Steve Backshall Net Worth, Career, Earnings & 2026 Update
Steve Backshall Net Worth insights for 2026, covering BBC shows, publishing success, live tours, and the facts behind income estimates.
Author:James RowleyDec 04, 202517.9K Shares271.6K Views
Stephen James Backshall was born on 21 April 1973in the village of Bagshot in Surrey, England. He grew up there with a younger sister on his parents’ family farm. His parents both worked for British Airways as ground staff, and he has said the family took full advantage of the generous travel allowances to expose him to wildlife around the world from a young age.
According to interviews, Backshall’s parents were “outdoorsy” and filled the ramshackle farm with rescued animals including an asthmatic donkey, geese, horses, and peacocks, turning the surrounding woodlands and heathland into his childhood playground. In this environment he became certain early on that he wanted a life “involving… the outdoors and… animals”.
Backshall’s formal schooling was in nearby Camberley. He attended Collingwood College in Camberley for his secondary education. After finishing school and a period of travel, he went on to higher education, studying English and Theatre Studies at the University of Exeter.
He later returned to university as a mature student, but his first degree was at Exeter. These studies followed an adventurous childhood and gap-year, and set the foundation for his interests in writing and natural history, but they remain the endpoint of what is traditionally considered his “early life” period.
| Net Worth | No verified public figure has been confirmed by credible financial sources as of 2026 |
| Date of Birth | Born 21 April 1973 in Surrey, UK. |
| Childhood | Raised on a small farm with rescue animals. |
| Family Background | Parents worked for British Airways, enabling global travel. |
| Education | Studied English & Theatre + Biology later. |
| Early Career | Started as a travel writer for Rough Guides. |
| Career Break | Joined National Geographic in 1998 as Adventurer in Residence. |
| Famous For | Host of BBC’s Deadly 60 wildlife series. |
| Major Awards | Won BAFTAs, Wildscreen Award, and received MBE. |
| Conservation Work | President of Buglife, WWF Ambassador, WLT Patron. |
Early Career And Entry Into Television
After graduating from the University of Exeter, Steve Backshall began his career in travel writing and conservation. He worked as an author for the Rough Guides, contributing to travel books (notably on Indonesia), and lived in Japan studying martial arts. His early adventures included solo rainforest treks and independent documentary filming.
In the late 1990s he shot a pilot video in the jungles of Colombia, which led the National Geographic Channel to hire him as its first “Adventurer in Residence” in 1998. For several years Backshall produced and presented adventure and wildlife series for National Geographic (including the expedition show Game for It and the EarthPulse series).
In 2003 Backshall moved to the BBC’s Natural History Unit, joining the presenting team on children’s wildlife programmes. He became a presenter on CBBC’s long-running The Really Wild Show in 2003, bringing his firsthand expedition experience to television.
During this period he also started leading televised expeditions, taking cameras on pioneering journeys (for example the Expedition Borneo series). By the mid-2000s he had established himself as a daring naturalist presenter, setting the stage for his later breakthrough on BBC television.
Breakthrough With BBC’s “Deadly…” Franchise
Backshall’s major breakthrough came in 2009 when he launched the Deadly 60 franchise on the BBC. In Deadly 60 (2009–2011) he traveled to six continents tracking down 60 of the world’s most “deadly” animals, educating young audiences about wildlife.
The series was a massive success, drawing millions of viewers and multiple awards. At the 2011 BAFTA Children’s Awards, Deadly 60 won Best Factual Series, and Backshall himself won Best Children’s TV Presenter for his enthusiastic hosting.
The Deadly brand expanded into a full franchise of spin-offs and specials over the next decade. Backshall fronted follow-up series and specials such as Deadly Pole to Pole (a global trek across the Americas), Deadly 360, Deadly Dinosaurs (2018), and Deadly Predators (2022).
Other related titles include Deadly Mission specials (e.g. Deadly Mission: Shark), DIY Deadly and Deadly 60 on a Mission. Each series continued the format of wildlife education through close encounters with fearsome animals.
The Deadly franchise remains one of the flagship natural history strands on CBBC, earning Backshall a reputation as a leading children’s wildlife presenter.
Major TV Shows And Documentary Work
Beyond the Deadly series, Backshall has fronted numerous high-profile nature documentaries and live event broadcasts across different networks. Notably, he co-led BBC’s live ocean events Big Blue Live (2015) and Blue Planet Live (2017) alongside other natural history presenters.
In these projects he worked in partnership with international networks (including PBS in the US) to showcase marine wildlife with live broadcasting. He also co-hosted Wild Alaska Live (2017), a BBC/PBS event from the Alaskan wilderness.
Starting in 2019, Backshall presented the multi-series documentary Expedition with Steve Backshall on UKTV’s Dave channel (and PBS in the US). In Expedition he undertook ten world-first expeditions, including first descents of unexplored rivers (e.g. in Kamchatka) and explorations of remote desert caves. These expeditions were often broadcast as hour-long documentary specials.
Backshall’s other notable TV projects include the Lost Land expedition series for BBC One (such as Lost Land of the Jaguar, Tiger, Volcano), which documented searches for undiscovered species in hidden wildernesses. He has also presented Steve Backshall’s Extreme Mountain Challenge (2016) and Down the Mighty River (2017), adrenaline-fuelled adventure series involving mountain climbing and whitewater kayaking.
In 2021 he co-presented the BBC One series Our Changing Planet, a seven-year environmental documentary project highlighting climate and wildlife issues.
On other British channels, Backshall has fronted wildlife specials such as Fierce (ITV, 2016), profiling dangerous animals, and appeared on entertainment programmes, notably Strictly Come Dancing in 2014.
Recently he has worked with Channel 5 and Sky: for example Ice Age: A Frozen Planet (Ch5, 2024), The Secret Life of Bees (Ch5, 2025), Killer Crocs and Killer Hippos (Ch5, 2022), Shark with Steve Backshall (Sky Nature, 2021), and Whale with Steve Backshall (Sky, 2023).
Throughout the 2020s he has remained in demand for fronting natural history documentaries across broadcasters, reinforcing his status as a leading science and wildlife presenter.
Books, Writing Career And Publications
Steve Backshall is also a prolific writer with both adult non-fiction and children’s books to his name. His early writing career included serving as a guidebook author for Rough Guides. He has since authored dozens of books.
His non-fiction titles for adults draw on his expeditions and wildlife expertise. Examples include Venom (2008), an exploration of poisonous creatures; Looking for Adventure (2011), a memoir of his field expeditions; and Predators (2013), a guide to the world’s top predators.
He has also written expedition memoirs like Mountain: A Life on the Rocks (2022) and the ocean-themed Deep Blue: My Ocean Journeys (2023). In late 2024 he co-authored Wildlings: How to Raise Your Family in Nature (2024) with his wife Helen Glover, blending natural history with parenting.
Backshall has an extensive children’s and young adult bibliography as well. He wrote The Wildlife Adventurer’s Guide (2009) and the Deadly 60 book (2009) tied to the TV series. He contributed to the Deadly franchise with companion books like Deadly Diaries (2012) and Deadly Detectives (2014).
His most popular children’s works are the four-part Falcon Chronicles fiction series (2012–2015), beginning with Tiger Wars. These adventure novels follow a pair of young explorers on wildlife missions and have been bestsellers in the UK.
Other children’s titles include Ghosts of the Forest, The Wilds of the Wolf and Shark Seas, completing that fiction series. He has also published field guides and activity books aimed at inspiring young naturalists.
Across all genres, Backshall’s writing reinforces his education mission to get people, especially children, excited about wildlife and conservation.
Awards, Recognition And Industry Credibility
Backshall’s work has earned significant industry recognition. He is a two-time BAFTA winner: in 2011 he won the Children’s BAFTA for Best Television Presenter, and Deadly 60 won Best Factual Series the same year.
He also received the prestigious Golden Panda award at the Wildscreen Film Festival, often called the “Green Oscars.” In 2020 he was named Explorer of the Year by the Scientific Exploration Society, citing his series of epic TV expeditions.
In Britain’s New Year Honours 2020, Steve Backshall was appointed MBE for services to wildlife conservation and charity. He has been nominated for several other awards, including multiple additional BAFTAs and an International Emmy nomination.
Universities have also honoured him: Exeter University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2012, and Bangor University similarly granted him an honorary degree in 2023 for his contributions to science communication.
Collectively, these awards and roles underscore Backshall’s expertise and credibility as a naturalist broadcaster and explorer.
Other Projects: Expeditions, Public Speaking & Charity Work
Outside of television and books, Backshall pursues many expedition and public engagement projects. He has completed extreme endurance challenges, for example the Marathon des Sables ultramarathon and kayaking the 125-mile Devizes to Westminster race, the latter helping to raise funds for rainforest conservation.
He led on-screen challenges like Steve Backshall’s Extreme Mountain Challenge and Down the Mighty River, which documented him confronting high-altitude climbs and rapid rivers. He also actively leads wildlife expeditions and lectures; for example, he undertook a major Borneo trek in 2017 to raise money for species protection.
Backshall frequently appears as a motivational speaker at schools, science festivals and corporate events, drawing on his adventures to promote themes of conservation and resilience. He runs live stage shows, including Deadly 60 Live and Ocean, to engage families directly.
He is deeply involved in conservation charities. He is Patron of the World Land Trust, helping to purchase and protect threatened habitats globally, and in 2021 became President of Buglife, a leading invertebrate conservation charity in the UK.
Since 2010 he has also served as President of the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust. Through these roles he helps fundraise, record appeals and bring public attention to environmental causes.
In sum, Backshall leverages his profile beyond media to champion wildlife charities and engage young people in science.
Current Career And Recent Work
In recent years Steve Backshall has continued to expand his portfolio of projects. In 2021 he fronted Shark with Steve Backshall on Sky Nature, aiming to demystify sharks, followed by the CBBC special Deadly Mission: Shark.
He co-hosted the BBC documentary Our Changing Planet (2021), a series highlighting urgent conservation issues. In 2022 he introduced Deadly Predators on CBBC, updating the Deadly format for a new generation.
He has also presented major Channel 5 specials: Ice Age: A Frozen Planet (2024), and the two-part The Secret Life of Bees (scheduled spring 2025). On Sky TV he led Whale with Steve Backshall (2023), a documentary on great whales.
In parallel, he maintains an active touring schedule: his live theatre show Ocean toured the UK and Australia in 2024–25 to packed audiences, and a new UK tour Deadly 60 Live is planned for late 2025.
Steve Backshall Net Worth
As of 2026, no reliable public estimate of Steve Backshall’s net worth has been published by credible sources. Backshall is a British naturalist, explorer, and television presenter (best known for the BBC’s Deadly 60 series) who has built his career in wildlife television.
He earns income through hosting wildlife shows and writing children’s nature books, as well as public speaking engagements and conservation-related appearances. Major publications like Forbes or Bloomberg have not verified any figure, so any online estimates remain unverified and should be treated with caution.
FAQs
Who Is Steve Backshall?
Steve Backshall is a British naturalist, explorer, author, and television presenter. He is best known for hosting the BBC children’s wildlife series Deadly 60.
When Was Steve Backshall Born?
Steve Backshall was born on 21 April 1973 in Bagshot, Surrey, England. He grew up on a family farm with a strong outdoor influence.
What Did Steve Backshall Study At University?
He studied English and Theatre Studies at the University of Exeter. Exeter later awarded him an honorary doctorate in recognition of his work in science communication.
What Is Steve Backshall Best Known For?
He is best known for presenting Deadly 60, a BBC wildlife series that launched in 2009. The programme became one of CBBC’s flagship natural history shows.
Has Steve Backshall Won Any Awards?
Yes, he won a BAFTA Children’s Award for Best Television Presenter in 2011. Deadly 60also won Best Factual Series at the same awards ceremony.
Is Steve Backshall Involved In Conservation Work?
He actively supports wildlife conservation charities. He serves as Patron of the World Land Trust and has held leadership roles with UK wildlife trusts.
James Rowley
Author
James Rowley is a London-based writer and urban explorer specialising in the city’s cultural geography. For over 15 years, he has documented the living history of London's neighbourhoods through immersive, first-hand reporting and original photography. His work foregrounds verified sources and street-level detail, helping readers look past tourist clichés to truly understand the character of a place.
His features and analysis have appeared in established travel and heritage publications. A passionate advocate for responsible, research-led tourism, James is an active member of several professional travel-writing associations.
His guiding principle is simple: offer clear, current, verifiable advice that helps readers see the capital with informed eyes.
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