Iolo Williams

Iolo Williams

Williams in 2008
Born (1962-08-22) 22 August 1962
Builth Wells, Powys, Wales
Residence near Newtown, Powys
Nationality Welsh
Education Llanfyllin High School
Occupation
Years active 1997–present
Employer
Known for Wildlife presenter
Home town Llanwddyn, Powys
Spouse(s) Ceri
Children 2 sons, Dewi and Tomos
Website www.iolowilliams.co.uk

Iolo Tudur Williams (born 22 August 1962) is a Welsh nature observer and television presenter, best known for his BBC and S4C nature shows, working in both English and his first language of Welsh.

Biography

The son of a headmaster school teacher, Williams was born in Builth Wells, Powys, but his family moved to Pembrokeshire, before returning to Powys when he was aged five to live in Llanwddyn near Lake Vyrnwy.[1] Educated at Llanfyllin High School,[2] after gaining two A levels in Biology and French, he almost joined the British Army but instead went to North East London Polytechnic (NELP) now the University of East London in London, graduating with a degree in ecology.[1]

Career

After graduation, he worked on a farm and then in the timber trade, before joining the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in 1985, staying for 14 years working in the field and as a regional co-ordinator. This led to his making regular appearances in the media, making a name for himself as a leading expert on Welsh bird life.[2]

In 1997 he made "Visions of Snowdonia" with BBC Wales, which followed the lives of six people living and working on the slopes of the country's highest mountain. After making a second series, in 1999 Williams decided to leave the RSPB and pursue a full-time career in the media.[1] He presently makes his main appearances on BBC Wales,[2] and with wider Welsh focused programs on S4C in his first language of Welsh made by independent TV company Telesgop.

Known for frequently wearing shorts for his work, he has, as a result, become a Welsh cult gay icon.[3] In 2007, Williams was awarded an honorary fellowship of the Bangor University.[4]

Williams is the presenter of Rugged Wales, which aired on BBC Two on 13 and 20 March 2012.

Personal life

Williams and his wife Ceri live near the town of Newtown.[3] The couple have two sons (Dewi and Tomos);[1][2][5] and two rescue dogs, Ianto and Gwen, who have both appeared in some of his television series.

Williams and his wife built a timber-framed home, fully insulated, double-glazed with energy-saving lightbulbs throughout. They have a wildlife garden, and grow their own vegetables. They compost all their food waste, and recycle everything else, whilst always eating organic and local produce. As a result of this, in a World Wide Fund for Nature survey of carbon footprints of ecology personalities, Williams and his family were found to have a very low rating of 1.81, compared to a Welsh average of 3.0.[5]

Filmography

Television

Works

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Iolo Williams". gomer.co.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Iolo Williams". BBC Mid-Wales. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
  3. 1 2 "TV's Iolo is a gay icon". Wales on Sunday. 23 March 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
  4. ↑ "Film actor, Rhys Ifans among University's Honorary Fellows!". Bangor University. 17 July 2007. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
  5. 1 2 "Iolo Williams". World Wide Fund for Nature. Retrieved 3 December 2008.
  6. ↑ "Canals of Wales". tiscali.co.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2008.

External links

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