BBC presenter Chris Packham has been accused of ‘harassing’ trail hunters as he spent five hours sharing footage of what he called their ‘medieval savagery’.
The wildlife activist joined hunt saboteurs and his stepdaughter Megan McCubbin, a fellow Springwatch host, as he filmed members of the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt in Dorset.
Packham was involved in arguments with hunt members – with one suggesting the TV personality should be ‘looking at a tit somewhere, a blue tit’, to which Packham replied: ‘I am.’
In a five-hour livestream broadcast on X, Packham accused the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt of ‘openly fox hunting’ – telling his 581,500 followers: ‘They simply don’t care because they know they won’t be held accountable.
‘Well, it’s time to hold them accountable for the crimes they are committing against wildlife, against people and against simple decency in the UK.’
But countryside campaigners have hit back – and accused him of harassing them.
British Hound Sports Association managing director Olly Hughes told the Telegraph: ‘Trail hunting is lawful, yet he repeatedly portrays it as criminal without evidence. That is intimidation, not debate.
‘For someone so closely associated with the BBC, this behaviour raises serious questions about impartiality – particularly when other presenters have faced consequences for far less overt campaigning – and whether the director-general should now be reviewing Mr Packham’s contract.’
Chris Packham joined hunt saboteurs and his stepdaughter Megan McCubbin, a fellow Springwatch host, as he filmed members of the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale Hunt in Dorset
The father and stepdaughter are both presenters on the BBC’s nature programme Springwatch
A BBC spokesperson said: ‘Chris Packham is not a member of staff.
‘He is a freelance presenter we hire a few times a year for his expertise. His private activities and views are his own, not the BBC’s.’
The Daily Mail has approached Chris Packham for comment.
The presenter has spoken in the past about online and offline harassment he has suffered in response to his anti-hunting campaigning, including a suspected arson attack on his home in 2021.
His other BBC programmes have included The Really Wild Show, The X Creatures, Earth and Inside Our Autistic Minds.
He co-hosted the BBC’s Earth Proms concerts in August 2022 alongside his stepdaughter McCubbin, 30, who had herself joined Springwatch two years earlier.
Packham, who has long called for a total ban on hunting, introduced Saturday’s five-hour livestream from Dorset by saying: ‘It’s like I’ve got a Tardis and gone back in time to an ancient medieval savagery.
Packham was involved in arguments with hunt members – with one (pictured) suggesting the TV host should be ‘looking at a tit somewhere, a blue tit’, to which Packham replied: ‘I am.’
Videos shared by Packham during his five-hour livestream included passers-by filming on their phones in return
Wildlife presenter Chris Packham is seen here with fellow Springwatch host and stepdaughter Megan McCubbin – they were both taking part in Saturday’s livestream in Dorset
Critics say trail hunting – permitted in the countryside since Tony Blair’s administration banned fox hunting in 2004 – is often a ‘smokescreen’ for killing foxes
‘Where a bunch of entitled lunatics, possibly sociopaths or psychopaths are riding around the countryside taking vicarious pleasure out of chasing wildlife and then watching it getting torn to pieces by dogs.’
‘Oh, no – actually it’s the 21st century and I’m in Dorset on a Saturday morning watching this carnage.’
He branded those taking part as ‘entitled lunatics’ and ‘psychopaths’, as he was seen being passed by huntspeople riding horses and accompanied by packs of dogs.
Packham urged people to donate money to the cause of hunt saboteurs, adding: ‘We need to put an end to this vile behaviour.’
The Government announced plans in December to ban trail hunting – in which hunters follow packs of hounds through the countryside in search of pre-laid scents rather than live animals.
Critics say the field sport – permitted in the countryside since Tony Blair‘s administration banned fox hunting in 2004 – is often a ‘smokescreen’ for killing foxes.
But opponents of the proposed new law accuse ministers of pursuing a ‘war on the countryside’, also highlighting a crackdown on inheritance tax rules for farmers.
Environment minister Baroness Hayman said in December: ‘In our manifesto we said we would ban trail hunting, and that’s exactly what we’ll do.
Chris Packham (left) has presented BBC wildlife programme Springwatch along with Michaela Strachan (centre) and Iolo Williams (right)
Ministers announced in December plans for a ban on trail hunting – in which hunters follow packs of hounds through the countryside in search of pre-laid scents rather than live animals
‘There is evidence that trail hunting is being used as a smokescreen for the hunting of wild animals and that’s not acceptable.
‘We are working out the best approach to take the ban forward and will run a consultation to seek views in the new year.’
Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, responded by saying: ‘More legislation on trail hunting is the last thing the countryside needs and it is extraordinary that the Government thinks this is a priority.
‘The last Labour government spent hundreds of hours of parliamentary time banning traditional hunting, but it remains obsessed with the issue.
‘When rural people are reeling from the imposition of inheritance tax on family farms and a hike on rural business rates, the last thing they need is another attack on the countryside.’
The mooted ban forms part of the Government’s wider Animal Welfare Strategy which would also bar snare traps because they can catch pets as well as causing suffering, and outlaw shooting hares during their breeding season.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs also said it would ‘end the cruel practice’ of puppy farming and consider introducing licences for dog rescue and rehoming organisations.
Electric shock dog collars could also be banned.
Tractors line Whitehall in central London in February 2025 during a farmers’ protest against the Government’s inheritance tax reforms which have since been watered down
Defra vowed to improve farm welfare by ‘moving away from confinement systems’ for caged hens and introducing ‘humane slaughter requirements’ for farmed fish.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in her maiden Budget in 2024 that farmers would be subject to inheritance tax for the first time from April 2026 – applying it to farms worth more than £1million.
The announcement triggered 14 months of protests, with farmers descending on Westminster in their tractors.
Following intense pressure, ministers announced in December they would increase the threshold to £2.5million.
The climbdown came after more than 30 Labour MPs abstained on a vote on the policy and Penrith and Solway MP Markus Campbell-Savours rebelled, leading to him having the party whip removed.