Tori Herridge Biography – Tori Herridge Wiki

Victoria “Tori” Herridge stands out as a notable palaeontologist and evolutionary biologist, seamlessly blending her academic pursuits with her work as a television presenter. Based at the University of Sheffield, she contributes her expertise as an evolutionary biologist and regularly appears on the BBC’s “Digging for Britain.” Herridge’s research adventures have led her from the fossil-laden caves of the Mediterranean to the icy landscape of Siberia, where she investigates ancient mammoth remains preserved in the permafrost.

As a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield’s School of Biosciences, Herridge plays a pivotal role in guiding students through the MSc Science Communications program. Her academic journey included post-doctoral research at London’s Natural History Museum, supported by NERC, the Leverhulme Trust, and a Daphne Jackson Research Fellowship.

Herridge’s research delves into significant evolutionary and environmental issues, employing a diverse array of laboratory and field techniques. Her work is anchored in the extensive fossil records of the Quaternary Period, commonly known as the Ice Age. She is particularly renowned for her expertise on fossil elephants, focusing on species such as mammoths and straight-tusked elephants that once roamed Europe during this period.

In addition to her scientific endeavors, Tori co-founded TrowelBlazers, an initiative aimed at spotlighting the contributions of pioneering women in palaeontology, geology, and archaeology while addressing gender disparities in these fields. She also co-founded and serves as joint Editor-in-Chief of “Open Quaternary,” the first open-access journal dedicated to Quaternary Sciences.

Herridge’s media presence extends beyond academia. She has hosted numerous podcasts and television and radio programs, including BBC2’s “Digging For Britain,” BBC Radio 4’s “Hoax,” and the award-winning “Wild Crimes.” Her television credits include “Our Broken Planet,” “Ice Age: Return of the Mammoth?” on Channel 4 and the Science Channel, “Woolly Mammoth: The Autopsy” on Channel 4/Smithsonian, “T. rex Autopsy” on National Geographic, and “Hannibal’s Elephant Army” on Channel 4/PBS. She has also worked on Channel 4 series such as “Bone Detectives,” “Shoreline Detectives/Britain at Low Tide,” and “Walking Through Time.”

Tori Herridge Age

Victoria Louise “Tori” Herridge was born in April 1980.

Tori Herridge Husband

Digging for Britain presenter Tori Herridge is married with two children.

Tori Herridge Children

Tori Herridge and her husband have two children, daughter R and son P. In 2016, Tori conducted fieldwork at Ghar Dalam Cave in Birżebbuġa, Malta, with her four-month-old baby. She credited the support of her family and colleagues to making doing science as a new mum possible.

In a January 2016 article titled “Fieldwork, family, friendship and feeding,” she wrote: “The support I had from my husband, parents and colleagues made doing fieldwork with a baby in tow an absolute joy.”

She added: “I am privileged to have a partner who was willing (and able, thanks to generous annual leave) to take time off work to take on the bulk of the daytime childcare. I am privileged to be wealthy enough (and have parents who are wealthy enough) to cover the flights and accommodation costs of my family fieldwork entourage.”

Tori Herridge Digging for Britain

Dr Tori Herridge is a presenter on the BBC Digging for Britain, alongside Professor Alice Roberts. She joined the BBC show in its 13th series in 2026. The new series started on BBC2 Wednesday, 7th January 2026, and all episodes are available now on the BBC iPlayer.

“I am beyond thrilled to join the Digging for Britain team and to be part of the UK’s longest-running archaeology programme. It has been such a joy and a privilege to have spent my summer with archaeologists and palaeontologists across the country as they uncover the secrets of our past, and then to share them with you all as part of the new presenting team. But, even more importantly, I am proud to be joining a programme that shows how science is really done – by groups of passionate people, working together to puzzle things out from the evidence.

We never know what discoveries will turn up, or how they might change our understanding of history, until those mattocks and trowels break the ground, and reveal themselves to expert eyes – that is the magic of archaeology, and Digging for Britain lets us all be a part of it. That is what makes it so special.”

Digging for Britain is a popular BBC documentary series that showcases the most exciting archaeological discoveries and excavations happening across the UK each year, revealing new insights into Britain’s past from prehistoric times to the Second World War.