Mary-Ann Ochota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary-Ann Ochota
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Ochota in 2012
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| Born | 8 May 1981 Wincham, England, UK
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| Education | Sir John Deane's College, Northwich, Cheshire |
| Alma mater | Emmanuel College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | TV presenter, writer and anthropologist |
| Years active | 2007–present |
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Notable work
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TV Presenter: Time Team; Mystic Britain. Author: Hidden Histories: A Spotter's Guide to the British Landscape (2016), Secret Britain: Unearthing Our Mysterious Past (2020) |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 2 |
Mary-Ann Ochota (pronounced O-hot-ah; born 8 May 1981) is a British broadcaster. She specializes in anthropology (the study of human societies and cultures), archaeology (the study of human history through digging up artifacts), social history, and adventure shows.
She is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. This means she is recognized for her work in geography and exploration.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mary-Ann grew up in Wincham, Northwich, Cheshire, England. Her mother is from India, and her father is from Poland. She went to Sir John Deane's College for her sixth-form studies.
From 1999 to 2002, she studied Archaeology and Anthropology at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. She focused on Social Anthropology, which looks at how people live in groups. In 2013, she even competed in the University Challenge Christmas Special for her college. Her team made it to the final round!
In 2008, Mary-Ann married Joe Craig, who writes books for children. They have two children together.
Presenting on Television
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Mary-Ann has presented many interesting TV shows. She reported for Channel 4's documentary series, Unreported World. For this show, she made films about young reporters in India and kickboxing kids.
She also helped with the ITV archaeology show Britain's Secret Treasures. She shared the history of old objects found in Britain. These included ancient mirrors and pilgrim badges.
In Britain's Secret Homes (ITV, 2013), she told stories about life in historic places. These included ancient caves and old homes for working girls.
Mary-Ann presented a three-part series called Raised Wild for Animal Planet. In this show, she explored stories of children who grew up in the wild. These were children who lived with animals or survived alone in nature. She visited places like Uganda, Ukraine, and Fiji for the series.
In 2012, Mary-Ann was a co-presenter for Time Team on Channel 4. This was a popular archaeology show where experts dug up historical sites. She worked alongside Tony Robinson.
In 2016, she presented "Best of Enemies" for German TV. She traveled around Britain to see what British people thought about Germans. The show was in English with German subtitles.
In 2017, Mary-Ann presented Britain Afloat for the BBC. This six-part series explored Britain's waterways. She discovered how boats have shaped our lives and looked at different boat designs.
From 2018 to 2020, Mary-Ann co-presented Mystic Britain with Clive Anderson. This show on the Smithsonian Channel explored archaeology and history. It was praised for making serious research fun and interesting.
In 2023, she appeared on BBC1's Countryfile. She talked about her love for landscape archaeology and the Ridgeway National Trail. Mary-Ann also reviews newspapers on Sky News on weekends.
Radio and Podcasts
Mary-Ann has made many radio documentaries for the BBC World Service. These include "A Dirty Secret" about global sanitation and "Will the Unicorns of the Sea Fall Silent?" about narwhals. She also traced the history of the Iron Curtain in a three-part series.
She was a regular presenter for "The Why Factor," a long-running anthropology series. She explored topics like pet ownership, dark tourism, and the appeal of dinosaurs.
For BBC Radio 4, Mary-Ann has been a correspondent on "From Our Own Correspondent". She also presented documentaries like "The Lost Sounds Orchestra" about sounds from the past. Another show, "Exercise Shallow Grave," looked at how archaeology helps military personnel.
Mary-Ann co-hosted the Audible podcast "Happiness and How to Get It." She and comedian Charlie George interviewed experts and tried out their tips.
She also co-hosted "This Study Shows," a Science Communication podcast. With physicist Professor Danielle George, she interviewed scientists. They discussed how to share complex information with the public.
Mary-Ann was a guest on Clive Anderson's interview series, "My Seven Wonders." Guests choose their personal list of seven wonders. Her choices included a chocolate bar and the Taj Mahal.
Writing
Mary-Ann writes articles for newspapers like The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph. She often writes about countryside issues and outdoor activities.
In 2021, she was nominated for the 'Outdoor Personality of the Year' Award. After this, she became a regular writer for TGO magazine. She has written about managing deer populations and the need for more outdoor clothing sizes. She also supports expanding the Right to Roam in England and Wales.
In 2023, Mary-Ann won an award for her article about walking the Trotternish Ridge in Skye. The article was about regaining confidence after childbirth.
Mary-Ann has written several books. Her first book, Britain's Secret Treasures, came out in 2013. It went along with the TV series of the same name.
Her second book, Hidden Histories: A Spotter's Guide to the British Landscape, was published in 2016. Her third book was Secret Britain: Unearthing Our Mysterious Past. She is also working on a fourth book about human history.
Outdoor Adventures and Roles
In 2012, Mary-Ann joined the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. She sailed from China to San Francisco as a full crew member. She wrote about her experiences at sea for adventure magazines.
In 2015, she explored Australia's Simpson Desert with a team of experts. They were looking for signs of human settlement. She wrote about this expedition for Geographical magazine.
Mary-Ann loves the outdoors and has written about activities like wild camping, orienteering, and UK scuba diving.
She was the British Mountaineering Council Hill Walking Ambassador from 2016 to 2024. She hosted a podcast called "Finding Our Way." This podcast featured people from different backgrounds who enjoy walking and climbing. She also climbed the Inaccessible Pinnacle on Skye for a short film.
Mary-Ann is part of the Natural England Landscape Advisory Panel. She advises on landscapes as an independent expert.
She also helped start a local campaign to protect free access to Hatfield Park in Hertfordshire. The park started charging for entry, which she wrote about.
Charity Work
In July 2024, Mary-Ann was chosen as the President of CPRE, the Countryside Charity.
She was a trustee for the John Muir Trust, a charity for wild places, from 2022 to 2023. She wrote about the importance of including everyone in outdoor activities.
Mary-Ann is a patron of the Ridgeway National Trail. This trail runs between Ivinghoe Beacon and Avebury. She is also a life member of the Open Spaces Society.
She is a patron of The Tony Trust. This charity helps young people pay for outdoor activity courses.
Mary-Ann also supported the charity appeal Toilet Twinning. She traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo to learn about their work.
Other Work
When she was in her early 20s, Mary-Ann appeared as a model in commercials.
She has hosted events for places like the British Museum and the Science Museum. She also hosted business programs for ITN.
Mary-Ann has created "archaeological storytelling" shows. She tells stories based on archaeological science, adding a bit of imagination. She has performed these shows at the British Museum and other venues.
In 2021, Mary-Ann was a contestant on the TV show Celebrity Pointless. She and her teammate won the episode. Mary-Ann gave her winnings to The Tony Trust charity.
