The naturalist and broadcaster David Bellamy has died aged 86, the Conservation Foundation has said.

Bellamy died on Wednesday, according to the foundation, of which he was president and co-founder. In a statement, David Shreeve, its director, said: “Sadly, I have to report that David Bellamy died this morning. David and I worked together on a variety of projects in various places since launching the Conservation Foundation in 1982.

“He was a larger-than-life character who became a very special friend and teacher. He inspired a whole generation with his wide range of interests and enthusiasm, which knew no bounds. The Conservation Foundation was very special to him and so today is very sad for all of us.”

London-born Bellamy was a household name as a TV personality, scientist and conservationist.

The comedy writer and radio presenter Danny Baker paid tribute to Bellamy, calling him a “truly brilliant and canny broadcaster”.

David Bellamy in the 70s series Botanic Man. Photograph: Fremantle Media/Rex/Shutterstock

The botanist was the subject of affectionate impersonation by Sir Lenny Henry and inspired his “grapple me grapenuts” catchphrase.

Bellamy, who lived in County Durham, later attracted criticism for dismissing global heating. In an interview with the Observer in 2010, he said: “I’ve gone from ‘the conservationist’ to a pariah because of my views on manmade global warming. I still don’t believe the current theories.”

In the same piece, he said he was inspired in his love of nature as a boy by the books of Arthur Ransome, author of Swallows and Amazons. “By the time I was 14 I’d read all his books and saved up so that I could go to the Lake District to camp and learn to sail. It tipped me towards natural history.”

Bellamy worked in a factory and as a plumber before meeting his future wife Rosemary, who died last year. The couple had five children.

Bellamy studied and later taught botany at Durham University. He achieved wider recognition after his work on the Torrey Canyon oil spill in 1967 when a tanker ran aground off the south-west coast of England. Offers for TV work followed, launching his small-screen career.

Thanks to his distinctive voice and screen presence, Bellamy quickly became a popular presenter on programmes such as Don’t Ask Me.

He also fronted his own shows, including Bellamy On Botany, Bellamy’s Britain, Bellamy’s Europe and Bellamy’s Backyard Safari. In 1979 he won Bafta’s Richard Dimbleby Award.

Actor David Morrissey tweeted: “Sad to hear the news about David Bellamy. A real character and a man who cared about nature and our environment deeply.”



Former footballer Stan Collymore called him a “childhood icon”, adding: “Learnt about botany and shrubs and trees as a kid because of this man’s love and infectious enthusiasm. Rest in peace, David.”

• This article was amended on 12 December 2019 because Arthur Ransome was not knighted, as an earlier version suggested.