South Africa, could not join the team due to the global pandemic.
But after isolating in a hotel for 10 days, she is now raring to get back in the swing of things.
However, wherever they are, the one challenge they always face is the unpredictable British weather.
Michaela, 55, said: “The hardest is the rain. The cold you can put more layers on and get a hot water bottle.
“But rain is challenging for filming the birds, for presenting live, for the cameras and the technical side.
“Fingers crossed we’re not going to have three weeks of rain.”
Chris, 60, agrees and revealed he’s even criticised by viewers for how
Rain is challenging for filming the birds, and for presenting
MICHAELA ON THE GREAT BRITISH DODGY WEATHER
many coats he wears on the programme. We do get a lot of people saying, ‘Why have you got so many coats on?’ Because we’ve been standing around in the cold for three hours.
“I do tend to get a bit cold. I don’t care how many coats I’ve got on, I’d rather be comfortable.
“Michaela said it’s more likely to be warmer in spring than autumn or winter, but I’d say don’t count your chickens.
“We’ve had the frostiest April on record.”
Chris started on The Really Wild Show in 1986 and was joined by Michaela in 1993 before going on to other wildlife and conservation programmes. Springwatch is all about appreciating our wildlife but the presenters