# Tom Heap

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**Tom Heap** (born 3 January 1966 in [Hertford](/source/Hertford), [Hertfordshire](/source/Hertfordshire))[2] is an English television and radio reporter and presenter best known for his contributions to the [BBC One](/source/BBC_One) programme *[Countryfile](/source/Countryfile)*, the [BBC Radio 4](/source/BBC_Radio_4) programme *[Costing the Earth](/source/Costing_the_Earth)* and *[The Climate Show](/source/The_Climate_Show)* on [Sky News](/source/Sky_News).

## Early life

Heap is the son of [John Heap](/source/John_Heap_(geographer)), a former scientific adviser who became the head of the [Foreign and Commonwealth Office](/source/Foreign_and_Commonwealth_Office)'s Polar Regions Section (from 1975 to 1992), and Margaret Grace Gillespie Spicer, known as 'Peg',[3] the daughter of Captain Sir Stewart Spicer, 3rd [Baronet](/source/Spicer_baronets), of the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy). He has two sisters.[3]

## Education

Heap was educated at [Oakham School](/source/Oakham_School), a boarding and day independent school in the [market town](/source/Market_town) of [Oakham](/source/Oakham) in [Rutland](/source/Rutland) in central England, where he was trained to abseil by the Lieutenant M.B. Rochester of the [Combined Cadet Force](/source/Combined_Cadet_Force) (CCF),[1]: 30 and received a Bronze [Duke of Edinburgh's Award](/source/The_Duke_of_Edinburgh's_Award) in 1980.[1]: 100

## Career

Heap began his broadcasting career with [Sky News](/source/Sky_News) as a sound mixer. He then joined a News Trainee scheme with [BBC News](/source/BBC_News) and worked on the *[Today](/source/Today_(BBC_Radio_4))* programme, the [BBC News 24](/source/BBC_News_(British_TV_channel)) channel and *[Panorama](/source/Panorama_(TV_series))*. He became a correspondent specialising in and around rural affairs, science and the environment and took on a newly created role as the Rural Affairs Correspondent for BBC News. In around 2013 he reported for the BBC live from the [Khumbu Icefall](/source/Khumbu_Icefall) on [Mount Everest](/source/Mount_Everest) with the broadcasting team covering the 50th anniversary of the conquest of the mountain.[4] After making contributions to *Countryfile*, in around April 2012 he took over the investigative reporter role on the programme from [John Craven](/source/John_Craven).[5] In 2014 he interviewed [Princess Anne](/source/Anne,_Princess_Royal) in this role.[6] Since 2022, Heap has presented *[The Climate Show](/source/The_Climate_Show)* on [Sky News](/source/Sky_News).

## Family

Heap married Tammany Robin Stone in 1992, and lives in [Napton on the Hill](/source/Napton_on_the_Hill) near the [market town](/source/Market_town) of [Southam](/source/Southam) in [Warwickshire](/source/Warwickshire), south of the city of [Coventry](/source/Coventry). They own the media company Checked Shirt TV.[7]

During an edition of *Countryfile* screened in November 2014, it was revealed that Heap is the great-nephew of Olympic medallist and soldier [Thomas Gillespie](/source/Thomas_Gillespie_(rower)) who was killed in action at [La Bassee](/source/La_Bassee), France, in October 1914, aged 21.[8]

## References

1. ["The Duke of Edinburgh's Award at Oakham School 1960–2011"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160303212827/https://oo-online.oakham.rutland.sch.uk/pdfs/DoE_Award_at_Oakham_School.pdf). *[Oakham School](/source/Oakham_School), Rutland*. 21 May 2011. Archived from [the original](https://oo-online.oakham.rutland.sch.uk/pdfs/DoE_Award_at_Oakham_School.pdf) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2014.

1. ["Annual Return 2014 for Checkered Shirt TV"](https://s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/document-api-images-live.ch.gov.uk/docs/LreRDXr9o9GeRQS811ONxYEy_27xhShqyXKLBZjlQ4o/application-pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAWRGBDBV3GWKGECWJ%2F20240217%2Feu-west-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20240217T160456Z&X-Amz-Expires=60&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEPz%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2FwEaCWV1LXdlc3QtMiJGMEQCIHNeBazBAoC0h3K6W7Dgt3m9KmqcewH0JAkazbOURYlhAiAJAGLK6bbmnsF%2FP8XphpZDCQls8G9sKWWVjEnmyKPyVirEBQjV%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F%2F8BEAQaDDQ0OTIyOTAzMjgyMiIMVDmiTwGqCIFS8Bg0KpgFDaaNvFvy2Utc0Ug9Sm%2BCRHFN%2FnhtpI86m5nZtBHzNkc1dlIwqh%2Bo%2BUJwLDhEfY%2B5HTeVJQC4fp%2Ft9C5v4uy%2BsChsPBQelcVixWSyxjzjRloGS1UrPfhvMD0rvm62SymRkxpLadUsf3XHLJKZjt7XzCm%2BVOPAOg0yPC7J8gJfWzq3raVomiC6GN255pHduUr05hTvX6DVrXVqumKiXw4CuUoZdjAqRk02gbyEATwMVYGGtCYdwC%2BeyTY7%2FK%2FcE3E%2F1DgnIpiKwxRyb02FCy9LGR1yyBSnUWSVlTn%2FtLhmx%2Fh2EvY66lsueP3546R1WidAUZhX1ssBqlemqFDdMNquV9%2FJjscfl%2B8O9exP8bo1TNzEr4%2B%2F3Bg6aSy6MhiycWW8MVAH1bkfNkDeedSaNcBdTPGNzxoFUBwv%2FZ2AbBOpyEH2WMqE46QbaH8N%2BIN5qjfZOQDiIdlWbk0kdL%2BM8OrkS8f%2B0B771QBaVJ6CmKnN54CN3G2sDF%2FXuqgFEn0ZdJlyqV%2FBooe8Cvm57yBzUosPcm2lD9WiLLbOUTgctrq%2FQYXRZdRsNXmSQW4XnHDbfl5OZIJYIDBaOfqL7qx9xaQnxu9Sbupy9XuZqyklIS3xWbcDBwNXfgNg4faMsVJlgD3GNcCG7EZzvGJxTkiO23utTm8D5m94v%2Bj9dUmVlcG%2BQ1iauFfZ5nPXdr0xMpgPle%2BIcRdvqVKr2M52WNNxaJKv4gvnABNtaxKicW9cY4jH7WwXNstjHTIyOf9fY%2BPEc9y7obayW0aTGA%2FoulD5hlbeqH9vc74cEZM1R21JvjGG%2B3lfxZftcjAt%2BVxYEZ3MJq320hcFcjWqyawGNx6eGhmddhFxMt%2Bf6HnbQVvAjvVvkM77%2FfwPoJJHGDC0ucKuBjqyAcgwPuf2ZL0xuao5rEtUQbDcJ7Cz7HJyevqUG1PQVZkrlefbTZfdlHmR4X5NEUbVgVZXqWAztnlA%2B71Mre1JEY2WfNohh5U75fbhm1qX%2FAEaxpx%2Bbc89oGq5Myh0XgiZFk99G0fVrGMXsJtVeYGS6R7e0kVw1EJi9UdtBhMiXhsT9jq46Hk0W0FfeG1SjkKiy81Ege8GKCc7OXfAUZlO4TgzjPrAZ1iTlPFqVdRjxulyxxE%3D&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=inline%3Bfilename%3D%22companies_house_document.pdf%22&X-Amz-Signature=3f98abc4d1a7e4093a1b7ae4e26fd4726f2624f827a1862e96647709b1383ad6). Companies House. Retrieved 2024-02-17.

1. ["Obituaries: John Heap"](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1513269/John-Heap.html). *[The Daily Telegraph](/source/The_Daily_Telegraph)*. 18 March 2006. Retrieved 24 July 2022.

1. ["Our reporters | Tom Heap"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/1WbsTktL0P2rJVXZ0GJdn0L/tom-heap). *Panorama*. BBC. Retrieved 24 July 2022.

1. Case, Philip (4 March 2012). ["Countryfile's Tom Heap promoted as investigative reporter"](https://www.fwi.co.uk/farm-life/countryfile-s-tom-heap-promoted-as-investigative-reporter). *[Farmers Weekly](/source/Farmers_Weekly)*. Retrieved 24 July 2022.

1. Wells, Jeff (5 April 2014). ["Princess Anne's Countryfile comments on gassing badgers and GM food stoke highly charged debate"](https://web.archive.org/web/20140409220905/http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Princess-Anne-s-Countryfile-comments-gassing/story-20917244-detail/story.html). *[Western Daily Press](/source/Western_Daily_Press)*. Archived from [the original](http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Princess-Anne-s-Countryfile-comments-gassing/story-20917244-detail/story.html) on 9 April 2014.

1. ["CHECKED SHIRT TV LIMITED | People"](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07946576/officers). *[Companies House](/source/Companies_House)*. Retrieved 24 July 2022.

1. ["Countryfile: World War One Special"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/programmes/b04ph5v9). *BBC Countryfile*. 9 November 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2022.

## External links

- [Tom Heap](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1648186/) at IMDb

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tom Heap](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Heap) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Heap?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.