Philippa Forrester is a versatile and experienced presenter who has presented some of the UK's landmark series of the past three decades.

Her career started in the famous 'broom cupboard' at Children's BBC, alongside Philip Schofield and Zoe Ball and teen pop show The Ozone, before she moved onto present the BBC flagship show Tomorrow's World, for seven years, alongside Peter Snow, presenting a weekly hour long show, as well as anchoring many Tomorrow World live specials and outside broadcasts.

The hugely successful Robot Wars followed, which Philippa co-presented with Jeremy Clarkson in 1998, following by Craig Charles in 2002. Each week teams of amateur and professional roboteers would fight against each other, whilst avoiding arena hazards and 'house robots'. Philippa also presented the spin off series Robot Wars Revealed.  The show had a cult following and was relaunched in 2018, presented by Dara O'Brian.

Live broadcasting has always been a main feature of Philippa's career.  She presented 'Eclipse', with Michael Burke, which received the highest ever viewing figures for a daytime programme.  She anchored the popular BBC coverage of Crufts for four years and joined David Dimbleby covering the Queen's Jubilee Celebrations.  Other live programming includes Zoo Watch Live, The Foot and Mouth Special and BBC1 Sunday morning chat and lifestyle show Heaven & Earth Show, which Philippa presented for over two years.

Philippa has always had a love of wildlife and during her time at Tomorrow's World, she studied and received a 1st Class Honors Degree in Ecology and Conservation (her second degree after studying English at Birmingham University).

A series of wildlife programmes followed including many specials and documentaries for the BBC Natural History Unit including Clever Critters, Making Animal Babies, The Great British Wildlife Revival and Man Meets Dog.  There was also three series of the popular pet behavioral programme for BBC Features called Barking Mad.

In 2002 Philippa produced My Halcyon River, a BBC documentary shot over a year in the life of a typical British river, which became the Radio Times most requested repeat of the year and resulted in a four part BBC1 series Halcyon River Dairies, featuring Philippa, Charlie and their family, as they explored the wildlife that surrounded their home and river.

Saving Grace was a documentary series presented and produced by Philippa for Animal Planet, which documented the lives of two otters, Grace, an orphan foster otter and the family's adopted tame otter Honey.

More recent programmes have included two series of BBC2's Harvest. Presented by Philippa and Greg Wallace, the programme followed a variety of farmers and witnessed the months of hard work as the year's work culminates into a few critical weeks.

Philippa has also presented on radio, including the BBC Radio 4 series World on the Move which followed the world migrations of Monarch and Painted Lady Butterflies, Grey and Humpback Whales, Ospreys, Top Geese, Grave yard Bats, Eels and Jellyfish, amongst others. She also presented on BBC Bristol.

The past four years have been spent living in and around Yellowstone Park in Wyoming, USA.  Whilst there, Philippa has been presenting videos for National Geographic Magazine's website.

Philippa has been a successful published author for over a decade. Her latest book Amazing Animal Journeys was published by DK in February 2023.

Join animals as they embark on large scale migrations and travel through the natural world in this book that follows their incredible journeys. Little ones can read all about why animals travel far and wide in Amazing Animal Journeys; many are in search of food, some are looking for a mate, lots are heading to a warmer climate, and others are just seeking a new home.

Her book On The Trail of Wolves was published in hardback by Bloomsbury in May 2020 and in paperback early 2023.

Wolves fascinate us – they always have and always will – and with her new non-fiction narrative, author and TV presenter Philippa Forrester aims to help us understand the wolf better and learn its real place in modern America to try and gauge its future.

When Philippa and her family relocated to the wilds of Wyoming, the sound of wolves close to their new home fed her lifelong fascination. But as she settled into life in the US, she discovered many residents weren't happy to share their land with wolves.

Philippa listened to what locals have to say and travelled further from home to talk to rangers, conservationists, hunters and ranch owners to try and learn when and why opinions on wolves became so polarised.

It's now more than a decade since wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park. To many, their reintroduction seemed like a victory. But what does the future hold for wolves in a land where many people resent they were ever there at all? How can ever-increasing human populations learn to live alongside large predators before we end up with a planet devoid of them?

In this captivating non-fiction narrative, Philippa trails wild wolves living within the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem revealing what she learns about these beautiful wild animals from living among them, as she tries to make sense of the lies and rumours that are spread about wolves by those who seek to exterminate them again.

Her first book The River (published by Orion) is an autobiographical account of filming with her husband Charlie in the countryside.

Halcyon River Diaries (published by Preface), written by Philippa and Charlie, was published to coincide with the successful BBC1 series and contains stories, behind the scenes photos, recipes and additional information.

A children's version of the booked entitled Get Out And Explore Your River (also published by Preface), was published soon after and aimed at children and young families in a bid to encourage everyone to explore the wonderful British countryside and the rivers that flow through it. 

She is a regular contributor to The Mail on Sunday travel pages and features have included..

There's an elephant in the garden, Mum! A awe-inspiring family holiday to Tanzania

Celebrity travel: How Philippa found wild adventure and flying five-year-olds in South Africa

Some like it otter! Be bowled over by the magical wildlife of Northern California

We've bought a rainforest (well, a bit of one): Philippa Forrester is using a 'corner of deepest Peru' to help save giant river otters

She has also written for The Express and Sainsbury Magazine. 

In 2018 Philippa completed a Masters at Bath Spa University in children's writing and is currently working on a number of books for both children and adults, fiction and non fiction.  

Philippa has spent much of the past ten years behind the camera, as well as front of it. With a passion (and a degree) in conversation, much of Philippa's producing work has focused on wildlife and the important issue of our environment.

My Halcyon River, followed by Halcyon River Diaries, both produced by Philippa and Charlie, was a huge successful and was one of the very few times an animal featured on the front cover of the Radio Times (a kingfisher).  The series garnered much media coverage and received huge critical acclaim.

She has produced and voiced a series of Natural World documentaries on BBC2 including; The Wild Wood, where Philippa spent a year witnessing the beauty and drama of an ancient oak wood; Victoria Falls, which was nominated for a Emmy Award and is a look at life on the Zambezi River, set against the epic backdrop of the Victoria Falls; Heligan; Secrets of the Lost Gardens, a stunning look at a year in the lives of the animals in one of Britain's favourite gardens and On the Trail of Tarka, a search for otters on the River Torridge in Devon, immortalised by Henry Williamson in his novel Tarka the Otter.

Philippa also produced Animal Planet's Saving Grace, a sweet documentary on the lives of a wild foster orphan otter and the family's adopted tame offer Honey.

She also executive produced Wye, Voices of the Valley, a lyrical portrait of the Wye Valley through the eyes of a cider maker, a salmon fisherman, a sheep farmer and a beekeeper and An Otter in the Family, which has had numerous repeats on BBC2.

In 2018 Philippa took the brave decision to 'go public' and speak out about her son's battle with a brain tumour to raise awareness of The Brain Tumour Charity. Coverage included a feature in the Sunday Telegraph and an interview on ITV's This Morning.

The Brain Tumour Charity is at the forefront of the fight to defeat brain tumours, making a difference every day to the lives of people with a brain tumour and their families. It funds pioneering research to increase survival, raises awareness of the symptoms and effects of brain tumours and provides support for everyone affected.

The Charity funds an extensive and diverse portfolio of research across the UK with the aim of doubling survival and reducing long term harm through improving the understanding and complexities of brain tumours, better diagnostic techniques and new treatments.

The Brain Tumour Charity offers a comprehensive support and information service for anyone who is affected, including a support and information line, Information Standard accredited fact sheets, online peer-to-peer support and a dedicated Children and Families Service.

It funds and promotes the UK-wide HeadSmart campaign, raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of brain tumours in children and young people to make earlier diagnosis a reality. Earlier diagnosis will reduce long-term disabilities and save lives.

In just three years, HeadSmart has reduced averaged diagnosis time from 9.1 weeks to 6.5 weeks.

www.thebraintumourcharity.org

Founded in 1978 by Les and Sue Stocker and their son Colin, Tiggywinkles has since become the busiest wildlife hospital in the World today, rarely having fewer than 1000 patients in their care at any given time.

Situated in the picturesque village of Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, Tiggywinkles deals with over 70,000 animal enquiries each year, offering help and advice to veterinary units, rehabilitators and the general public worldwide.
The hospital is open 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year to attend to all the sick, injured or orphaned patients that come through our doors each year.

Tiggywinkles is now in its fifth decade of existence - For more information on the history of Tiggywinkles and where it all began, please click here.

The Seahorse Trust was set up in 1999 as an umbrella organisation to preserve and conserve the national world, especially the marine environment using Seahorses as our flagship species. They work in partnership with many organisations and people from all over the world and it is this unique partnership that allows them to benefit from the natural world so well.

Seahorses are a unique fish species that occupy the coastal areas of most of the world and it is these very areas that are most under threat, being vulnerable to human and natural interference they suffer badly and by working together we can make a difference to their future and the future of these fragile eco-systems.

www.theseahorsetrust.org

Avon Wildlife Trust is the largest local charity working to protect wildlife and inspire people in the West of England. We work across the old county of Avon and cover the four local authority areas of Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire, and North Somerset.

They care for 30 nature reserves - from ancient bluebell woods to Iron Age forts, nationally important wetlands which are a haven for rare, wading birds, and wildflower meadows. Their educational and community programmes help people of all ages connect with and benefit from the natural world around them - and take action themselves to help nature's recovery.

www.avonwildlifetrust.org.uk

Passionate about nature, dedicated to saving it. Since the RSPB started on their mission in 1889, the threats to nature have continued to grow, but they've grown to meet them too.

They are now the largest nature conservation charity in the country, consistently delivering successful conservation, forging powerful new partnerships with other organisations and inspiring others to stand up and give nature the home it deserves.

www.rspb.org.uk

WWT protects wetlands and wildlife. They believe all you need to start making the world a better place is imagination, passion and a trusty pair of boots.

WWT was founded by Sir Peter Scott as a conservation charity to protect wetlands for wildlife and people. They believe that showing people first-hand how amazing wetlands are can ignite their passion to help them conserve them – they also welcome one million visitors every year to their unique wetland reserves.

Almost all life depends on wetlands for water, food, or habitat. Yet a third of all wetlands have been destroyed. The WWT are pioneers in saving threatened wetland wildlife, a centre for excellence in conservation science and experts in wetland management and creation.

www.wwt.org.uk

The IOSF want to protect otters so that future generations to come can enjoy one of the world’s most charming, elusive and enjoyable mammals.

The IOSF aims to work with local communities throughout the world to educate, inform and encourage the protection and conservation of otters.

Through a programme of research, the IOSF will become the world’s foremost authority on otter behaviour, habitat, persecution and conservation.

They want people throughout the world to be as appalled by Otter persecution and hunting as we are towards Tiger and Rhino hunting.

They would like to educate people to the benefits of Otters, what healthy populations mean for the environment and dispel myths that are causing Otters to be intentionally disturbed, persecuted and hunted.

www.otter.org

In 1972 a group of friends gathered round a kitchen table in Devon to discuss saving a local wood: that day the Woodland Trust was born.

The kitchen table belonged to Kenneth Watkins OBE – the founder and first chairman of the Woodland Trust– who was so concerned about loss of ancient woodland, he decided to do something about it.

Now they stand up for trees as the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity. They have 500,000 members and supporters and more than 1,000 woods of their own which are free to visit anytime.

The Woodland Trust create havens for wildlife by planting millions of trees every year, campaign for new laws to protect ancient woodland and restore damaged ancient woods so they can breathe again.

www.woodlandtrust.org.uk

Philippa has a wealth of experience presenting and compering events, award ceremonies and fronting advertising campaigns for leading UK companies.

Conversation has featured heavily in Philippa's corporate work including fronting the Recycle campaign and heading up an environmental campaign for Anglian Home Improvements.

Previous clients have included:

Anglian Home Improvements

For four years, Philippa working closely with Anglian Home Improvements on a series of environmental campaigns, through radio interviews, videos and media interviews, to build awareness of ways to save energy and 'Green your home'.

Lloyds Pharmacy

Philippa appeared in a series of averts for Lloyds Pharmacy.

Other clients have included RM at Home, National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, Children's Workforce Development Council, CIWM Awards for Environmental Excellence, Royal Mail and many more.

RM at Home video