She has cuddled lion cubs, braved angry buffalo and become a familiar face on some of Britain’s best-loved wildlife programmes – and now Michaela Strachan is heading to Exeter as she celebrates 40 years on television with a brand new live tour.
The BAFTA-winning presenter will bring her theatre show, Not Just A Wild Life, to the Corn Exchange in Exeter on Thursday, April 16, as part of a nationwide run marking four decades in the industry.
The show will see Michaela swap her binoculars for the stage, sharing stories from across her career on programmes including The Wide Awake Club, The Hitman and Her, The Really Wild Show, Countryfile and Springwatch.
Promotional material for the tour says she will reflect on some of the risks she has taken in the name of television – from darting buffalo while four months pregnant to discovering her fear of heights while recreating a giant spider’s web on Clifton Suspension Bridge. She has also been bitten by a lemur in Madagascar and narrowly avoided being squashed by mating whales.
Michaela Strachan said: “When I started presenting in the 80s, I thought it would be incredible to last even 10 years. It’s been an extraordinary career and I’m excited to share my memories of what’s been a ‘Really Wild’ ride at times.
“I’m really looking forward to taking a trip down memory lane and inviting audiences to reminisce and laugh along with me!”
The Exeter date forms part of a UK tour which opens on Monday, April 13 at the Redgrave Theatre in Bristol and concludes on Thursday, April 30 at Royal & Derngate in Northampton.
Michaela began her career on children’s television in the 1980s before moving into late-night music television and later wildlife broadcasting. She spent more than 15 years presenting The Really Wild Show and has been a key figure on BBC Two’s Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch for more than 14 years. She also presented BBC One’s Countryfile for a decade.
Her other credits include Orangutan Diaries, Orangutan Rescue, Elephant Diaries, One Man and His Dog, Total Wipeout and Shark Encounters. For Channel 5’s Michaela’s Wild Challenge, she won the BAFTA for Best Children’s Presenter, while the programme also won Best Children’s Factual.
Tickets for the Exeter performance are on sale now via michaelastrachanlive.com.
