Our ocean ambassadors and patron

King Charles III has been our Patron for more than 30 years, playing an active role in our launch.

He was one of a group of forward-thinking people concerned about the state of our seas in the early 1970s, lending his support to the scientists and scuba divers who devised the Underwater Conservation Year 1977, and giving momentum to form what became the Marine Conservation Society.

When he was just 21 he stated: “When you think that each person produces roughly 2lb of rubbish per day and there are 55 million of us on this island using non-returnable bottles and indestructible plastic containers, it is not difficult to imagine the mountains of refuse that we shall have to deal with somehow." 

We are sad to say that Doug passed away in April 2026, leaving a deep loss across conservation and film making. You can read his obituary and memories from our team over in our news area.

Doug was one of the world’s best known and respected cameramen. He specialised in natural history, expeditions and science documentaries in some of the wildest and most remote places on our planet.

He filmed series like The Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Human Planet, Frozen Planet, Ocean Giants and Operation Iceberg. And he covered the issue of overfishing around the globe through the documentary The Missing Fish.

Doug believed it is vital to reconnect people – young and old – with the natural marine world.

Lizzie is a biologist, public speaker and wildlife presenter and filmmaker, with a keen sense of adventure. After establishing herself as a wildlife expert on CBeebies, Lizzie has gone on to present for BBC Earth Unplugged as well for productions such as Curious Creatures, a wildlife quiz show for BBC2, in between her studies.

Lizzie aims to encourage people to get involved in scientific endeavours by producing her own adventure wildlife films.

She believes it’s time we take care of our ocean – the lifeblood of the earth and an ecosystem we rely so heavily on.

Tom is a marine biologist, broadcaster, author and science communicator. Tom has appeared on CBBC, ITV, BBC, CITV and on Channel 4 as Sunday Brunch’s resident wildlife expert.

Tom presented the BBC worldwide production Fishing Impossible, shown across the globe and has written a book called Blowfish’s Oceanopedia – 291 Extraordinary Things You Didn’t Know About the Sea.

Tom’s aim is to encourage conservation by shaking up the established way of doing things.

Miranda is a wildlife and diving TV presenter, author, public speaker, biologist and trained diver. She is a resident wildlife expert on BBC’s The One Show, a regular on Inside Out and one of the original members of the Coast team, exploring Britain’s shoreline and revealing fascinating tales of marine life.

She is also the author of two books, Miranda Krestovnikoff’s Best British Beaches and Scuba Diving.

Miranda enjoys motivating young people to share her love for nature and the environment, visiting schools, universities and youth clubs.

Deborah is a successful entrepreneur, well known for her appearances on the BBC’s Dragons Den.

Passionate about the environment, she has judged the Observer Ethical Awards since 2008, invests in several sustainable businesses and supports a carefully selected group of environmental charities. Deborah is concerned about the excessive packaging used by supermarkets and the way our seas are being overfished.

She is proud to help the Marine Conservation Society find solutions to both of these issues and protect our ocean.

Simon is an adventurer and bestselling author and TV presenter, who has travelled to more than 110 countries making multiple award-winning TV series for the BBC.

His documentaries combine travel with adventure and environmental, wildlife and conservation issues, both on land and in the ocean.

Simon has seen first-hand the effects of our obsession with plastic and its impact on the marine environment.

Cyrus is a highly respected restaurateur, author, educator, entrepreneur and sustainability campaigner. He is Chef Patron of Café Spice Namaste in the City of London, as well as at Mr Todiwala’s Kitchen at the Hilton London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 and the Lincoln Plaza London. He is one half of BBC’s The incredible Spice Men and appears regularly on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen.

Cyrus has long been a friend of the Marine Conservation Society, since he unveiled a one-off menu based on British seasonal and sustainable seafood to help raise funds. He is a staunch advocate of sustainable eating and how this is linked to marine conservation.