Ep.85 Jonathan Downes - Director at Centre For Fortean Zoology

Jonathan Downes (born 1959) is a naturalist, cryptozoologist, author, editor, film-maker, poet, novelist, activist, journalist, composer and singer-songwriter, with a background in radical politics and mental health care. He is Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology. His father, the explorer and Colonial Service Officer J. T. Downes (1925–2006), wrote several books on a wide range of subjects, such as African history, theology and the Devonshire dialect. His mother Mary Downes (née Rawlins) (1922–2002) was a broadcaster and author who published several collections of Nigerian folklore under the pen-name `Yar Kunama`.

 

In 1992 Downes founded the Centre for Fortean Zoology, arguably the world's largest cryptozoological research organization. He is vocal in his opinion that cryptozoology should not be considered to be a branch of paranormal research. Although he has written a number of books on UFOs and other Fortean subjects (sometimes in collaboration with his friend and colleague Nick Redfern and sometimes with Nigel Wright), he considers cryptozoology to be a branch of mainstream zoology, rather than anything more esoteric.

He is currently (since 1994) the editor of Animals & Men; the journal of the Centre for Fortean Zoology, and since 2012 has been the editor of Gonzo Weekly, a digital music magazine, between 2007-10 was the editor of The Amateur Naturalist (formerly `Exotic Pets`) - a magazine published by CFZ Press, the editor of the online magazine blog `Cryptozoology:Online`, and from January 2003 until August 2007 was the Deputy Editor of Tropical World magazine, a tropical fish magazine published in the UK. From 2012-3 he was the editor of UFO Matrix magazine, published by 11th Dimension Publishing. He has also edited and contributed to many other publications over the years.

 

According to his autobiography and other writings, as a child he lived in Nigeria, and then Hong Kong (then a British Crown Colony), and returned to the UK in 1971, when his father was 'invalided out' of the Hong Kong government. He was educated at Bideford Grammar School, (1971-6) and later West Buckland School (1976-7) from which he was expelled. He worked as a nurse for the mentally handicapped between 1981–90 and between 1990 and 1994 ran the fan club for Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel.

 

Between 2012 and 2023 he was editor of the Gonzo Daily blog, and since 2012 he has edited the Gonzo Weekly e-zine, both in conjunction with Gonzo Multimedia (formerly Voiceprint Records).

 

He is active in community work, and for some years was part of the team organising the monthly children's service in the village church at Woolfardisworthy, North Devon. For five years until 2024 he edited the parish magazine for Clovelly, Woolsery and Bucks in North Devon, and has composed cvhurch music for the local church. Having suffered from manic-depression for years, Downes is also an activist for mental health issues. On 21 July 2007 he married his second wife Corinna Newton Downes. He was widowed when she died of cancer in August 2020.

He has two stepdaughters and a granddaughter.

 

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