Chris Packham to front Springwatch 2026 from Crom in Fermanagh
chris packham will front three weeks of live Springwatch 2026 coverage from National Trust Crom in County Fermanagh, the first time the programme has broadcast from the estate. The move puts the series’ central broadcasting hub in Northern Ireland for the first time, with Crom serving as the main live location.
Winterwatch at Mount Stewart
Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan will lead the live output from Crom, with the series set to showcase the area’s wildlife, woodlands, lakes and islands. Viewers will also be asked to submit their own nature stories, films and questions, giving the programme a wider flow of material than the on-site cameras alone can capture.
Michaela Strachan said she was “Very excited to be coming live from Northern Ireland for Springwatch” and added, “We were at Mount Stewart for Winterwatch and for Springwatch we’re moving to the stunning National Trust Crom in County Fermanagh.” Her comment signals a clear handover from one Northern Ireland setting to another, while keeping the format’s live, audience-fed structure intact.
Crom in County Fermanagh
Mary McKeagney, Commissioning Editor for Northern Ireland, said Crom will be the main location for Springwatch and that the programme will allow audiences right across the UK to enjoy “this jewel in our natural landscape in stunning Fermanagh.” She also said she was looking forward to hearing more stories from Crom and from people around Northern Ireland and the UK.
The shift matters because the programme is not just changing scenery; it is moving the base of its live operation to the North for the first time. That gives Crom a larger platform inside a long-running factual franchise that already leans on audience submissions and seasonal wildlife storylines.
Wildlife Hub
Tom Watt Smith, Lead Commissioning Editor in Specialist Factual at the, described Crom as “a beautiful setting” for the series. Packham’s role in the new run keeps the format anchored to a familiar presenter while the location changes, which should help the transition feel deliberate rather than experimental.
Strachan said, “The wildlife writes the script and every year there’s a chapter we weren’t expecting,” and added, “Can’t wait to see what plots Crom has in store for us. I’m hoping it hasn’t planned for too much rain in the script.” The line is less about weather banter than the show’s method: live natural history depends on what turns up on camera, not a rigid running order.
For viewers, the practical takeaway is simple: Springwatch 2026 is set to come from Crom, not a studio or a familiar mainland base, and the estate’s woods, water and islands will do the heavy lifting. If the series delivers what its team is promising, this looks like one of the cleaner format shifts in the Watch lineup — location-led, audience-driven and built around a place with enough biodiversity to carry three weeks on air.
