WWT’s wildlife presenter YouTube competition winner announced
A wildlife artist from Shrewsbury has become the winner of WWT’s Be Your Favourite Wildlife Presenter YouTube competition. Ben Waddams, 25, impressed the judges – including TV’s David Bellamy and Bill Oddie – with his entertaining impressions of not one but three wildlife presenters, Steve Irwin, Sir David Attenborough, and Professor Bellamy himself!
Summing up the judges’ decisions, wildlife presenter Bill Oddie said: “The winner has to be Ben Waddams. He gave us three impressions, they sounded different from one another and were reminiscent of the presenters’ real voices. Plus, I got the impression that he’d be pretty good as himself too!”.
Second place went to James Chubb from East Devon who did an impersonation of Sir David Attenborough and received by far the most YouTube hits. Warwickshire David Bellamy impersonator Ben King’s employment of a cotton wool beard helped him into third place, with judge Bill Oddie remarking he “also made a decent Father Christmas visually!”.
The competition was devised by WWT to raise awareness in the run up to their nationwide survey ‘Wildest Hide & Seek’ taking place now until 31 May. Participants are asked to spend just one hour in their garden or local park and note down if they see any of 14 species chosen for their reliance on ponds and small wetlands, to look at he effects wetlands may have on a range of wildlife. A guide and form for the ‘Wildest Hide & Seek’ is available to download at www.wwt.org.uk/hideandseek or free to collect from any WWT Wetland Centre.
Amongst winner Ben’s prizes are a pond for his garden or local community space, a guest presenter slot on Green TV and tickets to see Sir David Attenborough at a sold-out event at WWT London Wetland Centre tomorrow (26 May) to celebrate the centre’s 10th anniversary. Second prize winner James also wins a pond, and third place Ben King wins a VIP day out to a WWT Wetland Centre of his choice, plus a complimentary membership of WWT.
