Springwatch presenters announced for 2026 Southport Flower Show

Southport Flower Show is delighted to announce that Iolo Williams and Megan McCubbin will be at this year’s show on Thursday 20^th August.

Naturalist and TV presenter Iolo Williams is part of the popular BBC Springwatch and Winterwatch presenting team. He has presented series such as Wild Wales, Rugged Wales, Great Welsh Parks, Visions of Snowdonia and Birdman for BBC Two and has co-presented several network series such as Nature’s Top 40 and Countryfile.

Award winning Wildlife TV Presenter. In September 2020 Iolo received the West of England Onscreen Talent Award from the Royal Television Society for his work on The Watches.

Welsh & English Speaking. A passionate, inspiring speaker who’s addressed the Welsh assembly on conservation issues, a published author and wildlife columnist. Iolo’s natural history knowledge is global.

Iolo was born and bred in mid Wales. Having completed a degree in ecology from North East London Polytechnic, he went on to work for the RSPB for almost 15 years. His role as Species Officer for Wales saw him work with some of the country’s rarest breeding birds and this, inevitably, brought him to the attention of the media.

Two series for BBC 2, Visions of Snowdoniaand Birdman, followed his work as an RSPB officer and in the late 1990s, Iolo left the Society to work full-time in the media.  His series, in both Welsh and English, concentrated on the wildlife of Wales and the world and he co-presented several network series such as Nature’s Top 40and Countryfile.

Since 2010, Iolo has been part of the Springwatch, Autumnwatchand Winterwatch presenting team and he has presented several series such as Wild Wales, Rugged Wales and Great Welsh Parks for BBC 2.

He has written several books on Welsh wildlife in both English and Welsh and he is a regular contributor to several magazines, including ‘BBC Wildlife’.

Iolo is a qualified paraglider and has a PADI Divemaster qualification.  He is a patron of several Welsh conservation organisations and is currently president of the Welsh Ornithological Society.

Iolo is a keen sportsman, having played rugby for most of his life and has undertaken charity walks up Kilimanjaro for Velindre Cancer Care and has twice trekked the length of Wales for Air Ambulance and Hope House/Ty Hafan children’s hospices.

Megan McCubbin is one of the nation’s leading wildlife presenters, combining her expertise as a scientist with a love of adventure and a passion for raising awareness of climate issues and biodiversity.

Megan is best known as one of the faces of BBC Two’s long-running and BAFTA award-winning series Springwatch and Winterwatch.

In 2022 she joined the presenting team of BBC One’s Animal Park, bringing a new conservation angle to the much-loved longstanding TV show. She has also presented BBC Three’s Undercover Tourist, CBBC’s Planet Defenders, Al Jazeera’s award-winning Earthrise, BBC Earth’s Amaze me and BBC Two’s Chris & Meg’s Wild Summer. Megan also hosted the BBC Proms Earth Day concert in 2022 which featured Hans Zimmer and Aurora.

Megan has presented films for ITV’s This Morning and appeared on Morning Live (BBC One), Steph’s Packed Lunch (Channel 4), BBC Bitesize and BBC Radio. Megan received a Bronze award for Best Host at the British Podcast Awards for the Waterlands podcast, which discusses the flora, fauna, and natural features of wetland areas across the UK. She also co-presents and produces the podcast series The Frogs Bollocks with James Stevens, an entertaining and engaging way to bring a new audience to natural history.

During lockdown she co-founded the Self Isolating Bird Club You Tube series with Chris Packham. Her first book, Back To Nature, was published in 2020, co-authored with Chris. It highlights the state of nature conservation in the UK and serves as a reminder of the importance of protecting it. In 2023, Megan wrote Atlas of Endangered Species highlighting the global conservation of species balancing on the brink of extinction, and the book provides the basis for her live theatre tour.

Megan has extensive experience in scientific research, filmmaking and photography around the World on the plains of Africa, the oceans surrounding the UK, the glaciers of Antarctica and beyond.

Megan is an accomplished public speaker and has given talks at COP26, the Cornwall Ecological Summit, local theatres and schools. She has co-hosted the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards at the Natural History Museum since 2020.

Megan graduated with a BSc degree in Zoology from the University of Liverpool in 2018. Diagnosed with dyslexia at a young age, she worked hard and excelled in field work and communication. In between her studies, she spent time volunteering to aid research and charity organisations around the world. This included working as a behavioural intern in China to rehabilitate bears from the bear bile farming industry and researching the personalities and ecology of shark species at Bimini Sharklab in the Bahamas. Megan has experience and knowledge working in various scientific fields and communicating complex scientific concepts to wider audiences.

Megan is President of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Patron of the Winchester Science Centre and Helping Rhinos. She is an Ambassador for the RSPB, WWF, the League Against Cruel Sports, Rainforest Concern, the Beaver Trust, Global Animal Welfare, the Scottish Seabird Centre, the Wild Otter Trust, Thin Green Line UK, the National Oceanography Centre and Made By Dyslexia.

Alan Adams, General Manager of the Southport Flower Show, said:

“We are delighted to welcome Iolo and Megan to this year’s show. They will each be giving an individual presentation in the Garden Theatre, followed by a joint Q&A session in the afternoon. The Garden Theatre is expected to be very popular at these times, so we recommend arriving early to secure your seat”.

Iolo and Megan will be joining an incredible line-up of special guests at this year’s show.

This year’s Southport Flower Show will take place at the wonderful Victoria Park from Thursday 20th to Sunday 23rd August.

Visitors can look forward to inspirational show gardens, spectacular floral displays, impressive amateur grower exhibits, live entertainment, music, and so much more — making it a fantastic day out for all ages.

Visit our website for full event details and to discover everything happening across the four fabulous days.

Book your tickets on the Southport Flower Show website.

Find out what’s on in Southport throughout 2026 here.

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From the best hotels, beauty spots, days out, food and more up North – visit thenorthernguide.com and follow The Northern Guide on Instagram HERE.