Wild Lives

Telling wild stories, with Hamza Yassin

Wildlife cameraman and presenter Hamza Yassin became a household name in the UK when he won Strictly Come Dancing in 2022. Born in Sudan, Hamza moved to the UK as a child, and is one of the best-loved natural history filmmakers on our screens, whether that be in front or behind the lens. Hamza loves to share his passion for the natural world through his storytelling, which is often aimed at children, but is increasingly finding an adult audience. We chat with Hamza about how children sometimes lose that passion for nature, and how important it is to share our love of nature. Hamza is heading out on tour in the UK, with dates around the country. Tickets for Hamza's debut tour ‘Hamza Yassin – My Life Behind the Lens’, which runs until May 30, are available to buy from nothird.co.uk [https://www.nothird.co.uk/] Photo: Hamza Yassin And to get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: https://www.discoverwildlife.com [https://www.discoverwildlife.com/] BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

How nature affects our emotions, with Lucy Lapwing

What emotions have you felt when you’re in the natural world? We hear a lot about how nature calms us, gives us joy and hope, but what about other feelings, such as grief, anger or shame? In this episode, we talk with self-confessed nature nerd Lucy Lapwing, who explores these complex emotional responses to nature in her new book, Love Is A Toad (Blink Publishing, March 2026). Our conversation explored many subjects, including how nature writing helped Lucy fight cancer in her early 20s, and how gazing into the eyes of a slug made her head swim. You can follow Lucy’s adventures on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/lucy_lapwing/ [https://www.instagram.com/lucy_lapwing/] Photo: Lucy Lapwing And to get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: ⁠https://www.discoverwildlife.com/ [https://www.discoverwildlife.com/] BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

The fantastical world of the Crab Museum, with Bertie and Ned Suesat-Williams

What are crabs – and what are they for? What can they teach us about ecosystems? And what exactly have they got to do with the 1926 general strike? These questions – and more – are all answered by the brilliantly informative and irreverent Crab Museum in Margate, Kent. Opened in 2021 by brothers Ned and Bertie Suesat-Williams and their friend Chase Coley, it's a witty celebration of crustaceans that also has serious things to say about biodiversity, climate change and politics. Ned and Bertie are hugely enthusiastic advocates for both the museum and the wider natural world, as we discovered when we caught up with them for this far-reaching chat. So far-reaching, in fact, that we even get on to the evolution of bums (but you'll have to stay to the end for that). You can find out more about the Crab Museum at ⁠crabmuseum.org⁠ [https://www.crabmuseum.org/], and you can follow the museum's team on Instagram at ⁠instagram.com/crabmuseum/ [https://www.instagram.com/crabmuseum/]⁠ Photo: Sam Bush To get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: https://www.discoverwildlife.com/ [https://www.discoverwildlife.com/] BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was presented by Oliver Hurley, hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Nature by wheelchair, with Stuart Butchart

Ever since he was shot in the back by bandits in a Guatemalan forest, Stuart Butchart has been exploring the natural world in a wheelchair, which is every bit as hard as it sounds. But Stuart’s positive approach is inspiring. Today, Stuart is chief scientist at BirdLife International, the world's largest partnership of nature conservation organisations, where he heads up a team that, among other things, identifies bird species around the world most in danger of extinction. We chat with Stuart about his love of nature, the accident that changed his life, and the obstacles that limit access to natural spaces for wheelchair users – and how to improve that situation. You can find out more about the work Stuart and his team do by visiting: ⁠https://www.birdlife.org/⁠ [https://www.birdlife.org/] Photo: Annelisa Grigg And to get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: ⁠https://www.discoverwildlife.com/ [https://www.discoverwildlife.com/]⁠ BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Living in the Amazon rainforest, with Alejandro Aguilar

If you think you’ve ever been to the middle of nowhere, think again. In this episode, we take a journey deep into the Amazon rainforest, to one of the most remote parts of the jungle where we met Indigenous wildlife guide, Alejandro Aguilar. This conversation took place on board a boat in Peru, and along the way we learn what it’s like to have been born and raised in the jungle. We follow Alejandro’s incredible life story, which saw him leave his village as a small child and become part of a government project in Lima, eventually returning to the Amazon as an adult. Alejandro has an extraordinary understanding of and connection with nature, and what we can learn from him is hard to put a value on. Oh, and just for good measure, he has a very amusing story about a group of Germans in the jungle. But that’s for later. If you enjoyed this episode, you can read more of Paul’s adventures on the Aqua Nera at ⁠https://www.discoverwildlife.com/holidays-days-out/south-america/amazon-wildlife-river-cruise⁠ [https://www.discoverwildlife.com/holidays-days-out/south-america/amazon-wildlife-river-cruise] You can find out more about Amazon river tours on the Aqua Nera at ⁠aquaexpeditions.com [https://www.aquaexpeditions.com/]⁠ and on travel in Peru by visiting ⁠peru.travel⁠ [https://www.peru.travel/] Photo: Paul McGuinness And to get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: ⁠https://www.discoverwildlife.com⁠ [https://www.discoverwildlife.com/] BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]