BBC Wildlife Presenter famous broadcaster and naturalist Terry Nutkins dead age 66

Terry Nutkins, the broadcaster and naturalist whose unruly hair and exuberant manner helped inspire a love of animals in generations of children, has died at the age of 66.

TV presenter Terry Nutkins, famous for appearances on BBC nature programmes like Animal Magic and The Really Wild Show, has died at the age of 66. Born in London in 1946, Nutkins helped out at London Zoo as a child and later helped author Gavin Maxwell care for otters on the west coast of Scotland.

The wildlife expert spent seven years on Animal Magic and was later seen on Growing Up Wild and Pets Win Prizes.

The father of eight was being treated for leukaemia when he died on Thursday.

Nutkins’ love of animals was undimmed by an incident when, aged 15, he had the top joints of two of his fingers bitten off by a wild otter named Edal.

Renowned for his natural ebullience and unruly hair style, he played a major role in the restoration of the historic Fort Augustus Abbey on the shores of Loch Ness.

In his childhood, Maxwell, the author of Ring of Bright Water, became Nutkins’ legal guardian so that he could remain in Scotland to assist him.

Naturalist and broadcaster Johnny Morris, the main presenter of Animal Magic, also regarded Nutkins as his protege and left his house to him when he died in 1999.

In recent years he made guest appearances on Ready Steady Cook, Celebrity Ghost Stories and a tribute documentary to Australian “crocodile hunter” Steve Irwin.

TV presenter Philip Schofield was among the first to pay tribute to the broadcaster, remembering him as “a delightful man and passionate naturalist”.

Nutkins, co-presenter of the BBC wildlife series The Really Wild Show and Animal Magic, died months after being diagnosed with leukaemia.

Colleagues and viewers paid tribute to Nutkins, whose childhood passion for the animal kingdom survived the loss of his two middle fingers which were bitten off by an otter when he was 15.

Nutkins became a household name after spending seven years on Animal Magic, working with the veteran wildlife presenter Johnny Morris, who controversially left most of his estate to his television protégé upon his death.

From 1986, Nutkins co-presented The Really Wild Show, alongside Chris Packham and Nicola Davies. The show, which sent presenters around the world to uncover rare natural phenomena, won three Bafta awards, but was axed by the BBC after 20 years.

In his later years Nutkins, who hoped Denis Waterman would portray him in a film about his life, proved unafraid to criticise his former BBC colleagues.

Sir David Attenborough was “a brilliant naturalist and he loves the planet, but I’ve always found his voice rather boring.” Bill Oddie was “a birdie man. He’s not an all-rounder, bless him, but he does try.”

Steve Irwin, the Australian conservationist and “Crocodile Hunter”, who died in 2006 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray, made “animals display violence all the time” in order to produce “dreadful television.” Chris Packham, the BBC wildlife presenter, was however “a brilliant naturalist who can deliver with an authority which is very gentle.”

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