Stephen James Backshall (born 21 April 1973) is a British naturalist, explorer, presenter and writer, best known for BBC TV's Deadly... franchise.

Backshall's parents worked for British Airways, and he was brought up in a smallholding in Bagshot surrounded by rescue animals.

[4][5] Backshall's first job after returning from Japan[clarification needed] was as an author in the Rough Guides to Indonesia and South East Asia.

In 1997, Backshall attempted to walk solo across the western half of New Guinea, then known as Irian Jaya; he was in the rainforest for three months, but was ultimately unsuccessful.

He then had an idea for a series, bought a video camera, and went to the jungles of Colombia, where he made a pilot which he sold to the National Geographic Channel, which employed him in 1998 as its 'Adventurer in Residence' and he spent five years as a producer and presenter.

For Bootcamp, he completed the Israeli special forces selection course, running 60 miles overnight to gain their red beret.

After four years, The Really Wild Show was axed so he joined the BBC Natural History Unit's expedition team.

The scenarios included being hunted by a polar bear whilst kayaking in Svalbard, filming feeding sharks and eagles (using timeslice technology), [clarification needed] exploring flooded caves and the insides of a glacier, and catching dozens of species of snake and crocodile.

[12] In Lost Land of the Volcano, BBC One 2009, he led the first western expedition into the crater of the extinct volcano, Mount Bosavi, in Papua New Guinea, where they discovered, among other things, one of the largest species of rats known anywhere in the world, provisionally called the Bosavi woolly rat while its scientific name is determined.

It included diving with Nile crocodiles in Botswana, sperm whales in the Caribbean, and avoiding 2-ton elephant seals in California.

In August 2015, along with Matt Baker and Liz Bonnin, Backshall co-presented Big Blue Live, a series of three programmes for BBC1, featuring marine life in Monterey Bay, California.

In episode 1 Backshall and his team tackle Amaurai Tepui in south Venezuela's Canaima National Park.

The team of whitewater kayakers attempted to make the first ever descent of the 500 mile long Baliem River in Papua; an expedition Backshall had been planning since 1997.

A three-part series, Wild Alaska Live, co-presented by Liz Bonnin and Matt Baker, aired in July 2017.

Later in the year, he appeared in the first five episodes of Springwatch for 2018 and also presented an hour-long documentary Steve Backshall Vs The Monster Mountain on CBBC.

In March 2019, Backshall, along with Liz Bonnin and Chris Packham, presented a four-part series Blue Planet Live on BBC One.

[21] In Swimming with Monsters, Discovery TV 2013, he swam with large animals, including anaconda, hippopotamus, Humboldt squid, and great white sharks without the safety of a cage.

"[citation needed] Backshall is a rock climber and mountaineer, and does adventure races, fell runs and endurance sports.

[35] Backshall has a black belt in judo, attained after a year living in Japan studying the martial art.

[36] He is an experienced BCU four star sea and whitewater canoeist and has three times completed the 125-mile, 24-hour, canoe race from Devizes to Westminster on the river Thames.

[38] In July 2008, while attempting to climb a wet cliff face in the Wye Valley in the Forest of Dean, he fell 10 metres (33 ft) onto rocks.

[47] Backshall was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to charity and wildlife conservation.

[68] In April, Glover stated that one of the twins had died, but that she and Backshall were "hopeful for the remaining baby to arrive this summer".

[71] In 2020, Backshall began learning Welsh and took part in the second season of the S4C programme Iaith ar Daith (transl.