Winterwatch 2024: live start date on BBC, lineup with Chris Packham and Iolo Williams - where is it filmed?

Winterwatch has returned to TV this year, and the nature show is already the subject of drama as presenter Chris Packham has been assigned a security guard during his time on set owing to a series of nasty threats he has received.

But the presenters won’t let that get in the way of the show, which provides live coverage of the natural world in Britain over four days in winter. Iolo Williams has also returned to the presenter lineup, after pulling out of Springwatch 2023 over health problems.

The pair are joined by returning presenters Michael Strachan and Gillian Burke, and together the group will explore wildlife at different locations across the UK. Last year the BBC confirmed that they were cancelling sister show Autumnwatch in order to invest more money into Springwatch and Winterwatch.

Who are the presenters on Winterwatch 2024?

• Chris Packham
• Michaela Strachan
• Iolo Williams
• Gillian Burke

Where is Winterwatch 2024 filmed?

The RSPB Arne in Dorset, is a major site for Winterwatch 2024 -  the 5.6km sqr nature reserve opened in 1966 is home to rare bird species including Dartford Warblers, Woodlarks and Nightjars, and is also one of the few places in the country where all six of Britain’s native reptiles can be found. Chris, Michaela and Iolo will be based at Arne this year.

Gillian heads off to the Orkney Isles, an archipelago off the northeastern coast of Scotland. She will visit Sanday Island where an animal seen nowhere else on the planet lives. There are 70 islands in the Orkneys, and only 20 of them are inhabited by humans - the entire archipelago has a population of around 22,000.

Other filming locations which feature on Winterwatch 2024 include Brownsea Island and Poole Harbour in Dorset, Lydford Gorge in Devon, Plymouth, the Shetland Islands, and the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands. Last year the series was filmed at Wild Ken Hill in Norfolk, and Edinburgh.

When is Winterwatch 2024 on TV?

Winterwatch began on Tuesday, January 16 at 8pm on BBC Two - live one hour episodes of the show will air over four evenings, ending on January 19.

You can also tune into the live Winterwatch feed on the BBC’s YouTube channel this week to see unedited footage from across the show’s filming locations. The YouTube feed will be available to watch 24 hours a day during Winterwatch, and is split into 12-hour live streams on the platform.