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Chris Packham reveals EastEnders role he wants – and how TV drama should tackle climate crisis

"I don't think there's enough truth telling within broader media to bring it home to everyone."

Chris Packham in a suit with his arms folded. He is looking ahead and is stood in front of a blue and white background for the Royal Television Society.

Simon Ackerman/WireImage

Published: Tuesday, 21 July 2026 at 3:36 pm

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Chris Packham has revealed his dream EastEnders role, while also speaking out about how he believes TV drama should tackle the climate crisis.

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Speaking in a recent interview with Radio Times, the Springwatch presenter said he would love to appear as climate protestor in the BBC One soap, because it "would give me the capacity to communicate to an audience which I don't talk to in my sphere of work".

Elsewhere in the interview, Packham said he would like to see more "truth telling" about the scale of the climate crisis within broader media in order to "bring it home to everyone".

Asked whether he has seen any tangible impact from depicting the climate crisis on screen, he responded: "I'd like to say yes, and I'd like to be able to identify where it was. When you say impact, I would say probably not as much. If you say awareness, then I would still probably say a little bit more."

He continued: "So, of course, there is a growing awareness of the scale of the crisis that we find ourselves in. I don't think there's enough truth telling within broader media to bring it home to everyone."

Chris Packham wearing a mustard yellow polo shirt, looking ahead.

Chris Packham. YouTube

He went on to add that the problem is that it's people who are already aware of the scale of the climate crisis that are watching the programmes being put out about it – while those who aren't, are not.

"The trouble is, I keep popping that bubble and looking outside, and I see that other people are not aware of the gravity of that crisis, or some of them are still in the position where actually they're denying … and that’s really scary," he added.

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He continued: "So, what I would like to see is, is that integrated into broader output, so properly into news obviously, properly into weather where we talk about climate as well as weather – but also into dramas."

"I mean sport – we've got a World Cup at the moment which is the most climate-damaging World Cup ever. More teams, more traveling, more flights – just nonsensical.

"Sports should be having that conversation because sport is massively popular and millions of people watch it. That's an audience which we have an obligation to tell the truth to and present opportunities for progress to."

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Authors

RadioTimes.com senior trends writer Molly Moss. She is sitting outside wearing a black top, holding a white teacup with a smily face on it to her mouth

Molly MossTrends Writer

Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.

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