Zoo Time legend Desmond Morris dead at 98
Legendary Zoo Time presenter Desmond Morris has died at the age of 98
Zoo Time host Desmond Morris has died at the age of 98.
The zoologist - who fronted the ITV children's programme live from ZSL London Zoo from 1956 until 1968 - passed away on Sunday (19.04.26).
Born in Purton, Wiltshire, on January 24, 1928, Desmond developed an interest in natural history when his family moved to Swindon in 1933.
In 1946, the ethologist joined the British army and completed two years of national service before he got a degree in zoology at the University of Birmingham.
Desmond did a doctorate in animal behaviour at the University of Oxford in 1951.
In July the following year, he married Ramona Baulch, and they went on to have a son named Jason.
Desmond stayed at the University of Oxford to study the reproductive behaviour of the ten-spined stickleback in 1954.
Two years later, the surrealist painter moved to London and started his showbiz career as Head of the Granada TV and Film Unit for the Zoological Society of London.
Desmond was known for fronting Zoo Time, which explored the capture of wild animals and their use in zoos.
According to The Times, the animals sometimes plunged the programme into chaos, such as when Desmond was attacked by a scorpion and a cobra escaped live on air.
Desmond recalled to The Sunday Times: "When we managed to run the show more smoothly, the audience was very disappointed."
It has been said that Desmond scripted and hosted 500 programmes of Zoo Time across his illustrious career.
He also fronted 100 episodes of BBC Two's Life in the Animal World.
In 1967, Desmond penned The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal.
The star used his earnings to relocate to Malta the following year to focus on writing a follow-up and other books.
Desond returned to Oxford and became a Research Fellow at Wolfson College, which lasted from 1973 until 1981.
He then went on to work on several programmes for Thames TV, including The Human Race, Man Watching in Japan, and The Animals Road Show.
In 1994, Desmond fronted The Human Animal, a documentary for the BBC, and he wrote a book to go alongside it.
Away from zoology, Desmond loved Surrealist art and painted for 70 years, with some pieces having been displayed in the Tate, London.
In 2017, a BBC Four documentary called The Secret Surrealist centred on Desmond's paintings.
A year later, his wife Ramona died, and Desmond went to live with Jason and his family in Ireland.
