Michaela Strachan has spoken about her involvement with Springwatch and her working relationship with co-presenter Chris Packham.

The broadcaster has hosted the popular BBC wildlife programme for 14 years, having previously featured on The Really Wild Show and Wide Awake Club.

She recently brought her time on ITV’s Dancing on Ice to a close, having placed as runner-up last year with professional skater Mark Hanretty.

The 59-year-old gave an exclusive interview to the Oxford Mail this week, opening up about her love for Springwatch.

Michaela Strachan with a gorilla. (Image: Michaela Strachan / Not Just A Wild Life UK Tour)

She expressed how much she enjoys the show and noted that its viewership remains respectable enough to make her proud to continue presenting it. She mentioned that budgets for many programmes have been significantly reduced, making them increasingly difficult to produce, yet Springwatch maintains high quality standards and she thoroughly enjoys her involvement. She described the show as having a dedicated and devoted audience who anticipate it annually. She noted that viewers often comment about getting value from their licence fee, and each year she feels she is rejoining a family both with her filming colleagues and the audience. She concluded by stating it is a wonderful programme to be part of, particularly since it focuses on British wildlife.

Michaela Strachan. (Image: BBC / Jo Charlesworth / PA)

She also discussed her lengthy collaboration with Chris Packham, a partnership spanning more than 30 years across various projects.

She mentioned she would be discussing her relationship with Chris extensively during the second half of her live show, as their professional connection has been very long-standing. They first crossed paths on The Really Wild Show in 1992 and worked together there briefly. They later collaborated on two further series for Animal Planet called Big Five Little Five and Postcards From The Wild, then had a break before reuniting for the Watches series. She observed in her show that she can only recall one other presenting partnership that has lasted as long as theirs, namely Ant and Dec. She stated she cannot think of any other duo that has endured for such a period while remaining close friends and still presenting programmes together.

Michaela Strachan on The Really Wild Show with Steve Backshall and Nick Baker. (Image: Michaela Strachan / Not Just A Wild Life UK Tour)

When asked about her excitement for Springwatch 2026, Michaela confirmed she is always enthusiastic and mentioned they would be travelling to Northern Ireland for a three-week stint in May.

The presenter shared these remarks ahead of her Not Just a Wild Life live tour, which begins next month and features a show in nearby Newbury on Wednesday, April 29.

Additional exclusive interview content from the Oxford Mail with Ms Strachan will be published on the website shortly.