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Gillian Burke

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gillian Burke
Born1974 or 1975 (age 49–50)
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

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Burke studied biology at Bristol University, and subsequently worked as a researcher for the BBC's Natural History Unit.[1] She worked as a producer and director on several series for Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel, and as a voiceover artist,[3] before becoming a regular presenter on Springwatch in 2017.[1] 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).[4][5] In 2020, Burke became vice president of the Wildlife Trusts.[6] In 2022, Burke took a break from presenting The Watches programmes due to schedules clashing between roles.

Personal life

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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.[7][8][6] 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.[1] She has been an ambassador of the rainforest protection charity Cool Earth.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Payne, Terry (1 February 2019). "Meet Winterwatch's new presenter Gillian Burke". Radio Times. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  2. ^ "Credits". gillianburkevoice.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2020.
  3. ^ Westbrook, Caroline (30 January 2019). "Who is Winterwatch presenter Gillian Burke?". Metro. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  4. ^ "Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved | Series 1 | Episode 7: Octopus Houdini". tv24.co.uk. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  5. ^ Thailand's Wild Side at IMDb
  6. ^ a b Trewhela, Lee (1 December 2020). "BBC wildlife presenter Gillian Burke: I wasn't part of a community until I moved to Cornwall". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  7. ^ Anastasiades, Bailey (9 May 2023). "'Storytelling is one of the most universal things about the human condition': Gillian Burke on the aims of documentary filmmaking". Alumni Blog. University of Bristol. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  8. ^ Shersby, Megan (24 May 2024). "Who is Gillian Burke? Everything you need to know about the Springwatch and Winterwatch presenter". BBC Wildlife. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  9. ^ Gray, Susan (29 September 2017). "Gillian Burke: 'I am a product of generations of people moving between continents'". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  10. ^ "Meet the Cool Earth Ambassadors". Cool Earth. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021.
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