Winterwatch heads to Northern Ireland for the first time

Winterwatch will return to the BBC this January, broadcasting live from Northern Ireland for the first time.

The BBC Two show – presented by hosts Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Iolo Williams – will air from the shore of Strangford Lough in County Down, the largest sea lough in the British Isles.

The series, which first launched in 2012, is a nature documentary which observes animals and wildlife in the UK during the winter months.

Winterwatch 2026 will focus on Northern Ireland’s wildlife and natural beauty, and will be broadcast live from the historic Mount Stewart estate, which is owned by the National Trust.

Packham, 64, said: “I’ve been visiting Northern Ireland since the early 1990s and I always saw it as a very unspoilt part of the UK, it’s magnificent in terms of its natural resources and it has some exceptional species.

“It’s got incredible coastal regions and loughs and a wonderful range of species, some of which we don’t see frequently across the UK, so very excited to be heading there.”

The environment of Mount Stewart estate is home to a wide range of animals – including pine martens, red squirrels and badgers – which are expected to feature in the new series.

It will also feature pre-recorded clips of wildlife across the UK, including Yorkshire, Dorset, and areas in Scotland and Wales.

Packham said: “The great joy of our live programmes is that there’s always something new and you don’t know what it’s going to be, and that’s part of what keeps us coming back to it.

“The team never tires as we keep turning up not knowing what to expect. Of course, we have any number of plans, but inevitably, something crops up which you don’t expect to see.”

Strachan, 59, described the show’s new base camp location as “exciting”, and said that in the new series, viewers can “expect a variety of wonderful wildlife and woolly hats”.

Williams said: “I had a peek at some of the wildlife at Mount Stewart in spring, so I’m looking forward to going back there and also spending time on Strangford Lough.

“We’ll hopefully see waders and wildfowl and some Brent geese, birds that have come all the way from Arctic Canada.

“So, it’ll be an amazing array of wildlife that we’ll be bringing to the audience.”

Winterwatch will return to BBC Two and BBC iPlayer from January 20-23 at 7pm.