Chris Packham, the beloved Winterwatch presenter, has shared a heartfelt glimpse into his early family life. At 64, Chris revealed how both he and his sister, renowned fashion designer Jenny Packham, grappled with intense pressure from their parents to meet exceptionally high standards.
Chris recounted that his mother, Rita, and father, Colin, placed a “disproportionate amount of interest” on academic success, which sparked a rebellious streak in Jenny. Despite this, neither sibling felt fully satisfied with their achievements, often feeling like “underachievers.” This perception, however, fueled their determination to excel and ultimately “overachieve” in their respective fields.
By his teenage years, Chris admits he ceased trying to gain his parents' approval. On the Homing podcast, he shared a telling anecdote: after winning a photography competition category, his mother’s immediate response was to ask if he had won the overall prize, followed by a challenge to “keep trying.” While Chris described this approach as “harsh,” he views it as a motivator rather than a hindrance.
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When asked if his parents ever openly expressed pride in his accomplishments, Chris responded candidly, “I don’t recall it, to be fair.” He elaborated that his father, while a fair man, always focused on what came next rather than celebrating finished work. This forward-looking mindset pushed Chris to continually pursue new goals, a trait he now regards as fair and integral to his ambition.
Despite the tough love, Chris credits his parents with instilling a strong work ethic that propelled both him and Jenny from humble working-class beginnings to remarkable success. “We were two working-class kids without much,” he said. “Without that drive to go the extra mile—sometimes a hundred miles—neither of us would be where we are today.”
Chris also recalls how his father sparked his love for the natural world through Sunday morning outings in the countryside, exploring wildlife and history. This early influence led him to work as a part-time cameraman after university, eventually landing key roles in nature documentaries such as The Living Planet and The Living Isles in the early 1980s.
A defining moment came in 1986 when he began co-presenting The Really Wild Show, a popular BBC children’s programme, alongside Michaela Strachan and Martin Hughes-Games. The show ran for nine successful years and paved the way for Chris’s ongoing career as a face of British wildlife broadcasting.
Since 2009, Chris has been a familiar presence on the BBC’s Springwatch, Autumnwatch, and Winterwatch series. He is set to return to BBC Two tonight at 7 pm, broadcasting from Mount Stewart estate on the shores of Strangford Lough. This episode will spotlight winter’s resilient woodlands and wading birds, continuing Chris’s mission to connect viewers with nature’s marvels across the seasons.