Few names come up as often in British nature broadcasting right now as Megan McCubbin. Whether she’s kneeling in a hedgerow explaining hedgehog behaviour on Springwatch or photographing endangered species on a research trip abroad, she has built a reputation as one of the most credible and approachable voices in wildlife media today.
For a lot of viewers, the first question is simple: who exactly is Megan McCubbin, and how did she get here? The second question, often unspoken, is whether her rise owes more to her family connections or to her own scientific background. This article works through both, along with her career, her books, her conservation work, and what she’s doing now.
Who Is Megan McCubbin?
Megan McCubbin is a British zoologist, conservationist, photographer, and television presenter, best recognised for her work on the BBC’s “Watches” strand Springwatch, Autumnwatch, and Winterwatch. Born on 8 February 1995, she grew up in Hampshire and has spent most of her adult life working directly in wildlife science and conservation before, and alongside, her television career.
She’s also the stepdaughter of Chris Packham, the veteran naturalist and broadcaster. That connection gets mentioned constantly in coverage of her, sometimes to the point of overshadowing her own qualifications. But her academic and field background stands on its own, and it’s worth understanding properly.
A Quick Snapshot
- Full name: Megan McCubbin.
- Born: 8 February 1995, United Kingdom.
- Occupation: Zoologist, television presenter, author, conservationist, photographer.
- Education: BSc in Zoology, University of Liverpool.
- Known for: Springwatch, Autumnwatch, Winterwatch.
- Notable roles: President of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust; Patron of Helping Rhinos and Wonderseekers.
- Partner: Wildlife cameraman James Stevens.
Early Life and Family Background
Megan McCubbin’s mother, Jo McCubbin, worked as an NHS nurse. When Megan was two years old, her mother began a relationship with Chris Packham, and the pair later married before separating when Megan was around twelve. Despite the marriage ending, Megan and Packham stayed close, and that relationship has clearly shaped her interest in the natural world though by her own account, her fascination with animals started even earlier, following butterflies around the garden and turning over logs to find centipedes as a toddler.
She has spoken openly about having dyslexia, which she says didn’t hold back her love of science, even if traditional classroom learning wasn’t always the easiest fit. She studied Environmental Studies at A-level before going on to complete a foundation year in biology, which led her to a full degree in Zoology at the University of Liverpool.
During the Covid-19 lockdowns, Megan moved in with Packham, partly because her mother, working on the NHS front line, felt it was the safer arrangement at the time. That period ended up shaping her television career more than almost anything else, for reasons explained below.
Education and Scientific Grounding
It’s worth pausing on this, because a lot of casual coverage skips past it: Megan McCubbin isn’t a media personality who picked up wildlife as a theme. She trained as a scientist first.
Her path included:
- A foundation year in biology after leaving school
- A BSc in Zoology from the University of Liverpool, completed around 2018
- Field experience assisting with animal rescue and rehabilitation
- Conservation fieldwork involving big cats in Namibia
- A four-month internship in China studying animal behaviour
This combination of formal study and hands-on field experience is a large part of why she’s taken seriously by scientists and conservation organisations, not just television audiences. She isn’t reading a script written by someone else about topics she doesn’t understand she generally knows the biology behind what she’s presenting.
How Megan McCubbin Got Into Television
Megan’s broadcasting career began gradually rather than through one big break. Early on, she worked as a researcher and reported on plastic pollution for Al Jazeera, and contributed to Extinction Rebellion’s Earthrise environmental series. She also built a name for herself as a wildlife photographer, winning the RSPCA’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition in the under-12s category back in 2007, and later being appointed as a judge and coordinator for the Bird Photographer of the Year contest in 2019. Her Antarctic photography, in particular, gained attention among wildlife circles.
The real turning point came in 2020. When the pandemic forced Springwatch to adopt a stripped-back format, with presenters broadcasting from home rather than a central filming location, Megan joined the presenting team. Because she was already living with Chris Packham during that period, the setup naturally allowed her to appear alongside him on screen.
That opportunity might have looked like family favouritism to some viewers at first glance, but she held her own presenting spot afterward through subsequent series of Springwatch, Autumnwatch, and Winterwatch working alongside familiar faces like Michaela Strachan, Gillian Burke, and Iolo Williams.
Beyond the BBC’s “Watches”
Megan’s television and media work has expanded well past the Watches franchise. She has:
- Reported on environmental issues for international outlets
- Appeared on programmes airing on ITV, Channel 4, and in National Geographic productions
- Featured in “Chris and Meg’s Wild Summer,” a programme blending personal reflection with wildlife observation during road trips around the UK
- Contributed to Animal Park and other conservation documentaries
Books by Megan McCubbin
Writing has become a significant part of her public work, not just an add-on to television appearances.
Her first book, “Back to Nature: How to Love Life – and Save It” (2020), was co-written with Chris Packham. It was published during the early stages of the pandemic and focused on reconnecting with the natural world a theme that resonated with a lot of readers stuck at home during lockdowns.
She followed that with “Atlas of Endangered Species” (2023), a solo project that highlights threatened species around the world. It’s designed to be both educational and a call to action, aimed at readers who want practical understanding rather than just alarming statistics.
Conservation Roles and Public Advocacy
Presenting is only one part of what Megan McCubbin does. She holds several formal conservation positions that reflect a genuine, ongoing commitment to the field rather than a title used purely for publicity.
- President of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust: She took on this role in November 2022, succeeding John Collman after his six years of service. Chris Packham was appointed Vice President of the same Trust around the same time. Debbie Tann, the Trust’s chief executive, credited Megan’s science communication background as a key reason for bringing her on board, particularly her ability to connect with younger and more diverse audiences than traditional conservation messaging often reaches.
- Patron of Helping Rhinos: Supporting rhino conservation projects internationally.
- Patron of Wonderseekers: A charity focused on getting young people engaged with science and the natural world.
These roles line up closely with the themes she covers on screen: biodiversity loss, habitat protection, and getting more people, especially younger viewers, invested in conservation before it’s too late for the species involved.
Megan McCubbin’s Personal Life
Megan is in a relationship with wildlife cameraman James Stevens, whose own background is in filming natural history content. She isn’t publicly known to be married. Beyond that, she tends to keep the details of her personal life fairly private, choosing instead to let her professional work the television appearances, the books, the trust presidency speak for her public profile.
She has been open about specific personal topics that matter to her, including her dyslexia and how it shaped her relationship with formal education, as well as her close bond with her mother and with Chris Packham.
Why Megan McCubbin Matters in Wildlife Broadcasting
British wildlife television has traditionally leaned on a fairly narrow group of presenters, many of whom built their reputations decades ago. Megan McCubbin represents something a bit different: someone who came up through actual field science and modern environmental campaigning rather than solely through broadcasting.
A few things set her apart:
- She combines fieldwork credibility with camera presence. Not every scientist translates well to television, and not every broadcaster has real fieldwork behind them. She manages both.
- She talks directly to younger audiences. Her approach to environmental messaging tends to be more direct and less nostalgic than some older-generation nature broadcasting, which appeals to viewers who didn’t grow up with the traditional David Attenborough-style formality (not a criticism of that style, just a different lane).
- She’s willing to engage with harder conservation topics. Plastic pollution reporting, habitat loss, and species extinction data show up regularly in her work, not just charismatic megafauna content.
That said, she has also faced criticism. Some viewers and commentators have pushed back on her prominence within the Watches franchise, framing her rapid rise as connected to her relationship with Packham rather than earned through merit alone. It’s a fair point to acknowledge, even if her academic background and fieldwork suggest the criticism doesn’t tell the whole story.
What Is Megan McCubbin Doing Now?
As of the most recent seasons, Megan continues to appear regularly across the BBC’s nature programming, remains active in her Trust presidency, and keeps contributing to conservation campaigns and species-awareness projects. She continues photography work alongside her television and writing commitments, and her public commentary on biodiversity policy and habitat protection shows up periodically in interviews and campaign appearances.
Given her age and the breadth of what she’s already built presenting, authorship, conservation leadership, and photography it’s reasonable to expect her profile in British wildlife media to keep growing rather than plateau.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Megan McCubbin related to Chris Packham?
She is his stepdaughter. Chris Packham dated her mother, Jo McCubbin, from the time Megan was two years old, and the couple later married before divorcing when Megan was around twelve. Megan and Packham have remained close despite the marriage ending.
What did Megan McCubbin study at university?
She studied Zoology at the University of Liverpool, earning a BSc after first completing a foundation year in biology.
What shows has Megan McCubbin presented?
She’s best known for Springwatch, Autumnwatch, and Winterwatch on the BBC. She has also appeared on other broadcasters including ITV, Channel 4, and in National Geographic-produced content, along with programmes like Chris and Meg’s Wild Summer and Animal Park.
Has Megan McCubbin written any books?
Yes. Her first book, “Back to Nature: How to Love Life – and Save It,” was co-authored with Chris Packham and published in 2020. Her solo book, “Atlas of Endangered Species,” followed in 2023.
What conservation organisations is Megan McCubbin involved with?
She is President of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, a role she took on in November 2022. She’s also a Patron of Helping Rhinos and Wonderseekers.
Does Megan McCubbin have any health conditions she’s spoken about publicly?
She has spoken openly about having dyslexia, describing how it shaped her experience of formal education even as her passion for wildlife and science remained constant from a young age.
Who is Megan McCubbin’s partner?
She is in a relationship with James Stevens, a wildlife cameraman. She is not publicly known to be married.
Final Thoughts
Megan McCubbin’s career reflects a fairly deliberate path: real academic training, real fieldwork, then a media platform built on top of that foundation rather than instead of it. Her family connection to Chris Packham opened a door during an unusual moment in television history, but the roles she’s built since then trust president, published author, working conservationist suggest she’s earned her place well beyond that initial opportunity.
For anyone trying to understand modern British wildlife broadcasting, or looking for conservation voices that speak plainly about difficult environmental realities, Megan McCubbin is a name worth following closely.
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