Gillian Burke
Gillian Burke | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974 or 1975 (age 49–50) |
| Nationality | Kenyan/British |
| Alma mater | University of Bristol |
| Occupation(s) | producer, TV presenter |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Children | 2 |
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's grandmothers are from the Seychelles, and her grandfathers are from Sri Lanka. She was born and grew up just outside of Nairobi, Kenya, where her father was a mechanic. At the age of ten the family relocated to Vienna, where she learnt to speak German.[9][10][8] Her ancestry is Afro-Trinidadian, Seminole, Mauritian and Somalian; her mother was a journalist and worked with the United Nations.[11] 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.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ "Meet Winterwatch's new presenter Gillian Burke". Radio Times. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
- ^ "CREDITS". Gillian Burke.
- ^ a b c "Meet Winterwatch's new presenter Gillian Burke".
- ^ "Who is Winterwatch presenter Gillian Burke?". Caroline Westbrook. Metro. 30 January 2019.
- ^ "Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved, TV".
- ^ "Thailand's Wild Side" – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ "An Evening with Gillian Burke - Talks - What's On - The Poly at Falmouth". thepoly.org.
- ^ a b Trewhela, Lee (1 December 2020). "TV presenter didn't feel she belonged until moving to Cornwall". CornwallLive. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- ^ https://alumni.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/2023/05/09/storytelling-is-one-of-the-most-universal-things-about-the-human-condition-gillian-burke-on-the-aims-of-documentary-filmmaking/
- ^ https://www.discoverwildlife.com/people/12-facts-you-should-know-about-gillian-burke
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Ambassadors". Cool Earth. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
External links
[edit]
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