Michaela Strachan admits Springwatch’s ‘budget has been cut’ amid fears of show’s declining popularity
Springwatch star Michaela Strachan, 59, has opened up on the budget cuts the BBC series has received, but remains confident the show’s history will continue far into the future.
The series turns 20 this year, with Strachan and Chris Packham showcasing three weeks of wildlife from the National Trust’s Longshaw Estate in the Peak District.
Whilst celebrating two decades of the show, this year, an exciting new segment, Springwatch Street, will lift the lid on the natural neighbours of one Sheffield street.
Speaking to Radio Times about what viewers can expect from the new series, Strachan noted: “The delight of Springwatch is that we never know!
“We tell the stories nature gives us. We’re in a new location – the National Trust’s Longshaw Estate in the Peak District – so we’ll be tracking wood warblers and curlews.”
Packham added: “There will be a different ecology in the Peak District; the habitat looks like heathland, but it’s moorland.
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“This year, some of our more common bird species have started to nest earlier due to this warm, dry spring, which means they’ll have probably fledged by the time we’re on air.
“We’re expecting redstarts, pied flycatchers, wood warblers and ring ouzels.”
However, whilst the pair are excited to return and present another of the channel’s nature documentaries, they also shared their fears for the show’s future during the age of streaming.
Discussing the challenges, Strachan said: “We have great production values, even though our budget has been cut. There are positives to streaming, too; you can watch Springwatch on catch-up!”
Packham seemed more optimistic and expressed: “We’ve invested in our Facebook, TikTok and Instagram pages and get massive hits.
“Springwatch will always be needed; the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world and wildlife is going to hell in a handcart.”
Iolo Williams will once again join the team but from Northern Ireland as, for the first time on Springwatch, he embarks upon a three-week nature trek through some of the region’s most diverse wildlife hotspots.
Touching on the show’s appeal after 20 years, Williams said: “On Springwatch we concentrate on British wildlife, and a lot of that is what you see in your back garden, in your local park, in the pond, what you’re seeing in your local wood.”
An array of live nest-cameras rigged across our springtime location will tell the story of the season alongside a range of pre-recorded films, which have been capturing the magical moments of spring 2025.
Megan McCubbin is also returning to the series and will uncover the unsavoury world of egg stealing/collecting by joining the team fighting to protect our precious birds of prey.
She will also be broadcasting live from Haddon Hall, a historic haven for wildlife just 20 minutes from our main Longshaw site.
Over two consecutive nights, McCubbin will reveal how ‘leaving nature to it’ can reap some remarkable results.