Monty Halls
Monty Halls (born 5 November 1966, England) is a TV broadcaster, explorer and marine biologist. He is most well known for his BBC Great Escape series (Monty Halls' Great Escape, Monty Halls' Great Hebridean Escape and Monty Halls' Great Irish Escape) in which he lived and worked in remote parts of the UK and Ireland with his dog and best friend Reuben. Halls' other TV programmes include Great Ocean Adventures, Scubazoo, Animal Planet and Perfect Weapon. He has also led a number of diving expeditions. He was an expedition leader for the marine conservation charity Coral Cay Conservation.
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[edit] Background
Halls attended Bedstone College, where he was head boy,[1] after which he was commissioned as a Royal Marines officer. His time in the Marines included a stint in the British Military Assistance and Training Team in South Africa, where he assisted with the integration of former ANC guerrillas into the South African Army.
At 29, having left the Marines, Halls studied Marine Biology at the University of Plymouth where he got involved with projects including the underwater filming of a rare species of crocodile, in Belize in partnership with the Natural History Museum. He graduated with a First Class Honours degree in 1999. More recently he has been concentrating on his television work.
[edit] Television host
In 2005, he presented a nine-part TV series called Great Ocean Adventures (co-produced by RDF Television and Channel Five). A second series was broadcast in 2007. Memorable moments include Halls diving among a large number of Giant Humboldt Squid. In 2008 he co-hosted a National Geographic series, Perfect Weapon, looking at aspects of medieval weaponry. In 2008 Halls left his home in Bristol for Applecross on the west coast of Scotland for the first of the three BBC 'Great Escape' series, Monty Halls' Great Escape, where he tried to recreate the life of crofters for 6 months. In 2009 Halls then left for the Outer Hebrides to live and work as a nature warden on North Uist for six months. 2010 saw Monty live for six months in Connemara working with Irish Whale & Dolphin Conservation Group (IWDG). All of these series featured his popular dog Reuben.
[edit] Expedition Leader
In 2002 Halls led a group of adventurers and scientists (from the Scientific Exploration Society) to the sunken city of Mahabalipuram off Tamil Nadu (India), researched by Graham Hancock, and discovered 6 temples, which are still being explored.
[edit] Charity work
With his background as an ex-Marine Halls was deeply moved when his close friend and best man, Major Jason Ward RM was killed in a helicopter crash on 21 March 2003, the second day of the Iraq War (Operation Telic).[citation needed] Halls supports military charities, in particular he is a Patron of Help for Heroes, a charity committed to improving the facilities for injured servicemen and women. As a marine biologist he supports charities associated with the marine environment, and is also a Patron of Shark Trust.[citation needed]
[edit] Monty Halls and The Underwater Channel
Halls is one of the 7 faces of The Underwater Channel, for which he is based predominately in the UK
[edit] TV Shows (UK names shown)
- Contestant and winner of Superhuman (2004) on Channel 4.[2]
- Great Ocean Adventures (Season 1, nine episodes in 2005).
- Great Ocean Adventures (Season 2, eight episodes 2007).
- Perfect Weapon [3](Six episodes in 2008).
- Monty Halls' Great Escape (BBC Two, from 1 March 2009)
- Monty Halls' Great Hebridean Escape (BBC Two, from 21 April 2010)
- Monty Halls' Great Irish Escape (BBC Two, from 11 August 2011)
- Great Barrier Reef (BBC Two, 1–22 January 2012, 3 episodes)
- The Fisherman's Apprentice (BBC Two, from 29 February 2012, 6 episodes)
[edit] Writing
Monty Halls has written a number of books[4] about diving. He writes a regular column for Dive Magazine in the UK.
[edit] Awards
In 2003 Halls was awarded the Bish Medal by the "Scientific Exploration Society" for his services to exploration. In December 2010 Halls was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree by the University of Plymouth [5]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.find-a-school.co.uk/news_article.asp?articleid=1204, Bedstone College, retrieved 17 May 2008
- ^ Superhuman, http://www.channel4.com/science/microsites/S/superhuman/contestants/monty/monty_index.html, retrieved 17 May 2008
- ^ Perfect Weapon, http://natgeochannel.co.uk/Programmes/Main.aspx?Id=643, retrieved 17 May 2008
- ^ Monty Halls Books, http://www.montyhallsbooks.co.uk/, retrieved 17 May 2008
- ^ http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/pages/view.asp?page=34447
