Gillian Burke

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Gillian Burke
Born1974 or 1975 (age 48–49)
NationalityKenyan/British
Alma materUniversity of Bristol
Occupation(s)producer, TV presenter
Years active2000–present
Children2

Gillian Burke (born 1974 or 1975[1]) is a natural history television programme presenter, producer and voiceover artist.[2] She is best known for co-presenting BBC nature series Springwatch and its spin-offs since 2017.

Career[edit]

Burke studied biology at Bristol University, and subsequently worked as a researcher for the BBC's Natural History Unit.[3] She worked as a producer and director on several series for Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel, and as a voiceover artist,[4] before becoming a regular presenter on Springwatch in 2017.[3] As part of her role, Burke has also presented its seasonal spin-offs Autumnwatch and Winterwatch.

In 2019, she hosted Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved (Animal Planet), and in 2020 narrated Thailand's Wild Side (National Geographic Channel).[5][6][7] In 2020, Burke became vice president of the Wildlife Trusts.[8] In 2022, Burke took a break from presenting The Watches programmes due to schedules clashing between roles.

Personal life[edit]

Burke was born in Kenya, and moved to Vienna at the age of ten.[8] Her ancestry is Afro-Trinidadian, Seminole, Mauritian and Somalian; her mother was a journalist and worked with the United Nations.[9] As a teenager, she developed an interest in wildlife through photography. She now lives in Cornwall with her two children.[3] She is an ambassador of the rainforest protection charity Cool Earth.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Meet Winterwatch's new presenter Gillian Burke". Radio Times. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  2. ^ "CREDITS". Gillian Burke.
  3. ^ a b c "Meet Winterwatch's new presenter Gillian Burke".
  4. ^ "Who is Winterwatch presenter Gillian Burke?". Caroline Westbrook. Metro. 30 January 2019.
  5. ^ "Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved, TV".
  6. ^ "Thailand's Wild Side" – via www.imdb.com.
  7. ^ "An Evening with Gillian Burke - Talks - What's On - The Poly at Falmouth". thepoly.org.
  8. ^ a b Trewhela, Lee (1 December 2020). "TV presenter didn't feel she belonged until moving to Cornwall". CornwallLive. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  9. ^ Gray, Interview by Susan (29 September 2017). "Gillian Burke: 'I am a product of generations of people moving between continents'". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  10. ^ "Ambassadors". Cool Earth. Retrieved 6 May 2020.

External links[edit]