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Liz Bonnin

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Liz Bonnin
Bonnin in June 2018
Born
Elizabeth Bonnin

(1976-09-16) 16 September 1976 (age 48)[1]
Paris, France
CitizenshipFrench citizenship and Irish citizenship[1]
EducationTrinity College Dublin (BA)
Royal Veterinary College (MSc)
OccupationTelevision presenter
Years active1999–present
Musical career
OriginParis, France
GenresPop
InstrumentVocals
LabelsPolydor
Websitewww.lizbonnin.com

Elizabeth Bonnin (born 16 September 1976) is a French-Irish[1] science, wildlife and natural history presenter, who has worked on television in both Ireland and the United Kingdom.[2][3][4] She presented morning show RI:SE and music show Top of the Pops in the early 2000s.

She is best known for presenting wildlife and science programmes including Galapagos, How the Earth Works, Animals in Love, Stargazing Live, Blue Planet Live, Cats v Dogs: Which is Best? and Should We Close Our Zoos?.[4] She co-presented the BBC factual series Bang Goes the Theory from 2009 until 2014 and since 2013, has co-presented Countrywise for ITV. In 2019, she presented Meat: A Threat to our Planet? on BBC One.[5] She is regarded as one of the most prominent natural world presenters in Britain.[6]

Early life and education

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Bonnin was born in Paris, France, to a Trinidadian mother, of Indian and Portuguese descent, and a French-Martiniquan father, who was a dentist.[3][7] Her family moved to Ireland when she was nine years old.[2][3]

Bonnin has a bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Trinity College Dublin,[2][8] She also holds a master's degree in wild animal biology and conservation from the Zoological Society of London and the Royal Veterinary College (2008), for which she tracked tigers in Nepal.[9][10] She continues to work on big cat conservation programmes at the Zoological Society of London.[citation needed]

Career

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Bonnin began her career singing backing vocals with The Pale before joining an Irish girl pop group named Chill, who signed to Polydor but broke up before recording.[11][12] The band had performed on Dustin the Turkey's third album Faith of Our Feathers, duetting on "We Are Family".[13] She was offered a job hosting the IRMA Awards which led to presenting roles on RTÉ Television in Ireland, on The Den (including Den 2), Telly Bingo, Millennium Eve: Celebrate 2000 and for two years, Off the Rails with Fiona McShane.[2] At the time she was in a relationship with the publisher John Ryan.[14][15] In 2002, she moved to London to present on a number of TV channels.[16]

In 2002, she became one of the presenters of the Channel 4 morning show RI:SE, specialising in reporting on entertainment-related stories.[17] In the same year she became a regular presenter on Top of the Pops in the UK.[18]

In 2004, Bonnin was locked in a giant kennel along with MPs Paul Burstow, Evan Harris and Ivan Henderson and actress Liza Goddard, BBC Newsround presenter Lizzie Greenwood and DJ Becky Jago in a stunt to launch the annual RSPCA Week to raise awareness and funds.[19]

Since 2005, Bonnin has been involved in science broadcasting. She presented the show Gadgets, Gadgets, Gadgets in 2005[20] and co-presented the BBC science series Bang Goes the Theory on BBC One from 2009 until 2014.[21] In 2008, Bonnin presented a documentary series Science Friction on RTÉ One which looked at taboos in discussions of scientific topics (such as paedophilia and nuclear power) in Ireland.[2][22] She also contributed to BBC Two's series on the work of the London Natural History Museum, Museum of Life.[23]

In October 2010, she joined the cast of Autumnwatch and in January 2011, she presented segments of BBC Two's Stargazing Live from various areas of Hawaii including atop Mauna Kea.[24] In May 2011, she co-presented BBC One's Egypt's Lost Cities.[25]

Her programme on animal intelligence, Super Smart Animals, was filmed in mid-2011 in Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Australia and Germany, and broadcast in February 2012.[26] Bonin has presented several Horizon specials on BBC Two which have covered topics ranging from looking at the future of technology to reporting on the sustainability of zoos.[27][28]

In June 2013, she presented the two-part documentary Operation Snow Tiger, working alongside Russian and other scientists in the Ussuriysk Reserve in the Russian Far East.[2][29] Since 2013 Bonnin has been a presenter of the ITV series Countrywise, alongside Paul Heiney and Ben Fogle. In November 2013 she presented Animal Odd Couples on BBC One. She was a co-presenter along with Martin Pepper on the series How the Earth Works that aired on the Discovery Channel in the USA starting on 10 September 2013.

In October 2014, she presented a three-part Horizon series looking into the life of cats. In February 2015, she presented a two-part documentary series called Animals in Love on BBC One, looking at the emotional lives of animals including elephants, monkeys, geese and alligators.[30]

In August 2015, alongside Matt Baker and Steve Backshall, she co-hosted a series of three programmes for BBC One, Big Blue Live, featuring marine life in Monterey Bay, California. Early 2016 saw Bonnin return to Stargazing Live, where she reported from the European Space Agency's astronaut training centre. She also co-presented the BBC Two series Cats v Dogs: Which is Best? with Chris Packham.

Starting on 30 March 2017, Bonnin presented a new BBC One series called Galapagos exploring the species found on the islands and in the seas around. In July 2017, she co-presented Wild Alaska Live with Matt Baker and Steve Backshall on BBC One. In 2018, Bonnin presented a one-off documentary for BBC One called Drowning In Plastic, looking at the problem of marine plastic pollution.[31] In 2020 she presented a programme looking at different species of Penguins titled Penguins: Meet the Family.

In November 2023 she presented a four-part - one episode for each region - series for BBC Two titled Liz Bonnin's Wild Caribbean showing the ecosystems and wildlife in the Caribbean and centring and taking part in various conservation and wildlife rehabilitation initiatives and local community connections with said ecosystems and wildlife.[32]

In January 2024, she joined a group of palaeontologists in Wyoming, USA to present Secrets of the Jurassic Dinosaurs for BBC Two.

In February 2024, Bonnin launched a podcast titled 'Dead River' telling the story of the Mariana dam disaster in Brazil. The podcast covers the history of mining in Brazil, the day that the dam collapsed, and the story of the victims who are still fighting for justice and are now embroiled in a legal battle against the owners of the dam, BHP and Vale.

Personal life

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Bonnin grew up with her older sister Benni, while she said that "I was extremely close to my granny, who passed away in 2003."[33] She has moved back to London.[citation needed] Bonnin featured on the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? on 8 December 2016. In the programme she traced the ancestry of both her parents on the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Martinique.[34]

Bonnin is a role model for EDF Energy's Pretty Curious programme, which is aimed at encouraging teenage girls to study science-based subjects at school.[35] She has said in a 2016 interview, "FHM offered me a spread but I said no."[1]

On 5 January 2021, Bonnin announced that her mother had died over the Christmas 2020 period after contracting COVID-19.[36][37]

Filmography

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Television
Year Title Roles Channel
1999–2000 Millennium Eve: Celebrate 2000 Co-presenter RTÉ One
2000–? Off the Rails Co-presenter
2002–? RI:SE Co-presenter Channel 4
2002–2003 Top of the Pops Co-presenter BBC One
2003 Never Mind the Buzzcocks Guest BBC Two[38]
2004- ? Euromillions Draw Presenter Sky One
2004–2005 Wild Trials Presenter
2005–? Gadgets, Gadgets, Gadgets Co-presenter
2008 Science Friction Presenter RTÉ One
2009–2014 Bang Goes the Theory Co-presenter BBC One
2009–2010 Country Tracks Co-presenter BBC Two
2010 Museum of Life Co-presenter
2010–2011 Autumnwatch Guest presenter
2011— Stargazing Live Co-presenter BBC One/BBC Two
2011 Egypt's Lost Cities Co-presenter BBC One
Springwatch Guest presenter BBC Two
2012 Super Smart Animals Presenter BBC One
Horizon: The Transit of Venus Presenter BBC Two
2013 Tomorrow's World: A Horizon Special Presenter
Operation Snow Tiger Presenter
2013— Countrywise Co-presenter ITV
2013 Animal Odd Couples Presenter BBC One
How the Earth Works Co-presenter Discovery Channel
2014 Cat Watch 2014: The New Horizon Experiment Presenter BBC Two
Animals Through The Night: Sleepover At The Zoo Co-presenter BBC Four
2015 Big Blue Live Co-presenter BBC One
Animals in Love Presenter
India: Nature's Wonderland Co-presenter BBC Two
2016 Cats v Dogs: Which is Best? Co-presenter
Horizon – Should We Close Our Zoos?
Nature's Epic Journeys Presenter BBC One
2017 Galapagos Presenter
Wild Alaska Live Co-presenter
2018 Drowning In Plastic Presenter
2019 Blue Planet Live Co-presenter
Would I Lie to You? Guest
Snow Animals Presenter
Meat: A Threat to our Planet? Presenter
2020 Penguins: Meet the Family Narrator BBC One[39]
2020-2021 For The Love Of Britain Co-presenter ITV[40]
2021 Our Wild Adventures Guest contributor BBC Two[41]
2022 Our Changing Planet Co-presenter BBC One[42]
The Island – 1.8 Billion Years in the Making Presenter RTÉ[43]
2023 Secrets of the Jurassic Dinosaurs Presenter BBC Two[44]
Arctic From Above Presenter Sky Nature[45]
Liz Bonnin’s Wild Caribbean Presenter BBC Two[46]
2024 Our Changing Planet: Restoring Our Reefs Co-presenter BBC Two[47]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d John Meagher (15 May 2016). "Former RTE star Liz Bonnin on choosing science over celebrity: 'FHM offered me a spread but I said no'". Independent.ie. Retrieved 9 December 2016. And yet, [Bonnin] has never had an Irish passport...Bonnin says there isn't a drop of Irish in her - her parents emigrated to Dublin from France when she was nine. "When people ask what my nationality is, I say I'm French. I have a French passport, but I spent all my formative years in Ireland so I'm more Irish than French.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Jarlath Regan (15 November 2014). "Liz Bonin". An Irishman Abroad (Podcast). No. 61. SoundCloud. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  3. ^ a b c "About Liz". Liz Bonnin. Archived from the original on 11 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Liz Bonnin - The Gordon Poole Agency Ltd". The Gordon Poole Agency Ltd. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  5. ^ "Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?". BBC One. 25 November 2019.
  6. ^ Donal Lynch (20 October 2019). "'I don't need something that's called 'home' - the planet is my home' - Liz Bonnin on Brexit, national identity, and climate". independent.ie. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Why Liz Bonnin dream's of living in provence". Coventry Telegraph. 1 July 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  8. ^ "Meet Liz Bonnin". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
  9. ^ Jeremy Torrance (8 October 2010). "Nature UK: Autumnwatch: Ask Liz Bonnin a question". BBC. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  10. ^ O'Connor, Stuart (16 April 2010). "Liz Bonnin: 'I'm still a nerd, just a different type of a nerd'". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  11. ^ "The Pale Band Profiles". irishmusicdb.com.
  12. ^ "Can Liz Bonnin RI:SE to the Occasion?". ShowBiz Ireland. 14 June 2002.
  13. ^ "Dustin-Faith of our Feathers track list". Last.fm. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  14. ^ "Olaf bares all". The Irish Times. 25 November 2000. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  15. ^ Jackson, Joe (14 September 2000). "John Ryan Interview". Hot Press Magazine. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  16. ^ "Liz Bonnin and Gordon D'Arcy". RTÉ. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
  17. ^ "Liz Bonnin". TV.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
  18. ^ "Top of the Pops 2 – Trivia". BBC. Retrieved 14 April 2008.
  19. ^ "MPs in the doghouse for charity". BBC. 26 April 2004.
  20. ^ Gadgets, Gadgets, Gadgets at IMDb
  21. ^ "Talking Shop:Liz Bonnin". BBC. 3 June 2009.
  22. ^ "SCIENCE FRICTION ***New Series***". RTÉ Press Centre. 4 February 2008. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  23. ^ "Museum of Life" (Press release). BBC. 11 November 2009.
  24. ^ "Stargazing Live: TV Gold". Spew.co.uk. 6 January 2011.
  25. ^ "Egypt's Lost Cities". 31 May 2011.
  26. ^ "Liz Bonnin says her love of science led her from pop success to Bang Goes The Theory". The Daily Record. 20 March 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  27. ^ "Tomorrow's World: A Horizon Special". BBC Two. 11 April 2013.
  28. ^ "Horizon – Should We Close Our Zoos?". BBC Two. 17 April 2016.
  29. ^ "BBC2 – Operation Snow Tiger". BBC Two. 16 June 2013.
  30. ^ "Grey Geese Romance". BBC Two. 30 January 2015.
  31. ^ "BBC announces new Natural History commissions". BBC. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  32. ^ "Wild at heart: Liz Bonnin's mission to wake us up to the natural world". The Guardian. 12 November 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  33. ^ Daily Mail interview (23 January 2016)
  34. ^ "Who Do You Think You Are? Liz Bonnin's past really is another country: review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  35. ^ "Conytributoe | Liz Bonnin". Huffington Post UK.
  36. ^ "Liz Bonnin heartbroken after losing her mother to Covid at Christmas". rte.ie. 5 January 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  37. ^ "Liz Bonnin reveals her mother died from Covid at Christmas". msn.com. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  38. ^ ""Never Mind the Buzzcocks" Episode #12.10 (TV Episode 2003)". IMdb. 10 March 2003.
  39. ^ "Penguins: Meet the Family". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  40. ^ "For The Love Of Britain". itv.com. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  41. ^ "Our Wild Adventures". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  42. ^ "Our Changing Planet". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  43. ^ "The Island – 1.8 Billion Years in the Making". New Decade. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  44. ^ "Secrets of the Jurassic Dinosaurs". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  45. ^ "Arctic From Above". liontv.com. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  46. ^ "Liz Bonnin's Wild Caribbean". www.bbc.com/mediacentre. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  47. ^ "Restoring Our Reefs". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
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