Michaela Strachan talks UK tour, Springwatch and Dancing on Ice

From her initial appearances on Wide Awake Club in the 1980s to her regular role on the beloved Springwatch, the presenter has been a constant fixture.

The 59-year-old is now set to embark on her Not Just a Wild Life live show tour around the country.

Ahead of her first date next week, the Oxford Mail recently sat down for an exclusive chat with Michaela.

“It’s getting close now, and it’s taking quite a long time to prepare the show because I’ve got a heck of a lot of footage to go through,” she said.

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Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan on Springwatch. (Image: Philip Edwards)

“I’ve got this massive archive in my garage, with a lot of it on VHS, which takes a long time to fast-forward.

“So it’s taken months, actually, of putting the show together and deciding what to put in and what not to put in because it’s been a long career and a lot of shows.

“I think that’s been the hardest thing, really, to decide, you know, which bits to focus on. So, yeah, I’m really excited about it.”

Back in 2024, Michaela was spotted at Wembley for Oxford United‘s famous 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers in the League One play-off final.

Donning a Yellows shirt and proudly posting about the result on X, the TV star has been spotted at the Kassam too, cheering on United.

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Michaela Strachan and her son at Wembley (Image: Michaela Strachan)

Explaining the Oxford connection, Michaela said: “The whole Oxford fan thing has got a wee bit exaggerated, to be honest.

“It’s because my son works for Oxford United Football Club, and he works with the academy team, doing their social media.

“And so because we went to the Wembley game, which was super exciting, and were photographed in the Oxford Mail, now, I’ve become the Oxford celebrity fan, which is hugely exaggerated, but it’s nice, I don’t mind it!”

The TV presenter has hosted the iconic BBC nature programme Springwatch for 14 years, and the show is set to return once again this year.

“It’s such a lovely programme to do, and it’s still a show that has a reasonable viewership that makes you proud to still do it,” she said.

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Michaela Strachan. (Image: BBC / Jo Charlesworth / PA)

“I mean, budgets for a lot of programmes have been cut and cut and cut to the point that it makes them impossible to make.

“So, you know, it’s still a high-quality programme that I love doing, and we’ve got such a lovely, loyal audience of people that look forward to it every year.

“They say the famous line, ‘that’s what we pay our license fee for’, and you just feel every year that you’re stepping back into a family, not only with the people you’re filming with but with the viewers as well.

“So, it’s a really lovely television programme to be part of. And obviously it’s British wildlife, so what’s not to love.”

Michaela also spoke about her longtime co-star Chris Packham who she has worked for over three decades on various projects.

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Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan. (Image: Michaela Strachan / X)

“I’ll be talking quite a lot about Chris and my relationship with him in the second half of the live show because it has been a very long relationship,” she said.

“We met on The Really Wild Show in 1992, and we worked together a bit there.

“Then we did another couple of series for Animal Planet, Big Five Little Five and Postcards From The Wild, and we had a gap, before we then came back together for the Watches.

“And as I say in my show, I can think of only one other presenting duo who have worked together for that long, and that is Ant and Dec.

“I can’t think of any other duo that has lasted long, and are still really good friends and still presenting programmes together and getting on.”

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Michaela Strachan on The Really Wild Show with Steve Backshall and Nick Baker. (Image: Michaela Strachan / Not Just A Wild Life UK Tour)

When asked if she was excited for 2026′ Springwatch, Michaela responded: “Always! We’re going to Northern Ireland, so we’ll be there for three weeks in May.”

Another TV star with links to Oxfordshire is former Top Gear and The Grand Tour host Jeremy Clarkson, who owns both a farm and a pub here.

This is documented in his own wildlife show, Clarkson’s Farm on Prime Video, which helps highlight the plight of British farmers and the struggles of agriculture.

During the chat, Michaela praised Mr Clarkson for his work via the show but revealed she had never watched an episode.

“I don’t watch Clarkson’s Farm, but I think it is great what he has done for making people understand how difficult farming is,” she said.

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Michaela Strachan with a cheetah. (Image: Michaela Strachan / Not Just A Wild Life UK Tour)

“But no, it’s not a programme that I watch.”

Last year, Michaela finished as runner-up on the ITV reality show Dancing on Ice, competing with professional partner Mark Hanretty.

The 59-year-old reflected on her time on the show and said: “It’s so funny that everyone else was more upset than me and Mark [about not winning].

“I mean, I was just so happy to get to the final, as I didn’t for one minute think when I started that I would get there- I thought I’d be lucky to get to round five.

“That’s what I was aiming for, so the fact that I got that far and to the last two couples ended with the Bolero, that was the win for me.

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Michaela Strachan and Mark Hanretty on Dancing On Ice.

“It didn’t matter that I didn’t hold up the trophy at the end, hand on heart; it didn’t bother me. I was so proud of myself to have got that far.”

When asked if she would consider doing Strictly Come Dancing, Michaela said: “I don’t think there’s any secret that I’ve always wanted to do Strictly and I’ve never been asked.

“Dancing on Ice is a lot more challenging, as not only are you on ice, but you’re only allowed to be on it for two hours a day.

“So even during the live weeks when you’re trying to learn a new routine, you’re only rehearsing it two hours a day that week.

“You could do a lot of off-ice stuff obviously, but it also makes it much more challenging than Strictly because I think they rehearse eight hours a day sometimes.”

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La Voix (left) and Aljaz Skorjanec during the results show of Strictly Come Dancing. (Image: Guy Levy / BBC / PA)

With speculation rife over who will host the programme later this year, this newspaper asked Ms Strachan who she would like to see take on the job.

After being suggested with hosting it herself and long-time contributor Chris Packham, the 60-year-old laughed and said: “Can you imagine Chris Packham presenting Strictly!

“Oh my god, that would be worth watching.

“I think La Voix would be brilliant, that’s who I would back. I don’t know whether they would get it, but I think that would be really good fun if La Voix did it.

“I really enjoyed watching La Voix on Strictly last year, so that would be the obvious choice.

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Michaela Strachan (Image: Michaela Strachan)

“There are some choices that have been talked about that are very obvious, and you think no, come on, let’s push the boat out. Let’s get to somebody different.

“I’d like to see them go out of the box, and it would be highly entertaining.”

Michaela then discussed the possibility of appearing on other celebrity reality TV shows, including the Ant and Dec-hosted I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.

“With I’m a Celebrity, I actually think I would struggle to be with some of those people for that long.

“I’m at an age where it’s like, ‘Oh God, really’, and I think you become less tolerant as you get older, so that isn’t what I’m chomping at the bit to do.

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Timmy Mallett and Michaela Strachan at an Oxford United home game. (Image: Michaela Strachan)

“I do like doing those challenging ones, as I did Splash, and I did Total Wipe Out, so those ones that involve you having to learn something new are definitely what I would enjoy doing.

“To push myself out of my comfort zone and take on challenges like that, yeah, rather than to sit in the middle of a forest.

“Everyone who’s done it says that the trouble with it is it’s quite boring when it’s hours and hours of just sitting there.

“I’d rather do something that that’s pushes me with fitness.”

Ruling out Channel 4’s Great British Bake Off, Michaela laughed: “I don’t like baking. It’s all too messy.

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Michaela Strachan on Dancing on Ice. (Image: Yui Mok / PA)

“I like cooking, but then again, I’m a vegetarian, so I’d never be up for any of those other ones like MasterChef.”

Speaking on potentially appearing on The Celebrity Traitors in the future, Michaela revealed: “I’d love to do Traitors.

“Honestly, that program is genius, and it’s such an entertaining watch, but I’m the worst liar in the world.”

The TV presenter laughed: “I’m so not good at lying, I’m way too honest and open.”

You can catch Michaela on her ‘Not Just a Wild Life’ live tour this month with dates all over the UK, including nearby Newbury on Wednesday, April 29.