EXPLORER, naturalist, conservationist, broadcaster and passionate lover of all things maritime, Steve Backshall is back on tour this autumn with a new show, Steve Backshall’s Ocean, celebrating what he calls “the most exciting environment on our planet – the ocean”. He is coming to Bournemouth Pavilion on Saturday 26th October, Weymouth Pavilion on Thursday 31st (at 2pm) and Torquay’s Princess Theatre on Friday 1st November.
Steve Backshall’s Ocean is a great way to learn more about what we need to do to save our seas. Stunts, experiments, props, cutting edge science and big screen footage from his two decades in TV will all help Steve to bring the icons of the Big Blue to life. From great whites to great whales, seals to sardine shoals, orca to the oddities of the deep, this is a fantastic opportunity for fans of all ages to dive deep into the wonderful world beneath the waves.
Steve has been passionate about the wild world ever since he could crawl. Growing up, he counted the animals that lived around him as his best friends – from the asthmatic donkey to the grass snakes in the manure heap!
After leaving Exeter University with a degree in English and theatre studies, Steve studied martial arts in Japan, attaining his black belt. Over the following years he wrote for the Indonesian Rough Guides and during his travels became conversant in the local language, drank blood with uncontacted tribes, nearly got caught in fatal crossfire in riots in East Timor, came nose to nose with Komodo Dragons and attempted to walk solo across Irian Jaya (a woeful failure)!
Armed with an idea for a television series, Steve headed out to Colombia. While living in the jungle he wrangled snakes and ended up in a Colombian jail (through no fault of his own)! National Geographic Channel International bought the resultant video and Steve was taken on as ‘Adventurer in Residence’, producing, filming and presenting adventure and natural history programmes.
He has written and presented countless documentaries, mainly with a focus on conservation, wildlife and the seas, and is a familiar face on television in this country and around the world.
Photograph by Lee Collier