Iolo Williams joins Winterwatch with Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Gillian Burke
Iolo Williams will be joining Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Gillian Burke for a new series of ‘Winterwatch’.
The TV conservationist, 61, is best known for his work on ‘Springwatch’ and is set to appear alongside the three ‘Winterwatch’ presenters as they capture the beauty of nature at the RSPB Arne in Dorset for the first time in seven years.
In an interview with the BBC, Iolo said: “This series we can look forward to seeing Arne at its brilliant, best. Winter in and around Arne is a fantastic time.
“Some of the summer highlights are not there, the nightjars have gone back down to Africa. A lot of the reptiles will have disappeared underground into hibernation. But the shallow lagoons and the harbour there just comes into its own now because it'll be alive with thousands of waders and wildfowl.
“And that's what I'm looking forward to seeing more than anything else.”
During the interview, Chris added that the BBC nature programme would showcase an “enormous amount of activity”, and insisted that winter wasn’t a time of “death hand decay”.
He said: “There’s always this lingering misconception that winter is a time of death and decay, where everything has hibernated or migrated, and it couldn't be further from the truth, there's always an enormous amount of activity. Practically, there are no leaves on the trees. It makes it easier to see some species.
“We probably won't see some species which 20 years ago, 30, 40 years ago would have been quite common in that area because it would have been much colder further north in Europe, but it isn't this year. So that will that will have an impact.”
Michaela agreed and emphasised that the theme of ‘Winterwatch’ is “resilience and renewal”.
She explained: “In the Winter wildlife needs to be resilient to get through the colder, leaner months. Only the tough survive. Then Spring brings warmth, respite and renewal.
“2023 has been a tough year for people too. Many people are still recovering from the trauma of covid and now there is so much more trauma and stress to cope with. Two wars playing out in real time on the news.
“We're all witnessing so much heartbreak, so much sadness, trauma and horror. We're also experiencing a huge amount of anxiety including eco anxiety.
“I hope Winterwatch will bring people some joy, a programme to look forward to.”
