Current projects
At present, Michaela can be seen as a contributor on Countryfile with John Craven on BBC1 from time to time.
In 2006, Michaela worked on the second series of Elephant Diaries, due to be transmitted later this year. The first series represented a year-long project of following the rescue and rehabilitation of orphaned elephants by The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. She also completed a new BBC series called Orangutan Diary about orphaned orangutans in Indonesian Borneo. The 4th series of Michaela's Wild Challenge has recently finished on Channel 5, having won a BAFTA last year for Best Factual Children's Programme.
In 2004, she was nominated for a BAFTA, and in 2005 she won the BAFTA for Best Children's Presenter.
Wildlife
Michaela has been presenting wildlife programmes since the 1990s - Owl TV for HTV and Channel 4 (for four years), the award-winning Really Wild Show (which ended in 2006 after 15 years), The Really Wild Guide (two series), The Web and The Animal Zone, all for the BBC's Natural History Unit plus Wildlife Rescue II for Anglia.
Michaela has also presented programmes on the Animal Planet and Discovery Channels, including Postcards from the Wild, Big 5, and Little 5 with Chris Packham, with a yearly special, Adopt a Wild Animal. She has hosted five Disneytime programmes for the BBC, two series of the family show Can You Keep A Secret? on HTV and Club Vegetarian for Granada Cable.
In 1997, Michaela co-hosted Wildscreen, the wildlife film festival awards which were screened on BBC2. Early in 1998, she co-presented The Fossil Roadshow with Peter Snow, also for BBC2 and presented Orang-utan Rescue, a moving and spectacular BBC1 wildlife special. In 1999, Michaela presented the Really Wild Show - Tiger Special, which was nominated for a BAFTA. In 2003, she presented the RWS award winning programmes China Bear Special and The South China Sea. A 50-minute documentary Shark Encounters was filmed in California and South Africa as part of the BBC Natural History Unit's Shark Season.
Panto
Michaela regularly does pantomime and has appeared in Cinderella, Goldilocks, Aladdin and Jack & The Beanstalk. She has played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and has played Peter in Peter Pan several times. She has recorded two singles and contributed to various albums.
Early stage and screen career
Michaela trained at the Arts Educational School specialising in musical theatre. She started her career in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers on national tour, in the West End and at the Alexandra Theatre, Toronto. Michaela then moved into television to begin a very successful presenting career. She fronted a number of children's programmes: The Wide Awake Club with Tommy Boyd, Wacaday with Timmy Mallett, Wac 90, Wac Extra and subsequently her own Saturday and Sunday morning programmes, Hey Hey It's Saturday and Michaela.
Other children's shows include Cool Cube, But Can You Do It On TV?, Go Getters, Beetle Drive, I Want To Do That and for the Children's Channel Electric String Vest, Ratkan II, Michaela's Map and The Summer Crunch.
The Hitman and Her
To older viewers, Michaela will be known for her four years as 'Her' in the late night music programme The Hitman and Her which she presented with Pete Waterman. Michaela's guest appearances are too numerous to list but do include Visions (a religious exploratory programme) and Naruhodo - The World, which she filmed in Japan as part of the Japanese season on Channel 4. She has both introduced and guest starred in the Children's Royal Variety Show.
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