In the ’90s, she was a familiar face on British TV – but now Philippa Forrester has swapped the studio lights for environmental activism. Having made her mark as a popular children’s BBC presenter, Philippa, now 56, fronted shows like Tomorrow’s World, Barking Mad, and The Heaven and Earth Show.
However, it was her role as the engaging pit reporter on Robot Wars that truly won over viewers. From series one to three, and then again in series five and six, Philippa was at the heart of the action, offering audiences a glimpse behind the scenes into the mechanical chaos, interviewing contestants, and showcasing the engineering marvels of the combat robots. After the show moved to Channel 5, Philippa stepped down from her presenting role.
In 2004, she tied the knot with wildlife cameraman and producer Charlie Hamilton James. Together, they founded Halcyon Media, a production company specialising in wildlife documentaries. Among their productions was Halcyon River Diaries, which aired on BBC One in May 2010.
The couple had three children and relocated to Wyoming in the USA to support Charlie’s work with National Geographic. What was initially intended as a temporary move turned into a six-year stay, during which former UK TV star Philippa embraced life in the American wilderness.
During a tough spell for the family, their eldest child, Fred, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2016. Speaking to The Telegraph, Philippa said: “His whole body went rigid. His eyes went into the back of his head, he was groaning, he smashed his head against the wall.
“I tried to hold him but I just couldn’t, so my husband ran to get help. We were rushed to an emergency room.”
Thankfully, Fred recovered after an operation and continuing scans. But in late 2020 Philippa and James decided to part ways, which saw her move back to the UK with their three children.
Philippa described this as a challenging time, as she worked to relaunch her career while parenting her children. Last year she put out Wild Woman: Empowering Stories from Women Who Work in Nature, a book bringing together stories of conservation and personal experiences, while applauding women battling for environmental causes.
Her podcast Conscious also debuted, shining a spotlight on those working to create meaningful change for our planet. Writing on the show’s website, she said: “I wanted to make this podcast so that we could, in the face of a tidal wave of environmental bad news, chat to the unsung heroes, normal, everyday people with one thing in common – making change happen and inspiring us in the process.”
She also teamed up with Crowdfunder UK for the Podcast on Purpose series, exploring impactful crowdfunding stories and their contributions to society. Her commitment to environmental advocacy shines through her regular updates on social media, which feature electric vehicles, sustainability efforts, and snippets of her personal views. These posts garner streams of supportive comments from her followers.
After posting on Instagram recently, users were quick to commend her, with one saying: “A fabulous lady, who is doing great things”. Meanwhile, another took a trip down memory lane: “Loved you on Robot Wars!”.
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