HOPTalks: Retracing Darwin’s Voyage of the Beagle with Stewart McPherson
Join us for an enlightening evening with Stewart McPherson, a distinguished naturalist, explorer, and expedition leader. Stewart has authored over 35 natural history books, discovered and co-named 35 new plant species, and co-founded Darwin200, an initiative retracing Charles Darwin’s historic HMS Beagle voyage. His extensive work includes producing and presenting wildlife documentaries for the BBC, National Geographic, and Australia’s SBS.
In this talk, Stewart will share insights from his 2023 expedition commemorating the bicentenary of Darwin's journey to the Galápagos Islands — a voyage that profoundly influenced the development of the theory of evolution by natural selection.
Arrive early and enjoy a delicious community meal beforehand, served in another room at the same venue as part of West Dorset Common's MMMM! Monday Movie, Meal & Mingling event. Book your food here
📖 HOPTalks: Retracing Darwin’s Voyage of the Beagle with Stewart McPherson
📅 Monday 31 March, 7:00 PM
🚪 Doors open at 6:30 PM
🍽️ Or come earlier for a community meal before the talk! Book your food here
🎟️ Tickets: £16 (Adults) / £9 (Under 19s & Jobseeker’s Allowance) — includes £1 booking fee Book Now
💻 Book online at https://bridportandwestbay.co.uk/product/hoptalks-darwin-beagle-monday-31-march/
📍 Venue: The Chapel in the Garden, 49 East Street, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3JX
🌿 Proceeds to: Redfern Natural History Productions
About Stewart McPherson:
- 🏆 Award-winning author of over 35 natural history books
- 🌱 Discoverer and co-namer of 35 new species of plants
- 🌍 Co-founder of Darwin200, retracing Darwin’s HMS Beagle journey
- 🎥 Filmmaker, producer, and presenter of wildlife documentaries for the BBC, National Geographic, and Australia’s SBS
- 🏔 Climber of over 300 mountains and explorer of many of Earth’s most remote islands
- ❄️ Retraced Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic and South Georgia expedition (featured on BBC Four, 2016–2019)
- 🇬🇧 Producer of Britain’s Treasure Islands, a BBC series visiting all 14 UK Overseas Territories — a 70,000 km journey
- 🧭 Led a 2023 commemorative voyage marking the bicentenary of Darwin’s journey to the Galápagos, which helped shape the theory of evolution by natural selection
Join West Dorset Commons
Our goal is to make the West Dorset bioregion a home to thriving people, in a thriving place, while respecting the wellbeing of all people and the health of the planet.
🚀 In other words, get the West Dorset bioregion into the Doughnut by making "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society" a reality in our locality.
Want to help make it happen? Get involved:
🔹 Become a Member – Systematically pool resources for the systems change win!
🔹 Complete Our Survey – Let us know how you'd like to get involved.
🔹 Subscribe to Our Newsletter – Stay in the loop with zero Big Tech dependency.