Terry Nutkins
Encyclopedia
Terence P. Nutkins is an English
naturalist
, television presenter and author
. He is known for his television
appearances, notably in the UK children's programmes Animal Magic, The Really Wild Show
, Brilliant Creatures and Growing Up Wild.
, London
, and spent most of his childhood there. He even skipped school to spend time with the elephants at London Zoo
. At the age of 12 Terry moved to Scotland. At 15 he lost part of two fingers to an otter
named Edal while working for the Scottish naturalist Gavin Maxwell
.
In the 1980s Nutkins was co-presenter of the BBC
children's television series
Animal Magic with Johnny Morris
, whom he describes as his second mentor after Maxwell. He is perhaps best-remembered on the show for segments with Gemini, the California sea lion he had hand-reared from infancy. Animal Magics run ended in 1983 and a year later Nutkins was asked to put together a new animal series, which resulted in The Really Wild Show
which he presented from 1986 to 1993. In 1999 he inherited a large portion of Johnny Morris's estate.
In 2004 he appeared on Living TV's reality television
show I'm Famous and Frightened!
, and he featured in the Comic Relief
video 2007.
In April 2009 Nutkins co-presented and narrated My Life as an Animal
, a BBC Three programme where young professionals and media personalities literally lived life as animals for four days, sharing living areas, food and sleeping with several farm and zoo animals.
Nutkins is a keen beekeeper and a member of the British Beekeepers' Association.
Nutkins has eight children.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
naturalist
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
, television presenter and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He is known for his television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
appearances, notably in the UK children's programmes Animal Magic, The Really Wild Show
The Really Wild Show
The Really Wild Show was a long-running British television show about wildlife, broadcast by the BBC as part of their CBBC service to children. It also runs on Animal Planet in the USA.The show was broadcast continuously since January 21, 1986...
, Brilliant Creatures and Growing Up Wild.
Biography
Terry Nutkins was born in MaryleboneMarylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and spent most of his childhood there. He even skipped school to spend time with the elephants at London Zoo
London Zoo
London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. It was eventually opened to the public in 1847...
. At the age of 12 Terry moved to Scotland. At 15 he lost part of two fingers to an otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
named Edal while working for the Scottish naturalist Gavin Maxwell
Gavin Maxwell
Gavin Maxwell FRSL, FIAL, FZS , FRGS was a Scottish naturalist and author, best known for his work with otters. He wrote the book Ring of Bright Water about how he brought an otter back from Iraq and raised it in Scotland...
.
In the 1980s Nutkins was co-presenter of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
children's television series
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
Animal Magic with Johnny Morris
Johnny Morris
Ernest John "Johnny" Morris OBE ) was a Welsh television presenter. He is best known for narrating the imported, Canadian-produced Tales of the Riverbank series of stories about Hammy the Hamster, Roderick the Rat, GP the Guinea Pig, and their assorted animal friends along a riverbank and...
, whom he describes as his second mentor after Maxwell. He is perhaps best-remembered on the show for segments with Gemini, the California sea lion he had hand-reared from infancy. Animal Magics run ended in 1983 and a year later Nutkins was asked to put together a new animal series, which resulted in The Really Wild Show
The Really Wild Show
The Really Wild Show was a long-running British television show about wildlife, broadcast by the BBC as part of their CBBC service to children. It also runs on Animal Planet in the USA.The show was broadcast continuously since January 21, 1986...
which he presented from 1986 to 1993. In 1999 he inherited a large portion of Johnny Morris's estate.
In 2004 he appeared on Living TV's reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show I'm Famous and Frightened!
I'm Famous and Frightened!
I'm Famous and Frightened was a Living TV reality TV show in which 8 celebrities stayed for three nights in a "haunted" castle. They had to then do terrifying challenges in order to raise money for charity; each one was evicted until only the winner was left.The first series aired on Friday 12...
, and he featured in the Comic Relief
Comic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
video 2007.
In April 2009 Nutkins co-presented and narrated My Life as an Animal
My Life as an Animal
My Life as an Animal is a television series broadcast on BBC Three and presented by Rebecca Wilcox. In each episode, two volunteers spend four days with a different species of animal, living how they live in an attempt to be accepted by the animals as one of them. They also find out how to...
, a BBC Three programme where young professionals and media personalities literally lived life as animals for four days, sharing living areas, food and sleeping with several farm and zoo animals.
Nutkins is a keen beekeeper and a member of the British Beekeepers' Association.
Nutkins has eight children.
Audio book narration
- The Really Wild Animal Tape Listen for Pleasure (1995) ISBN 1-85848-339-5
- Animal Magic: A Jungle Story Listen for Pleasure, (1997) ISBN 1-85848-483-9