Big Cat Conversations

BCC EP:144 The farm and the wildwood – tales from a Derbyshire sheep farmer

Jamie is a sheep and cattle farmer in Derbyshire. He’s experienced several big cat incidents, starting with seeing a black panther swat butterflies as a youngster while w

BCC: EP143 Hidden in the hillsides – from Cairngorms to South Wales

Our First guest John Kirk is an experienced sheep and cattle farmer in the Cairngorms. His recent sighting of a black panther in the area prompted many more local reports

BCC EP:142 The Dean big five & TV big cat review

Our first guest Robin Baker describes three big black cat sightings from the Forest of Dean and two pieces of his resulting artwork which include black leopards. Robin al

BCC EP:141 Mountain lions in the mix – Wiltshire & Herefordshire

Our first guest Ellie watched two pumas in Wiltshire in April this year. Still fresh from the excitement she describes the incident, and the new sense of wildness it brin

BCC EP:140 Forest of Dean forum – the voice of young trackers

We hear from several big cat witnesses at the Dean Heritage Centre, recorded at the Art & Science of British Big Cats event in April-May 2026.  Key guests include Will,

BCC EP:139 Suffolk born & bred – the people and the panthers

We hear from Paul, a retired woodsman from mid Suffolk. He has had three encounters with large cats, including one watching him through the bracken. He describes his own

BCC EP:138 Predators in charge – Midlands leopards in focus

Ian encountered two black leopards in a midlands wood at dusk, watching them rush through the dry reeds by a dyke. Ian discusses his close observation of the playful lar

BCC EP:137 Puma Central – puma witnesses meet at Wildside

We return to Wildside Exotic Rescue in Herefordshire, where owner Lindsay Mckenna now cares for 11 pumas, a lynx, a serval and many other animals which were exotic captiv

BCC EP:136 North West safari - Cheshire leopards & the Cumbrian cub grows up…

Our first guest Darren describes his investigations on local marshes in Cheshire, where he’s seen a black leopard, chased by his dog. This happened after his previous enc

BCC EP:135 Gaze of the cats - return visits to Glos & Herefordshire

Tracey had a prolonged and close view of a black panther outside her car at a forest edge in Gloucestershire in 2001. Two years later she was able to compare the cat with

BCC EP:134 The Panthers of Avalon

Our first guest Sam describes his late brother Jake’s sighting of a black panther when he was fishing in south Devon. Then Sam explains his own view of a black leopard wa

BCC EP:133 Watching, stalking & hiding - big cats at home in Britain

Lee our first guest describes his close observation of a puma stalking fallow deer in Buckinghamshire. He watched the circling deer behaviour as they responded as a prote

BCC EP:132 Cats breaking out – tales from Hampshire & across the globe

Dave our guest had two big cat encounters in East Hampshire in the 1990s.  We also hear some panther and puma incidents reported to him through his fishing and his zookee

BCC EP:131 Surrey hills & heathlands – perennial pumas & panthers

Our first guest Miriam had a close-up sighting of a puma back in 1968 in Surrey, while on an archaeological dig. She explains how she and her mother watched in silence be

BCC EP:130 The Lactating Leopard - bonding with a black shadow

Charlie our guest recounts 6 months of his life at the age of 9 back in 1973-74. Around his house in Ayrshire his family lived alongside a female big black cat, seen acti

BCC EP:129 Hidden in Herefordshire - the leaping leopard & the hissing puma

Our first guest Malcolm was an arch sceptic on big cats being wild in Britain. Then one night driving home in 2011 he encountered a big black panther on the lane outside

BCC EP:128 Secrets of the hoax – real & imagined beasts

Secrets of the hoax – real & imagined beasts Our first guest Simon Lea had two close encounters with a large black panther at his farmholding in Oxfordshire. He later cr

BCC EP:127 Lurking at the margins – big cats of Mercia & Durham

Our first guest Hugh Williams recounts his close encounter with a big cat on a Worcestershire hillside. He also runs the Mysteries of Mercia website which explores quirks

BCC EP:126 Kent Cat Fight, Surrey double take

Cat Fight is the new novel from author Kit Conway which centres around big cat encounters in Kent, published in the UK in May and the US in June 2025. We speak to Kit abo

BCC EP:125 Scottish borderlands – unspoken leopards & lynx

John explores the wild forests and farmland of his local Scottish borders area.   It’s a sparsely populated region where black panthers and lynx are quietly discussed by