After graduating from Bristol University in Biology, Burke worked as a researcher for the BBC’s Natural History Unit. She worked her way up as a producer and director and as a voiceover artist before joining the BBC’s Naturewatch team in 2017. She has co-presented Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch.
She has hosted Nature’s Strangest Mysteries: Solved (Animal Planet), and narrated Thailand’s Wild Side (National Geographic Channel).
Burke is Vice President of the Wildlife Trusts, and an Ambassador of the rainforest protection charity Cool Earth.
1975
Kenya
She describes her ancestry as AfroTrinidadian, Seminole, Mauritian and Somalian
2020
VOICE-ACTOR, ROCK POOL, Inspector Sands Ltd, Director: Lucinka Eisler, Producer: Giuliana Innocenti
NARRATOR, KINGDOM OF THE TIDE, Blue Ant Media/In-Field Productions, Producer: Dugald Maudsley
PRESENTER, SPRINGWATCH, BBC2 PRESENTER, series with co-presenters Iolo Williams, Chris Packham & Megan McCubbin
PRESENTER, WINTERWATCH, BBC2 series with co-presenters Michaela Strachan, Iolo Williams & Chris Packham
NARRATOR: Baby Chimp Rescue, BBC series featuring presenter Prof Ben Garrod (worldwide version). Producer: Rob Sullivan, Assistant Producer: Lindsey Parietti
PRESENTER, Green Originals, BBC Radio Four, Whistledown Productions, Producer: Dan Hardoon
NARRATOR, Thailand’s Wild Side, National Geographic Wild, Icon Films
2019
PRESENTER, AUTUMNWATCH, BBC2 series with co-presenters Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan & Iolo Williams
PRESENTER, SPRINGWATCH, BBC2 series with co-presenters Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan & Iolo Williams
PRESENTER, Blue Planet UK, BBC2 series with co-presenter Steve Brown.
PRESENTER, Nature’s Strangest Mysteries Solved, series for Animal Planet, Wall to Wall Productions, Series Producer: Julian Thomas
PRESENTER, WINTERWATCH, BBC2 series with co-presenters Michaela Strachan, Iolo Williams & Chris Packham
2018
PRESENTER, BBC AUTUMNWATCH NEW ENGLAND SPECIAL
PRESENTER, BBC SPRINGWATCH Live reports from Shetland to Cornwall.
WRITER, Bizarre Beauty Spiny lobster feature for BBC Wildlife Magazine, June issue. Commissioner, Ben Hoare
WRITER, Guest Columnist, BBC Wildlife Magazine, May issue. Commissioner, Ben Hoare
NARRATOR, Africa’s Hunters 6 x 48mins for Smithsonian/Love Nature. Plimsoll Productions. Series Producer: Martha Holmes
NARRATOR, Dolphin World – Making Of 1 x 90mins for Disneynature. Silverback Productions. Exec Producer: Keith Scholey
NARRATOR, Superpigs 1 x 60mins for Smithsonian/Love Nature. Humblebee Productions. Exec Producer: Stephen Dunleavy
WRITER, Guest Columnist, Country Walking Magazine. April issue.
WRITER, Beavers Bite their Way Back, feature for BBC Wildlife Magazine, February issue. Commissioner, Ben Hoare
2017
PRESENTER, BBC Autumnwatch 2017 Live hits from Bournemouth & Sherborne Park Estate
PRESENTER, BBC Springwatch 2017. Three weeks live from Sherborne Park Estate & the Isles of Scilly.
AUDIOBOOK READER, Snow Angel by Lauren St John. Published by Head of Zeus. Produced by Chatterbox Audio.
SPEAKER, Countryfile LIVE 2017 at National Trust Theatre, Blenheim Estate.
NARRATOR, Life’s Journey 3 x 48 mins for Smithsonian/Love Nature. Series Producer: James Smith. Executive Producer” Martha Holmes for Plimsoll Productions
NARRATOR, Africa’s Hunters 6 X 48 mins for Nat Geo Wild/Smithsonian/Love Nature. Series Producer: James Smith. Executive Producer” Martha Holmes for Plimsoll Productions
PRESENTER, BBC Winterwatch. Field reports on waxwings in Sheffield, hedgehog rescue & hibernating peacock butterflies. Live piece with Martin Hughes-Games on winter moths and live chat with Michaela Strachan on hedgehog rescue.
2016 started presenting for Naturewatch.
PRESENTER, BBC Autumnwatch. Airing w/c 24th October ’16. Four separate pieces on bats, spiders, snakes & red squirrels featuring one each night for the four-night run.
PRESENTER, BBC Springwatch, ‘Passion film’ on the Cornish coast & the reappearance of a rare species of hermit crab. Director: Kelly Neaves
PRESENTER, BBC Springwatch, science piece on synchronicity of Great tit & winter moth caterpillar hatching at Oxford University’s Wytham Woods. Director: Kelly Neaves.
Other narration roles and Audiobook readings, including:
AUDIOBOOK READER, The Sudden Appearance of Hope, Claire North. Published by Orbit. Producer: Amelia Paul for Chatterbox Audio.
** EARPHONES AWARD WINNER, AUDIOFILE MAGAZINE**
2015 Numerous narrative roles
Born just outside the Kenyan capital Nairobi, Burke lived what she describes as a very happily feral childhood. Her mother worked in Nairobi for the UN on environmental projects, but they relocated to Vienna when her mother was offered a new role. After completing high school, she went to Bristol University to study Biology.
2016 – appeared as a co-presenter on BBC Springwatch, having worked her way up through the BBC to become a narrator and producerAnswering criticisms that she seemed to have come from `nowhere’ she said: “I can totally understand why people would want to know where I’ve come from; the perception is that I’ve just shown up. But I’ve been doing this a long time.”
2017 – became a regular Naturewatch presenter
2020 – appointed Vice Chair of the Wildlife Trusts
She moved to Falmouth in Cornwall in 2010 with her two children. A keen singer, she performs with a choir.
She is actively involved in the local community, and supports the following local charities:
Cornwall Beaver Project at Ladock
Cornwall Wildlife Trust.
Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust.
Marine Strandings Network,
Credits. Gillian Burke. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2022, from http://www.gillianburkevoice.com/screen
Gray, S. Guardian News and Media. (2017, September 29). Gillian Burke: ‘I am a product of generations of people moving between continents’. The Guardian. Retrieved March 29, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/sep/29/my-family-values-gillian-burke-bbc-wildlife
Payne, T. (2022, March 16). Meet Winterwatch’s new presenter Gillian Burke. Who is Gillian Burke? Presenter joins Winterwatch line-up with Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Martin Hughes Games | Radio Times. Retrieved March 29, 2022, from https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/documentaries/meet-winterwatchs-new-presenter-gillian-burke/
(Image: BBC – Photographer: Jo Charlesworth), & (Image: BBC – Photographer: Pete Dadds).
Trewelha, L. (2020, December 1). TV presenter didn’t feel she belonged until moving to Cornwall. CornwallLive. Retrieved March 29, 2022, from https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/celebs-tv/bbc-wildlife-presenter-gillian-burke-4681831
Westbrook, C. (2019, January 30). Who is Winterwatch presenter Gillian Burke? Metro. Retrieved March 29, 2022, from https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/30/springwatch-presenter-gillian-burke-7594718/
The Wildlife Trusts Welcome Liz Bonnin as New president. The Wildlife Trusts. (2020, November 26). Retrieved March 29, 2022, from https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/wildlife-trusts-welcome-liz-bonnin-new-president
