Naturalist, explorer, presenter, and writer, British television host Steve Backshall has done it all, taking his viewers to the deepest parts of the Earth.

Best known for his television series DEADLY 60 – a children’s show where he comes face-to-face with the world’s deadliest animals – Backshall is bringing his worldwide escapades to Canberra Theatre Centre on Friday 17 January with OCEAN.

“I’m bringing the ocean’s aquatic environments and marine creatures to life on stage by using a giant screen featuring lots of amazing footage from my encounters with sharks, whales and dolphins over the years,” he said.

“There will be on-stage science experiments using props, stunts and tricks, plus some outtakes and bloopers too.

“Also, some life-sized scale ocean giants that we’ll be bringing out on stage, which I think really helps because it’s very, very difficult to get a sense of how big these animals really are. Being able to replicate that on stage is a big part of the show”.

Backshall has worked for the BBC and National Geographic.

The remaining tickets for the Canberra show can be purchased at canberratheatrecentre.com.au/show/steve-backshall-2025

Tell me about filming Deadly 60 in Australia right now and the craziest thing you get to do for the filming.

We’re going for all the big hitters; catching box and Irukandji jellyfish and blue-ringed octopus, hunting taipans, red-bellied black and brown snakes, scouring the seabed for Port Jackson’s and Wobbegong’s (both breeds of sharks)… probably the craziest though is an attempt to get some new science, putting to the test the theory that the death adder is the fastest striking snake in the world! 

What’s your favourite place you’ve visited in the world and why?

Probably Tasmania. When people talk about diving here in Australia they tend to obsess about the Great Barrier Reef and Ningaloo Reef, but to me, the dives of Bicheno, Eaglehawk Neck and Bruny Island are even more dramatic. Shipwrecks, epic moody kelp forests, weedy sea dragons and dancing fur seals… then on land, there’s proper wilderness with some of the most visible wildlife in Australia. And the best snake-searching spots on the planet.

How does it feel to bring to life what you see and film onto the stage for the live shows?

It’s a challenge to bring such a physical environment to life on stage; we use life-sized ocean giants, the biggest animals ever known to have lived, onto the stage, astounding soundscapes, stage science and tricks, bloopers, and a big screen with loads of dramatic wildlife footage. The reaction from the crowds makes me feel very special indeed!!!

What do you love the most about working with nature and animals?

Every day is different. With millions of species to choose from, you never know what you’ll find or what the animal will do. Plus, as someone who loves the world’s wildest places, I get to be in jungles, deserts, oceans and mangroves, and that’s where I’m most at home! 

What do you love the most about visiting Australia? How many times have you visited?

Australia has more wild places than anywhere else I know, but what I love the most is the stuff you can find in urban backyards. I have just spent a day filming peacock spiders (maratus) – the most beautiful bug on earth – in a back garden in Perth, and it was genuinely jaw-dropping. Next up I’ll be catching funnel-web spiders in a New South Wales yard, and it’s bound to be jaw-dropping!

As to how many times I’ve been here – I have no idea! It’s one of the venues I’ve filmed most in over the years, plus five Australia tours and a year living in Sydney. 

What is the best thing about being a modern-day naturalist and explorer?

I think it’s having the chance to show young people they can have a happy life and a purpose if they dive into nature. It’s given me the best life imaginable and can do the same for young people, many of whom are desperately searching for something to get obsessed with. Seeing excited, enthused and energised young people who believe they can change the world, or who have just found their thing in life, you can’t beat that.

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