Steve Leonard
Encyclopedia
Stephen "Steve" Leonard (born 4 September 1972 in Enniskillen
, County Fermanagh
, Northern Ireland
) is a British veterinarian
and television personality.
, from Northern Ireland, when he was six weeks old.
approached the college to gain permission to film a selection of final-year students. Originally viewing the potential TV appearance as "a bit of a laugh", he agreed to participate in the filming. The resulting series, Vets' School, was a huge success, and was swiftly followed up by Vets In Practice. He went on to present Vets In The Wild with Trude Mostue
, while holding down a full-time job at a veterinary practice in Lancaster
.
He quit full-time veterinary employment in September 1999 after three years in Lancaster and found himself travelling all over the world with the BBC Natural History Unit
, filming for Ultimate Killers. He travelled to places as far away as Indonesia
and India
. Filming Ultimate Killers involved stunt
s, such as tandem skydiving out of a balloon at 10,000 feet over Spain
and climbing into an eagle
's eerie in Panama
.
Steve Leonard also presented Extreme Animals and, in 2004, Animal Camera which took an intimate look at the animal kingdom
through cutting-edge miniature camera filming techniques. More recently, he explored the origins and evolution of life on Earth
in Journey of Life and followed animal migrations on Incredible Animal Journeys.
. During the programme Return to Vets in Practice shown in July 2008, Steve explained that he had decided to return to veterinary practice full-time, and fit his filming commitments around this. He has recently returned from Borneo
where he filmed a second series of Orangutan Diary
with co-presenter Michaela Strachan
.
In March 2009, Steve helped launch the OPAL
Soil and earthworm survey at the Natural History Museum, a scheme that aims to get the public more involved in science and nature.
Leonard presents the ITV
series Animal Kingdom. Filmed in Erindi Game Reserve, Namibia, the series was aired in 2011 and spanned 6 episodes, with exclusive content available on itvWILD.
Enniskillen
Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...
, County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
) is a British veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
and television personality.
Early life
Leonard's family moved to CheshireCheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, from Northern Ireland, when he was six weeks old.
Career
Steve Leonard studied veterinary science at Bristol University Veterinary School. In Leonard's final year of his degree, the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
approached the college to gain permission to film a selection of final-year students. Originally viewing the potential TV appearance as "a bit of a laugh", he agreed to participate in the filming. The resulting series, Vets' School, was a huge success, and was swiftly followed up by Vets In Practice. He went on to present Vets In The Wild with Trude Mostue
Trude Mostue
Trude Mostue is a Norwegian celebrity veterinary surgeon and television presenter.She was born in Oslo, Norway, grew up in Siggerud, lived for many years in the United Kingdom, but now resides in Norway....
, while holding down a full-time job at a veterinary practice in Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
.
He quit full-time veterinary employment in September 1999 after three years in Lancaster and found himself travelling all over the world with the BBC Natural History Unit
BBC Natural History Unit
The BBC Natural History Unit is a department of the BBC dedicated to making television and radio programmes with a natural history or wildlife theme, especially nature documentaries...
, filming for Ultimate Killers. He travelled to places as far away as Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Filming Ultimate Killers involved stunt
Stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre, or cinema...
s, such as tandem skydiving out of a balloon at 10,000 feet over Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and climbing into an eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
's eerie in Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
.
Steve Leonard also presented Extreme Animals and, in 2004, Animal Camera which took an intimate look at the animal kingdom
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
through cutting-edge miniature camera filming techniques. More recently, he explored the origins and evolution of life on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
in Journey of Life and followed animal migrations on Incredible Animal Journeys.
Currently
Steve and Tom (an elder brother) Leonard are currently working at the Leonard Brothers Veterinary Centre in Whitchurch, ShropshireWhitchurch, Shropshire
Whitchurch is a market town in Shropshire, England on the border between England and Wales. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town is 8,673, with a more recent estimate putting the population of the town at 8,934...
. During the programme Return to Vets in Practice shown in July 2008, Steve explained that he had decided to return to veterinary practice full-time, and fit his filming commitments around this. He has recently returned from Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
where he filmed a second series of Orangutan Diary
Orangutan diary
Orangutan Diary is a nature documentary series on the BBC, which follows the lives of Bornean Orangutans in the care of Lone Drøscher Nielsen, a member of the Borneo Orangutan Survival foundation. The program tries to detail the threat that the orangutans face in day to day life...
with co-presenter Michaela Strachan
Michaela Strachan
Michaela Evelyn Ann Strachan is an English television presenter.-Personal life:Strachan attended Claremont Fan Court School, Esher, a Christian Science school. Later, while at college, she briefly held jobs as an Avon lady and as a kissogram...
.
In March 2009, Steve helped launch the OPAL
Open Air Laboratories Network (OPAL)
The Open Air Laboratories Network is a partnership initiative throughout England that aims to get the public more involved with nature through a range of local and national projects...
Soil and earthworm survey at the Natural History Museum, a scheme that aims to get the public more involved in science and nature.
Leonard presents the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
series Animal Kingdom. Filmed in Erindi Game Reserve, Namibia, the series was aired in 2011 and spanned 6 episodes, with exclusive content available on itvWILD.
Selected filmography
- Animal Kingdom (2011)
- Beast LegendsBeast LegendsBeast Legends was a science fiction mini-series produced by a Toronto and Leeds based independent film company called Yap Films, Inc. It was first shown on the Canadian History Channel in the summer of 2010 and was later aired on the US SyFy Channel, starting on September 9, 2010 and ending on...
(2010) - The Hottest Place on Earth (2009)
- Orangutan diaryOrangutan diaryOrangutan Diary is a nature documentary series on the BBC, which follows the lives of Bornean Orangutans in the care of Lone Drøscher Nielsen, a member of the Borneo Orangutan Survival foundation. The program tries to detail the threat that the orangutans face in day to day life...
(2007–2009) - Return to Vets in Practice (2008)
- Jaws in Britain (2006)
- Incredible Animal Journeys (2006)
- Journey of Life (2005)
- Animal Camera (a.k.a Spy on the Wild) (2004)
- Search for Loch Ness (2003)
- Steve Leonard's Extreme Animals (2002)
- Vets In The Wild West (2001)
- Polar Bear Special (2000)
- Steve Leonard's Ultimate Killers (1999–2001)
- Vets In The Wild (1998–1999)
- Holiday (1997)
- Vets In Practice (1996–2000)
- Vets' School (1996)