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Countryfile(1988–)
July 24, 198838 Seasons · 1801 Episodes
Returning Series
Documentary
2.7from 7 users
Overview
The people, places and stories making news in the British countryside.
Network BBC One, BBC Two
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The people, places and stories making news in the British countryside.
1990
1989
1992
Out There with Jack Randall
2019
Seven Worlds, One Planet
2019
Expeditionen ins Tierreich
1965
Life on the Reef
2015
Jenseits der Alpen
2023
Paradise Islands
2017
Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids
2024
Secret Garden
2026
2050 dans votre assiette
2017
Kanadas Nationalparks
2016
1988
1991
1994
2012
Countryfile is in County Durham. Matt Baker visits the family farm, where his children give him a hand with lambing. Julia Bradbury learns more about an adder project on the moors, and she discovers why the River Wear has been named as one of the 10 most improved rivers for cleanliness in the country.
A unique insight into how the Furness Peninsula has been shaped by nature and man.
Matt and Ellie discover the ancient woodlands and industrial heritage of Nottinghamshire.
In Lochaber, Matt Baker goes on the greatest railway journey in the world.
Julia Bradbury and John Craven explore the Usk Valley, known as the gateway to Wales.
The team visit England's most northerly county, Northumberland.
In a special edition of Countryfile, Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury explore Hampshire.
Matt Baker explores the East Sussex coastline and looks at some of its iconic legacies.
The Countryfile team explore Anglesey, Wales's largest island.
Ellie Harrison spends the day with expert woodsman Ben Law in West Sussex.
Countryfile visits the Royal Forest of Dean, one of our most ancient woodlands.
John Craven and Julia Bradbury head to rural Leicestershire.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury explore Somerset's countryside and coastline.
The team visit the heart of rural England, exploring the chalk-lands of the South Downs.
Countryfile is deep in Gloucestershire exploring some woodland treasures.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury visit the RSPB bird reserve at Snettisham.
The team help with the preparations for a seasonal celebration deep in rural Warwickshire.
Ellie looks back at the men and women who have been inspired by the British countryside.
1993
1996
1997
2000
1995
1999
1998
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2009
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury mark the 60th anniversary of landmark legislation.
Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker explore the diverse landscape of the North York Moors.
Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker explore the area around Ben Nevis.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury visit the South Downs, plus James Wong on beating hay fever.
Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker explore the Malvern Hills, and John Craven visits Norway.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury report from Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge.
2008
John Craven heads to Dunster in Somerset, where a castle is getting a green makeover.
Countryfile Photographic Competition with its theme of Animals in Action is judged.
The team visits the village of Cerne Abbas and reports on British blueberries.
John Craven heads for Castle Howard in North Yorkshire.
John Craven reveals why there's more to Stonehenge than its mysterious standing stones.
John Craven visits Calder Valley to discover how the countryside inspired poet Ted Hughes.
John Craven heads to Calke Abbey in Derbyshire as it prepares to celebrate Halloween.
John Craven visits the farm bought by the public for four million pounds.
Countryfile marks Remembrance Sunday by heading to Cannock Chase in Staffordshire.
John Craven heads to the Fal Estuary in Cornwall as oyster fishing season gets underway.
John Craven heads to Wytham Woods in Oxfordshire to study the effects of climate change.
John Craven visits the Lake District to mark 75 years of the mountain rescue service.
John Craven explores the mines in the Forest of Dean in Gloucester.
John Craven investigates the Christmas preparations in Scotland's Cairngorms.
John Craven celebrates the nation's love affair with the horse.
A look at how the British countryside is transformed with the passing of each season.
John Craven visits the Cairngorm Mountains to assess the ski season and taste the whisky.
John Craven explores the New Forest, where controversial plans are causing concern.
John Craven assesses the impact of a marine improvement programme on the Norfolk coast.
John heads to Cambridge University, while Miriam O'Reilly looks at Britain's rat problem.
John Craven marks the 1,000th episode by revisiting the story of the foot-and-mouth crisis
John Craven visits Kew Gardens to celebrate its 250th anniversary.
John Craven marks St David's Day by heading to the hills of Pumlumon in mid Wales.
John Craven visits Slimbridge to mark the centenary of the birth of Sir Peter Scott.
John Craven is in County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland to explore the UK's first geopark.
John Craven visits Belvoir Castle, and Miriam O'Reilly reports on a vicious plant disease.
Would a huge barrage across the Severn Estuary ruin priceless archaeological sites?
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury mark the 60th anniversary of landmark legislation.
Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker explore the diverse landscape of the North York Moors.
Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker explore the area around Ben Nevis.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury visit the South Downs, plus James Wong on beating hay fever.
Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker explore the Malvern Hills, and John Craven visits Norway.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury report from Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge.
2011
2007
In an edition looking at how to make the best of the great outdoors, Tom Heap tries his hand at wakeboarding, Adam Henson takes to the treetops of Sherwood Forest, Diane Louise Jordan is coasteering in Wales and Ben Fogle has a go at the game of quoits.
2015
Adam Henson presents a special edition of Countryfile looking at rare breed farm animals, starting with his own old spot pigs.
2016
Ellie Harrison is at the Cotswold Water Park looking back at some of Countryfile's encounters with winter wildlife, and spotting some of her own.
In this, the 900th edition, John Craven pays a lighthearted tribute to the unsung heroes and heroines of the British countryside - its animals. Ben Fogle reports on how pigs are the unlikely saviours of the ponies of the New Forest, Michaela Strachan meets the Newfoundland dogs which save lives at the sea, while Charlotte Smith finds out what is being done to safeguard the future of water vole.
John Craven heads to Ayrshire to celebrate poet Robbie Burns, while Juliet Morris gets caught up in the Lincolnshire tradition of the Haxey Hood - a game with no teams, just plenty of players, and where the only winner is a pub. Plus, does the supermarket building boom mean the death of the British high street?
John Craven heads to the shifting coastline of Sussex and the historic town of Rye, while Adam Henson tries his hand at sled dog racing in Aviemore. Plus, the controversy surrounding a water company's plans to build a massive reservoir rather than plugging its leaks.
20th anniversary show This week Countryfile celebrates its 20th anniversary. Since 1988 the programme has been reporting on the people, places and stories making news in the British countryside. Swaledale The first ever Countryfile was filmed in Swaledale in North Yorkshire. The sweeping river valley is carved out by the River Swale, but access to the river is an ongoing issue. John Craven heads to Keld on the river bank to revisit a story which Countryfile reported on two decades ago. Many canoeists think they should have access to rivers just like ramblers do in the countryside, however, anglers are concerned that their private, and often paid for, retreats will be overwhelmed. John also explores an institution which the show has become famous for - the BBC weather forecast. Weatherman Bill Giles, who presented the first ever Countryfile weather forecast, takes a trip down memory lane. John gets a surprise when he comes face to face with his dead ringer. Impressionist Jon Culshaw dons the famous red jacket, Wellington boots and glasses for their first meeting.
John Craven visits Weymouth as it prepares to host the 2012 Olympic sailing events.
John Craven heads to Warwickshire, where this year's harvest is in full swing.
The team are in Somerset, revisiting areas hit by 2014's floods. Matt Baker talks to farmer Geoff Miller, and Helen Skelton explores the bird life of the area.
In the Lake District, Matt Baker discovers a piece of mountain rescue equipment being used to enable wheelchair users to abseil and Ellie Harrison climbs Helvellyn.
The team are in the Highlands of Scotland following in the footsteps of poet Robert Burns. Ellie Harrison learns how to drive a pony and carriage.
Ellie Harrison joins one of Britain's best poets, Simon Armitage, on a yomp across the snowy moors. Matt Baker visits a farm run by volunteers with wildlife in mind.
Ellie Harrison reports from Leicestershire on the drastic decline in farmland birds and joins farmers learning how to spot rare birds.
Ten years on from the fox hunting ban, Matt Baker visits the oldest pack of foxhounds in the country and Tom Heap hears from people on both sides of the debate.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison are in Suffolk finding out how erosion has shaped the landscape, swallowed up whole towns and inspired award-winning authors.
Countryfile is in Pembrokeshire to mark St David's Day. Matt Baker forages for food and Ellie Harrison is out at sea trying to spot a porpoise.
The team are in rural Cheshire. Matt Baker finds out about agricultural apprentices and Tom Heap asks whether we should be building more affordable houses in rural areas.
The team explore the watery east of Northern Ireland. Matt Baker discovers the Irish hares who have made a rather unusual location home.
Countryfile is on the Isle of Man. Adam Henson explores the local rock pools and goes on safari to find a wallaby.
Matt Baker and Shauna Lowry are in Hampshire, Charlotte Smith is at London Fashion Week and Tom Heap investigates the potential of tidal power in the UK.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison are in Norfolk. Matt finds out the important part rabbits play in maintaining the Breckland heath. Ellie visits the mysterious Grime's Graves.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison are in the uplands of north Cumbria. Matt meets photographer Ian Lawson, who has spent years photographing the hill shepherds.
Ellie Harrison, John Craven and Anita Rani explore Britain's woodlands, while Tom Heap investigates what can be done to protect trees from the threat of disease.
In the Peak District, John Craven looks at how to make the countryside accessible to all, Ellie Harrison meets some search dogs and Anita Rani explores the Pennine Way.
As the landscape bursts back into life, the team celebrate spring. Matt Baker gets a real feel of spring in north Wales, where he meets a flock of orphan lambs.
Countryfile celebrates Britain's farming heroes past and present. Adam Henson is in Bristol to reveal the winner of the first ever Countryfile Farming Hero.
Anita Rani returns to her home turf of Bradford to explore the countryside on the edge of the city. She discovers the rural gems right on her doorstep.
Countryfile visits Warwickshire, where Matt Baker explores Charlecote Park and Anita Rani discovers what it is really like to be a pig farmer.
Countryfile visits the Channel Islands, where Matt Baker explores the legacy of naturalist Gerald Durrell and Ellie Harrison helps with a habitat restoration.
Matt and Ellie are in Somerset, where Matt is following in the footsteps of a legendary caver who first explored the caverns beneath the Mendips a century ago.
Matt Baker visits a village where they farm just as they did in the Middle Ages, while Ellie Harrison goes bird spotting in Nottingham city centre.
In East Yorkshire, Ellie takes to the water near the mighty Bempton Cliffs and Matt tries his hand at fly fishing on the UK's most northerly chalk stream.
John Craven explores the working landscape of Dartmoor and discovers a fascinating photographic record of the farming community going back decades.
In Cornwall, Matt Baker tests his sea legs on the hunt for basking sharks. Ellie Harrison gets up to her knees in stinging nettles to dispel their bad name.
In Derbyshire, Matt Baker follows a new pilgrimage trail set up to mark the 350th anniversary of the plague, and Anita meets a man who grows furniture.
In Northumberland, Matt Baker meets the artist who has learnt to dive so he can capture on canvas what lies beneath the North Sea.
The Countryfile team visit the Kent County Show for their summer special. Friend of the show John Hammond explains just why Kent is so fruitful.
The team look at all things sheep. Joe Crowley heads to the Yorkshire Dales to visit a traditional upland farm where the shearing is in full swing.
John Craven travels to Llandudno to look at what it takes to make a great summer holiday. The team look back at their other summer holiday ideas.
Joe Crowley and Anita Rani explore the Country Land and Business Association's annual game fair, one of the highlights of the rural calendar.
Matt and Anita are in Wales' largest county, Powys. Matt visits Powis Castle, while Anita meets the volunteers delivering locally grown fruit and veg to their community.
In this harvest-themed programme, Matt visits a farm in Buckinghamshire where they do things the old-fashioned way.
Countryfile is in Cumbria, where John Craven takes to the skies to discover a new line of defence in the battle against flooding - river restoration.
Countryfile is in West Sussex. John Craven meets the current members of the first Women's Institute in England to discover the impact the WI has had on rural life.
Adam Henson is in the Lake District, discovering the joys of the great outdoors and looking back through the Countryfile archive.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison present Countryfile One Man and His Dog 2015, featuring the best shepherding talent from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Anita Rani and Helen Skelton are on the coast of Morecambe Bay in the far north western corner of Lancashire. Anita takes a cycle ride along the coast near Silverdale.
Matt Baker and Helen Skelton are in Cheshire. Matt visits Lyme Park, hoping for a glimpse of one of nature's most exciting spectacles - the annual red deer rut.
This edition of the countryside magazine revels in the colours of autumn. Ellie Harrison visits Perthshire, where the woodlands are a kaleidoscope of colour by both day and night.
Sean Fletcher visits Capel Celyn, where 50 years ago villagers were evicted to make way for a new reservoir. Sean meets the families still living with that legacy.
In this extended edition of the programme, the team present the first ever Countryfile Ramble for BBC Children in Need, as thousands of people explore the rural landscape.
The team explore Cambridgeshire. Matt Baker finds out how Cambridge University students past and present are having an impact on the countryside.
Ellie Harrison is in the market town of Frome in Somerset to find out about a field-to-fork revolution which is taking this place by storm.
Countryfile is in Dorset. Matt Baker explores a woodland architecture school, where the surrounding trees become the building materials.
Countryfile is in Shropshire, where John Craven visits a seed bank and Ellie Harrison is on the hunt for the elusive Shropshire pine marten.
Ellie Harrison and Joe Crowley explore the NC500 - a new 500-mile scenic loop that takes in some of Scotland's remotest and most beautiful places.
Ellie Harrison and Matt Baker are in the Peaks in Derbyshire, looking at how the geology there gives rise to two distinct landforms - the Dark Peak and the White Peak.
It's Christmas, and Matt and Ellie are in the tiny Cornish fishing village of Coverack, helping the locals get the place set for the festivities.
Adam Henson prepares for the new year ahead. There's also a look back at the farming year, with some favourites from the Countryfile archives.
Countryfile is in Hertfordshire, where Matt Baker meets a farming family who are turning oilseed rape into liquid gold - oil.
Countryfile is in Gloucestershire, where Matt gives the trees at Batsford Arboretum a health check using a clever bit of x-ray kit to look for decay.
Ellie Harrison and Matt Baker are in north Devon, where Matt finds out what life is like for the residents once the tourists have gone.
The team pull on their thermals for a walk on the wild side of winter. Adam heads to North Ronaldsay, where their rare seaweed-eating sheep are under threat.
Matt Baker visits a country park near Newcastle that was once the site of a coalmine, and Ellie Harrison looks at the restoration of Roker Lighthouse near Sunderland.
Matt Baker joins student gamekeepers at work, while Ellie Harrison reveals how cranes have returned to Norfolk after an absence of 400 years.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison are in Staffordshire. Matt visits a school with farming at the heart of the curriculum. Ellie meets a couple who own a nature reserve.
Matt Baker and Shauna Lowry are near Colchester on the Essex coast. Matt ventures to Mersea Island to meet an oyster fisherman, and Shauna Lowry goes to the River Colne.
Exploring the beauty of Northern Ireland, John Craven finds out about Rathlin Island's kelp industry. Anita Rani meets a farmer whose animals are now TV stars.
Countryfile is in Aberystwyth, where Adam Henson visits the town's university to meet the youngsters working towards a career in farming.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison are in Sussex exploring Ashdown Forest, the inspiration for the Hundred Acre Wood in AA Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Matt also visits a farm belonging to the Countryside Restoration Trust, which promotes wildlife-friendly farming. Ellie is on the hunt for woodpeckers - easy to hear, but harder to spot! John Craven is at West Rise, the state junior school with a difference: it has a bronze-age settlement and buffalo roaming its marshlands. Tom Heap is in Scotland where there's fresh concern about the impact that wind farms could have on birdlife. But how much of a threat do turbines really pose? And Adam Henson meets the farmer opening his farm to help refugees.
The team explore the three counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire and meet some of the local crafts people keeping rural skills alive.
Matt Baker, Anita Rani and Helen Skelton tell the story of cattle in this themed programme. Matt spends the day with a young beef farmer.
John Craven marks the 40th anniversary of LS Lowry's death by following in the artist's footsteps. Ellie Harrison learns about how to conserve moorland.
Joe Crowley meets a woman who looks after a herd of Belted Galloway cattle. Anita Rani joins photographer Keith Kirk after dark, looking for wildlife.
To mark 400 years since Shakespeare's death, Countryfile travels the length and breadth of the country in search of the landscapes that inspired his works.
Ellie Harrison visits the South Haven Peninsula in Dorset to tell the story of conservation's unsung hero Captain Cyril Diver.
Matt Baker explores the Dartington estate in south Devon to discover the history of the place and meet the farmers who are turning their goats' milk into ice cream.
A snapshot of spring, including dolphins in Cardigan Bay, one of the UK's last remaining hay meadows, a Roman fort in Alderney, and a large vegetated shingle spit.
A snapshot of spring, including dolphins in Cardigan Bay, one of the UK's last remaining hay meadows, a Roman fort in Alderney, and a large vegetated shingle spit.
John Craven races a hill runner to the summit of Snowdon and meets the volunteers protecting the area's ospreys.
Matt Baker and Anita Rani are at the stunning Montrose Basin in Angus in Scotland, and Tom Heap asks what the EU referendum may mean for Britain's fisheries.
To celebrate British Flowers Week, Charlotte Smith and Anita Rani look at the resurgence of British flowers. Charlotte finds out why the smell of flowers is so popular.
Matt Baker takes to the Trent in a kayak and finds out about the effort to clean up the river. In Rutland, Helen Skelton is an apprentice in a windmill.
A look back at the long hot summer of 1976 with TV weatherman John Hammon, plus a rerun of some of Countryfile's best weather-related stories.
John Craven takes to the water in Pembrokeshire to find out about the area's boating heritage, painting boats and learning sea shanties along the way.
It is tennis season and Countryfile is visiting Kent, where Matt Baker finds out about Wimbledon strawberries and gets to grips with the harvest.
The Countryfile team explore meadows, from the wildlife that makes the meadow its home to the plants that thrive there. Matt Baker discovers the art of scything.
The team visit Cumbria, looking at the places which inspired Beatrix Potter, a farm run using horses and steam power, and Lakeland sports, including Cumberland wrestling.
A special edition of Countryfile celebrating the Great British summer. Matt Baker travels along the south Wales coast, while Naomi Wilkinson punts along the River Cam in Cambridge.
Anita heads to the tiny Scottish island of Kerrera, where she joins the postmaster on her daily round and helps the shepherd round up her sheep.
Countryfile marks the sixtieth anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme. Joe heads to the Scottish Highlands to meet a team taking part in five-day challenge.
Matt Baker mingles with exhibitors and visitors at the first ever Countryfile Live, which took place in the magnificent grounds of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.
Countryfile has been given access to an excavation at the Stonehenge World Heritage site, and Joe Crowley meets the team who have found strange items buried in the soil.
It is harvest time, and the countryside is buzzing with activity. The Countryfile team are getting stuck in as crops are brought in across the country.
Anita Rani explores Anglesey, off the north west coast of Wales. She navigates the notorious Menai Strait and meets the fisherman who bought an island.
Countryfile marks the 100th anniversary of Roald Dahl's birth by discovering his passion for the outdoors and how it inspired his writing.
Matt Baker and Anita Rani preside over proceedings as the best shepherds and their dogs from England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland battle it out for the trophy.
Anita Rani travels to Surrey to explore the revival of interest in growing hops there. Adam Henson is hoping for the right conditions to get the last of his wheat harvest in.
Matt meets a writer who draws inspiration from the Thames Estuary and its people, and Naomi meets a photographer captivated by the waterfall at Lydford Gorge.
Matt and Anita explore the Isle of Wight. Matt abseils down the walls of Carisbrooke Castle, while Anita is on Ventnor Downs helping to round up feral goats.
To celebrate nature's final flourish before the slow descent into winter, the team pulls on its wellies, kicks through the crisp leaves and explores the fruits of our forests.
Matt looks at Herefordshire's historic perry-making industry and helps out with the pear harvest. He starts out at Weston's, the world's biggest producers of perry.
In this extended edition of Countryfile, the team head out into some of the nation's most beautiful landscapes for the Countryfile Ramble for BBC Children in Need.
Helen Skelton is on a special cycle ride across northern France to commemorate 100 years since the Battle of the Somme.
In West Yorkshire, Matt Baker meets the youngsters who have become RSPB rangers. Anita Rani meets an author who immerses himself in the landscape.
The team explores the Brecon Beacons. Matt Baker discovers geocaching, a treasure hunt with a modern twist, and meets an artist whose canvas is the night sky.
The team are in Lincolnshire, where it's all go in the vast fields of winter veg. John Craven learns about the kalette, a cross between kale and a brussels sprout.
The team are in Aberdeenshire, where Helen visits the only village on mainland Britain where cars can't go. Plus a turkey farm where the guard dogs are alpacas.
Countryfile celebrates Christmas at Bamburgh Castle on the Northumbrian coast. John Craven learns what the first Christmases on Lindisfarne would have been like.
Ellie Harrison visits Thirsk to celebrate the centenary of vet Alf Wight, known to the world as James Herriot, and speaks to his children.
2010
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury re-kindle some animal magic when they look back at the close encounters they've had with the creatures at the heart of our countryside. They get up close to some of our best loved native animals at the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey, including some frisky foxes, otters and some very shy red squirrels.
In this special edition of the programme, Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury head for the Isle of Man to take a look back at some of their favourite places from the series so far. Julia takes the plunge coasteering off the Pembrokeshire coast, Matt experiences perfect peace in the Durham Dales and John Craven is in search of the beavers that have been reintroduced into the Scottish countryside.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury explore the Kennet and Avon canal in Wiltshire which is celebrating its 200th anniversary, while John Craven investigates food waste including claims that up to half of the produce grown on some of our farms never even finds its way to the supermarket shelves. Adam Henson gets to grips with the big freeze as he battles through the snow to make sure all his animals are fed and watered. Plus Katie Knapman heads to Cambridgeshire to have a go at fen-skating.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury head for Jersey to lend a hand with potato planting and to find out how the island's infamous war tunnels are being given a new lease of life. Jules Hudson takes to the skies with the scientists conducting an aerial survey of Scotland's grey seal population, and there are new arrivals on the farm as Adam Henson's sows give birth. Tom Heap finds out about controversial plans to dispose of the waste from ten new nuclear power stations underground.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury are in the Cairngorms, a part of Scotland which has seen its heaviest snowfall in more than a decade. Matt makes the most of the icy conditions by taking part in the annual sled dog rally and finding out what makes a good racing husky. Julia helps to create a snow hole, which can offer a lifeline for people caught out in the mountains. Back on his farm in the Cotswolds, Adam Henson ensures his sheep and cattle get what they need to stay healthy through the winter, and John Craven heads to Herefordshire to investigate one of the biggest issues in rural Britain - its ageing population.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury are in the Yorkshire Dales, to see how one of the world's greatest railways is keeping communities together. They also re-home some travelling cave spiders and explore a remote location which inspired one of the finalists in the Countryfile Photographic Competition. On his Cotswold farm, Adam calls in a horse whisperer to help him move some stubborn Exmoor ponies. Meanwhile John Craven investigates the demise of our dairy farms and asks whether there is any way to make money out of milk.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury explore the area around Long Mynd in Shropshire. Matt finds out why setting fire to the hillside is not as damaging as it sounds, while Julia tries to catch a glimpse of the red grouse, one of the county's wildlife success stories. Meanwhile, Countryfile's resident farmer, Adam Henson, takes some rare breed sheep back to their roots, and John Craven investigates the massive growth in offshore windfarms.
Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker explore the wetlands known as the Somerset Levels and visit the limestone cliffs of Cheddar Gorge. On his farm in the Cotswolds, Adam Henson discovers why farming is one of the most dangerous professions. Meanwhile, John Craven investigates the effectiveness of domestic energy-generating devices such as solar panels and wind turbines.
Matt and Julia explore the Wye Valley, a dramatic limestone gorge on the Welsh border, and Julia takes to the water to explore the landscape that earned the Wye its reputation.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury head for Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland to get a sneak preview of a spectacular plan to light all 73 miles of the iconic landmark as part of its 1,600th anniversary celebrations. Elsewhere, John Craven investigates why culling certain species of animals can help to conserve others and asks if the costs outweigh the benefits. James Wong looks at the future of food production and examines whether vertical farming - growing food on walls - could help feed our cities, while Adam Henson is hoping spring has finally sprung down on the farm when he scans his ewes to see how many lambs he can expect this season.
Matt Baker heads for the Severn Estuary in Gloucestershire to surf one of the wonders of the natural world - the infamous Severn Bore - while Katie Knapman finds out what the Slimbridge bird reserve is doing to prepare for its spring arrivals. Cornwall is the destination for John Craven who investigates whether fishermen need to radically change the way they do business if they're to save the industry from collapse. Plus James Wong discovers how appearing in a movie blockbuster can transform the fortunes of cash-strapped stately homes and, in the run up to the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Adam Henson discovers how his goats are ideal companions for thoroughbred race horses!
Julia Bradbury takes to the skies over Wales on a mission to help restore the peat bogs that criss-cross the Brecon Beacons, while Matt Baker heads deep underground to explore one of the UK's most important caving systems. John Craven returns to Cumbria - four months after the big floods - to see how farmers are coping with the clear-up operation. And, spring may be in the air, but Katie Knapman's been to a part of the Lake District which is still in the grips of the big freeze - ideal conditions for ice-climbing. Down on Adam Henson's farm, there are plenty of new arrivals but his plans to boost farm income with a fun ride aren't going so smoothly - and it's all because of our unpredictable weather!
Julia Bradbury and her dad go walking in Dovedale, where she first fell in love with the great outdoors. Matt Baker goes on exercise with a team dedicated to fighting wild fires, and finds out why a helicopter comes in handy. A mysterious hole has opened up in one of Adam Henson's fields, just what is down there? Meanwhile John Craven investigates plans for Britain's largest dairy herd.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury head for the Brighton Downs in Sussex to find out about the rise of urban shepherds, why water voles are making a comeback and to mark the 150th anniversary of Brighton's Outdoor Swimming Club - an unseasonal dip in the briny. John Craven meets rural campaigners fighting against the invasion of supermarkets but are they local heroes or villains standing in the way of progress? Jules Hudson discovers how you can experience the thrills of off-roading without carving up the countryside. Plus, the new arrivals are coming thick and fast down on Adam Henson's farm but not all sheep are natural mothers as he discovers.
Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker head for the Essex countryside to explore the landscape that inspired artist John Constable and to find about a natural approach to flood management. Matt's also in search of Britain's only venomous snake - the adder - while Julia meets the ex-prisoner who believes pig farming has saved her from a life of crime. John Craven investigates dire predictions that hundreds of our native animals are in danger of extinction while, down on Adam Henson's farm, the new arrivals are coming thick and fast - and it's not just lambs. Plus self-confessed map addict Jules Hudson heads to Loch Ness to find out if can chart a course as easily on water as on land.
Julia Bradbury heads to Ennerdale in the Lake District to find out what is being done to make this wild and wonderful landscape wilder still, while Matt Baker gets to grips with hound-trailing, one of Cumbria's oldest and most popular sports. John Craven investigates predictions that we are going to need 60,000 new farmers and workers to keep British agriculture afloat, and looks at whether anyone can become a farmer. James Wong finds out how freezing temperatures back in the winter of 2009 are still affecting some of our most precious wildlife. Plus a look at what happened when Adam Henson put the animal-handling skills of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Dorothys to the test down on the farm.
Julia Bradbury heads to Ennerdale in the Lake District to find out what is being done to make this wild and wonderful landscape wilder still, while Matt Baker gets to grips with hound-trailing, one of Cumbria's oldest and most popular sports. John Craven investigates predictions that we are going to need 60,000 new farmers and workers to keep British agriculture afloat, and looks at whether anyone can become a farmer. James Wong finds out how freezing temperatures back in the winter of 2009 are still affecting some of our most precious wildlife. Plus a look at what happened when Adam Henson put the animal-handling skills of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Dorothys to the test down on the farm.
In a special edition of Countryfile, Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury celebrate the spirit of adventure when they head for the National Mountain Centre in North Wales to look back at some of their favourite countryside activities from the last year. Julia gets a bird's eye view of the countryside when she tries her hand at microlighting before taking to the water for a boating regatta on the Norfolk Broads. Meanwhile, Matt relies on pedal power to explore the Brecon Beacons and takes on the might of the Severn Bore using a surfboard.
Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker head off on a trip through the New Forest, to celebrate the height of Spring. After catching their lunch in the seas off the Hampshire coast, Julia spends the night under the stars in a geodome - the last word in camping chic. The next morning, she and Matt discover how to record the Spring dawn chorus for posterity. Meanwhile, John Craven finds out what truly seasonal food is available in Spring, and Katie Knapman goes star spotting in the UK's only Dark Skies Park.
Matt Baker heads to Lacock in Wiltshire to discover why it's a ready-made backdrop for period dramas. It's also the birthplace of photography, making it the ideal place for John Craven to launch the Countryfile Photographic Competition for 2010. Fellow judge Jo Brand proves you don't have to be a hot shot to get good results while wildlife presenter and photographer Chris Packham has some expert advice to inspire you to grab your camera and go for glory. Down on the farm Adam Henson's on tenterhooks as his cattle are re-tested for TB. Will they go clear of the disease this time? Plus the challenges of farming bison, and a look at whether the UK be growing more food and importing less.
Matt Baker heads to Snowdonia National Park, where he hitches a ride on a train that relies on the laws of gravity to move it, and finds out about the challenges of farming on the side of the highest mountain in Wales. Joining him is Ellie Harrison, who meets the man who's come up with a novel way of growing mushrooms and discovers what is being done to control the foreign invaders threatening our native wildlife. John Craven is in the Orkney Islands in Scotland to investigate controversial plans to harness energy from the sea, while Adam Henson's got some expert advice for Kate Humble as she gets to grips with pig production on her smallholding in Wales.
Ellie Harrison puts her faith in Cedric Robinson, the Queen's official guide to the treacherous sands of Morecambe Bay, while Matt Baker trains with the RNLI rescue crews who spring into action when disaster strikes. John Craven heads to Wales to investigate controversial plans to cull hundreds of badgers in an effort control bovine TB, while Adam Henson puts his young apprentice through his paces down on the farm. As railway enthusiasts get ready to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Great Western Railway, Katie Knapman finds out why steam trains continue to provoke such passion. Plus why salt marsh lamb is becoming increasingly popular with chefs.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury head to Adam Henson's farm in the Cotswolds to look back at some of the highlights of his farming calendar and to get a progress report on some of the animals we've met along the way. It's been a year of real drama for Adam - from the highs of a successful lambing season to the lows of losing prize cattle to bovine TB. Matt also gets a chance to put his sheep shearing skills to the test while Julia gives Adam's prize bull a wash and brush-up in an effort to entice a prospective buyer.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury head to Adam Henson's farm in the Cotswolds to look back at some of the highlights of his farming calendar and to get a progress report on some of the animals we've met along the way. It's been a year of real drama for Adam - from the highs of a successful lambing season to the lows of losing prize cattle to bovine TB. Matt also gets a chance to put his sheep shearing skills to the test while Julia gives Adam's prize bull a wash and brush-up in an effort to entice a prospective buyer.
Matt Baker heads to Slapton Sands in Devon on the 66th anniversary of D-Day to discover how a training exercise cost 749 American troops their lives, and finds out why this area is now being used to train a new generation of military recruits. Julia Bradbury's on the freshwater lagoon which also played a part in training for the Normandy invasion to discover what's being done by modern day King Canutes to hold back the sea water and protect this fragile freshwater lake. John Craven investigates the dairy industry practice of killing male calves and goats at birth and asks if there's an alternative. While Matt looks at the current fashion for micropigs, Adam takes a journey back in time to find out about their Iron Age ancestors.
Adam Henson and Ellie Harrison are in the picturesque Vale of Evesham, for the annual asparagus harvest. Adam gets busy taking this iconic crop to auction and helps a family determined to live the good life on their small-holding. Ellie gets close to some of nature's newest arrivals at a wildlife rescue centre, as well as finding out how flood defences on the River Avon are helping the flora and fauna that make this place so special. John Craven is in the West Country investigating why raw sewage is being allowed to pollute the seas just off some of our most popular resorts. And he discovers that cleaning up our coast isn't as straightforward as it sounds. Jules Hudson is all at sea with a team of women rowers determined to get into the record books.
Ellie Harrison and Adam Henson explore the contrasting landscapes of Northumberland. Ellie's on the wild, unspoilt Farne Islands helping scientists discover more about one of our most iconic birds, the puffin. Back on dry land, Adam finds out just what challenges face one farmer in his struggle to go organic. With genetically modified crops back on the political agenda, John Craven investigates whether GM should be welcomed or banned forever. James Wong has a look at a traditional British crop that might just surprise you.
Adam Henson and Ellie Harrison head for Lough Erne in Northern Ireland where they find out about the fight against the zebra mussel, a foreign invader threatening the future of the marine environment, and help a farmer move his rare-breed pigs to their summer grazing on an island in the middle of the Lough. John Craven investigates why the number of pollinating insects is declining at such an alarming rate and what is being done to reverse the situation. Plus Katie Knapman joins enthusiasts from all over the world who are converging on the Wirral to celebrate the joy of kite-flying.
John Craven speaks exclusively to Prince Charles about his new scheme to connect shoppers to the countryside, and discovers how it will help rural communities most in need. Adam Henson and Ellie Harrison head for the Howardian Hills in North Yorkshire to find out about a pioneering project to use river water to generate electricity - without harming the fish who live there - and why our graveyards are an unlikely haven for wildlife. Plus Julia Bradbury discovers how turning a chunk of cheese into a piece of art is helping put Farmhouse Cheddar onto the food map of Great Britain.
Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker head to the Shropshire Agricultural Show, with their two temperamental sheep, to compete for a cherished 'Best in Breed' rosette. Under the tutelage of Countryfile's Cotswold farmer Adam Henson, they're up against some of the top breeders in the country. While Matt and Julia prepare for the show, John Craven goes on a summer hike around our coastal paths and discovers there more obstacles than he expected; James Wong heads to Cornwall to see some unexpected summer crops; Katie Knapman goes canoeing and wild camping in the Scottish Highlands ... and, after twenty years out of the saddle, Jules Hudson learns how to become an expert horseman.
Ellie Harrison and Adam Henson explore the town of Holmfirth, home for nearly forty years to BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine, and the Yorkshire countryside that surrounds it.
Ellie Harrison and Adam Henson visit the area around Coniston Water in the Lake District. Adam helps one of the local farmers round up his Herdwick sheep, a breed known for their hardy nature and their mass of tangled fleece. Ellie finds out how the sound of local slate is being used to create music. John Craven is also in the Lake District, finding out if the recent heavy rain the north of England has made any real difference to the drought conditions.
Ellie Harrison and Adam Henson are in the English Midlands to mark the 20th anniversary of the National Forest. The planting of millions of trees has transformed a landscape scarred for generations by mining. Adam finds out what it takes to survive outdoors in the heart of the forest, while Ellie explores the arboretum planted in honour of our fallen service men and women. John Craven heads to Northumberland on the trail of salmon poachers, and James Wong is in Norfolk to help with the annual lavender harvest.
Adam Henson is in Lincolnshire, an agricultural stronghold where the fertile soil is particularly good for growing vegetables. But it's peas that Adam is interested in as he joins the race to get them picked. He also meets the farmer who's now the biggest bird seed supplier in the UK, and Ellie learns the language of bees. Meanwhile, John Craven investigates why rural communities across the UK are at war with the opencast coal industry, and Jules Hudson takes to the skies to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
Adam Henson and Ellie Harrison visit Dorset to explore a stretch of coastline which tells us much about the history of life on earth. Often called The Jurassic Coast, the crumbling cliffs of Dorset reveal fossils dating back millions of years. And there are also more hidden gems under the water off the Dorset coast: rare seahorses. At this time of year, the males are about to give birth, as Ellie finds out when she dives down to see them. John Craven is in Herefordshire to investigate the effect of music festivals on our countryside. Who cleans up the mess after the bands and their fans have packed their backs and headed back to the city? Also James Wong meets the man who's determined to save our wild flower meadows.
Adam Henson and Ellie Harrison are in the Shropshire town of Ludlow, to help them celebrate the tenth anniversary of the local farmers' market. Ellie and Adam investigate the history of farmers' markets and look back to the nineties when John Craven reported on this new phenomenon from the streets of Los Angeles. In Ludlow, Adam takes on a local farmer in a cook-off, to see which of them produces the tastiest sausage, while he and Ellie look back at some of the food-related topics Countryfile has covered in the last twelve months.
Ellie Harrison explores the countryside around the source of the Thames. She finds out why the source of our longest river isn't always in the same place, before heading up one of the rivers that feeds the Thames, to meet the team that run the UK's only privately-owned palace, Blenheim. John Craven is on the south coast to investigate how inspectors make sure our imported food is up to scratch, and Adam Henson is back on the farm to see how the summer weather has affected his crops and his livestock.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury explore the coast and countryside around St David's in Pembrokeshire. Julia goes whitewater kayaking, and discovers how the area's fierce tides can generate clean, green power. Meanwhile, John Craven is just along the coast in Milford Haven investigating the legacy of the massive oil spill there fifteen years ago.
Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker explore the South Downs and discover why the beautiful Cuckmere Valley could soon be reclaimed by the sea. John Craven, Jo Brand and Chris Packham choose the 12 finalists in this year's Countryfile Photographic Competition. Adam Henson is in the Gloucestershire countryside getting an exclusive insight into the newly launched vaccination programme for badgers, designed to prevent the spread of bovine TB.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury explore the Cheshire countryside around the towns of Knutsford and Alderley Edge. Matt goes underground to find out about the ancient mines beneath The Edge, while Julia discovers how bats and newts have learned to live with the roar of super-size jumbo jets at Manchester Airport. Meanwhile, John Craven investigates the recent rise in rural crime, and Adam Henson hosts a fun ride for horse owners on his farm in The Cotswolds.
Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker find out about the 100-year project to expand Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire, England's last remaining area of traditional undrained fenland. Following a series of attacks in towns and cities, John Craven investigates whether foxes are truly becoming an urban menace, and Adam Henson discovers how sharing his expertise and machinery with neighbouring Cotswold farmers can make his business more sustainable.
Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker explore County Durham - from Matt's parents' farm in the Durham Dales, to the North Sea coast. They also unveil the result of this year's Countryfile Photographic Competition and talk to the winners. John Craven investigates the latest non-native species to invade these shores - a natural prawn killer. And Adam turns wool from his herd of rare-breed sheep into a Savile Row suit.
Ellie Harrison joins the Royal Navy team which rescues stricken fishermen from the seas around Cornwall, while Matt Baker joins the crew on a local oyster boat. Tom Heap asks whether it is really possible, or affordable, to capture and store carbon emissions from our dirtiest power stations, while Jules Hudson is in Scotland to visit the mountain that helped scientists calculate the weight of the world.
Adam Henson visits a farm in the United States with a dairy herd of thirty-two thousand cows to ask whether the UK should adopt the same intensive methods. Meanwhile, Ellie Harrison brings in the harvest at a Monmouthshire vineyard, and Tom Heap investigates alternatives to the plastic packaging which surrounds our food.
In a special programme, Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury investigate the roar of the rutting deer, while John Craven joins the pensioners picking apples for pocket money.
Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker are in Surrey, where Julia follows the Greensand Way to the highest point in South East England and Matt visits some fancy fowl enthusiasts to find out what it takes to breed a champion chicken. Tom Heap is on the East Coast of Scotland, investigating the dispute over mackerel stocks, and Adam Henson continues his mission to make a Savile Row suit from the fleece of one of his rare-breed sheep.
Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker are in the Chilterns to witness the autumn display provided by thousands of beech trees. Julia visits the farm that's been turned into a miniature airport, and Matt gets a lesson from a celebrity chef on how to make the most of sweet chestnuts. On his Cotswolds farm, Adam is on a mission to breed a traditional Suffolk sheep - and he's busy weaning his calves.
Julia Bradbury walks the Wicklow Way, Ireland's first official countryside path, while Matt Baker journeys along the River Thames on the Oxfordshire/Berkshire border, learning about the people who live, work and play on Britain's most historic river. John Craven travels to Devon to investigate the demise of the stag known as the Emperor of Exmoor, and to find out why it's considered necessary to control the deer population. On his farm in The Cotswolds, Adam Henson welcomes a new rare breed of native Irish cattle.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury explore the Staffordshire section of the Peak District, where Matt scales The Roaches' gritstone rocks and Julia explores England's highest village. As inshore locations get more difficult to find, John Craven is in Scotland investigating plans to position massive fish farms out in the Atlantic. James Wong samples an ancient fruit which gets tastier if you leave it to rot.
Adam Henson and Ellie Harrison visit Manifold Valley in the Peak District, where Adam cleans up a cave in the name of conservation and Ellie becomes the human quarry for a pack of hunting dogs. John Craven investigates the festive crime of turkey rustling, and James Wong discovers some weird and wonderful hybrid vegetables.
Julia Bradbury and Adam Henson are in Devon, exploring the River Exe and the countryside around it. Julia joins RSPB guides to experience one of the UK's most beautiful wetlands and to spot avocets. Adam joins Devon farmers as they prepare for the winter and John Craven reports on the growing menace of illegal off-roading in the countryside.
Julia Bradbury and Adam Henson are in Devon, exploring the River Exe and the countryside around it. Julia joins RSPB guides to experience one of the UK's most beautiful wetlands and to spot avocets. Adam finds out how to produce mussels in an ecologically-friendly way, and learns how to row like a champion. John Craven continues to investigate some of the big issues facing the British countryside.
The Countryfile team heads north to experience winter on the Hebridean island of North Uist. Matt Baker meets the family who are setting up home there after moving six hundred miles from Cornwall, and he heads to a ceilidh to learn some traditional Scottish dancing. Meanwhile, Julia Bradbury finds out about the extreme weather that hits the island in winter; John Craven barters his away through North Uist, swapping some of his local produce with some traditional Hebridean food; and Ellie Harrison goes hunting for some of island's most elusive creatures.
Ellie Harrison delves into the Countryfile archive to showcase the very best wildlife stories of 2010. Ellie visits Kent to find out what is being done to conserve our native species, while Matt Baker travels north of the border, to Perthshire, to witness the red deer rut. He also finds out why a vacuum cleaner comes in handy if you are relocating cave spiders! Adam Henson kayaks with seals off the Farne Islands, while Ellie is on dry land, monitoring the puffin population.
2013
A look through the archives to see how horses and dogs are an integral part of rural life.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury head to the Hertfordshire countryside.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury head to Exmoor, where Julia learns about Alfred Vowles.
Matt Baker and John Craven head to South Wales.
John Craven explores the historic ruins of Jervaulx Abbey, once home to Cistercian monks.
Countryfile heads to the north Cornwall coast. Matt Baker explores its glens and ruins.
In this edition of Countryfile, Adam Henson ventures no more than 10 miles from his Cotswolds farm as discovers the delights of the local food available right on his doorstep. His mission is simple: he is to collect the ingredients to make a pizza for his family's evening meal. He visits a local flour mill for the dough for the pizza base, a local halloumi cheese maker and a man who makes meatballs from his herd of Hereford cattle. It is an unusual combination, so what his daughter Ella make of it? Adam also delves back into the Countryfile archives to dig out the best of the foodie stories covered on the programme. Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison take each other on in the battle of the Yorkshire puddings, Julia Bradbury is on her home turf in Leicestershire tucking into stilton cheese and pork pies, Jules Hudson is out fishing off the Cornish coast for sardines and Katie Knapman discovers the unusual taste of Yorkshire sushi.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury are in Bristol, a city with the countryside on its doorstep.
Countryfile heads to the wild, rugged and dramatic landscape of Northumberland.
The Countryfile team pay a special visit to Prince Charles on his Gloucestershire farm.
Countryfile is in Lyme Bay, where the rugged west Dorset and east Devon coastlines meet.
Matt Baker is with the farmers trying to make a living from sheep in the Golden Valley.
In this special edition of Countryfile, Ellie Harrison charts the arrival of spring. She is on St Michaels Mount in Cornwall, where the season comes early. The daffodils are in full bloom, the days are getting longer, and the islanders are busy getting everything ready for the start of the tourist season. She catches up with the boatman launching a newly refurbished ferry, joins the team given the stately rooms a deep spring clean, and talks the chaplain to find out why St Michaels Mount is such a place of pilgrimage. Whilst Ellie is on the island, she looks back at some of the best spring stories to have featured on Countryfile. These include the time Julia took to the skies above Herefordshire in search of our ancient orchards, and when Matt went to Exmoor to look for signs of our biggest mammal. Plus a second look at what happened when Adam went on a spring round-up with a difference.
Matt Baker explores the Grand Union Canal and Julia Bradbury discovers hidden heritage.
Matt explores Suffolk's boating heritage as he puts the finishing touches to a boat.
In Calderdale, West Yorkshire, Ellie Harrison follows in the footsteps of Whitely Turner.
Ellie Harrison visits the historic Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire.
Ellie Harrison takes a peek behind the scenes at Newmarket, the home of horse racing.
Matt Baker explores the maritime history of Hampshire.
Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury head to the Thames Valley, on the doorstep of London. This area of countryside has at its heart the river that bears its name. Matt takes to the water with an Olympian to find out what makes Henley-on-Thames such a breeding ground for gold medal winning rowers. Meanwhile, Julia is at Burnham Beeches on the hunt for giant wood ants with an unusual defence mechanism which led to the discovery of formic acid. John Craven visits the Household Cavalry as they take part in an equine health survey launched by the charity Blue Cross. Elsewhere, Tom Heap is on the south west coast to find out why our seabirds are in decline; and down on the farm, Adam's Highland bull Eric is causing a bit of a stir.
Countryfile travels to Yorkshire and the Humber, with Matt out on the Humber estuary.
Countryfile is in the historic kingdom of Fife. Matt Baker explores Tentsmuir forest.
The Countryfile team launch their annual photographic competition.
Ellie Harrison and Matt Baker head to North Wales, and Matt heads to the Woodfest.
The Countryfile team are on the coastal flatlands of Kent.
John Craven visits the Lake District and looks back at transport-related stories.
The Countryfile team explore the Cambrian mountains, one of Wales' best-kept secrets.
Ellie Harrison and Adam Henson head for the Shetlands, where Ellie meets seaweed farmers.
The team is in the Peak District, where John Craven looks at the secrets this familiar landscape is hiding deep underground. There's the precious shining mineral called Blue John, of which a new seam has just been discovered, thanks to a family riddle. In 2014, part of the Tour de France cycle race route will take in the highs of the Peak District. Ellie Harrison tests out part of this challenging route with a seasoned cyclist. Along the way she finds out the history of a very special site where tanks were tested ahead of going to the front in World War II. Helen Skelton is also in the Peaks, in the village of Tideswell which is trying to persuade local people to buy their food from the village shops. She takes part in a local initiative which teaches people where their food comes from in the countryside, and also learns to shoot at targets and then cook up a delicious game pie. Over the last few decades more and more of the fish we eat has come from farms. Tom Heap is in Scotland to see fish farming for himself, discover the benefits and find out about the controversy that this relatively new form of farming has caused. Adam Henson is on Exmoor, helping out with the annual round-up of wild native ponies.
The Countryfile team are in Cheshire, where John Craven looks into the history of silk in the area. It all started with farmers making buttons for extra cash, and developed into an industry supporting 70 mills along the rivers. Helen Skelton is also in the county, meeting renowned fantasy author Alan Garner OBE. Cheshire born and bred, Alan's work has been inspired by the landscapes of the county. Jules Hudson is at Beeston Castle. On a clear day the stunning ruin looks out across nine counties. Jules looks into the history of the fortress and hunts out some of the wildlife species who live there. John Craven is also be at Jodrell Bank Observatory, seeing how telescopes in farmers' fields are leading the way in the technology we take for granted. Four years ago, the government announced plans for a national path around the whole of the English coastline. Tom Heap investigates why less than 1% of this project has been completed, and travels to Wales to discover why their own coastal path has been such a success. Adam Henson is on the Mendip Hills in Somerset on a family dairy farm with a difference. They produce 14,000 tonnes of cheese a year, and it is all run on 100% green energy.
The Countryfile team celebrate the festive season with a woodland Christmas at Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire, lighting up a mile-long stretch of enchanted woodland with glitter balls, lasers, meteorite lights and bubbles full of smoke. Julia Bradbury acts as lighting apprentice for the day, learning from the experts how to create a magical festive display. Matt Baker learns about the history of the ancient woodland, and how the Forestry Commission keep the trees happy and healthy. John Craven is with the volunteers who run the hedgehog hospitals. They are overflowing at this time of year with juvenile hedgehogs who need fattening up before they go into hibernation. Tom Heap finds out how farmers capitalise on Christmas. Some sell Christmas trees and mistletoe, while others have reindeers for Christmas events. Adam Henson is on his farm settling his animals in for the Christmas period, with his father and his son lending a hand. He also visits his local agricultural college in Cirencester, seeing how the students there prepare for their break and tracking down the choir for a few carols. Ellie Harrison is with Michelin award-winning chef Tom Kerridge as they cook up something tasty with partridge and pears in the woodland. The whole team come together at the end of the programme for the big light switch on and some festive cheer.
Ellie Harrison explores the plight of some of our most endangered animals. From water voles to wildcats, Ellie finds out what is being done to bring them back from the brink. She looks at plans to reintroduce big cats like the lynx, and finds out more about the beavers and wild boar already at large in the British countryside. Ellie spends the day at a wildlife sanctuary in Kent, where she helps get the water voles ready for their winter health check. She ventures into the lair of a wild wolf pack, and she gets up close to a wildcat kitten that has already had a fight for life. During her time at the sanctuary, Ellie looks back at some of the wildlife winners and losers that have featured on the programme in the past. These include Julia Bradbury's visit to the Yorkshire Dales to take perfect pictures of red squirrels in the snow, and Matt Baker's journey underground to see how old man-made caves are providing the perfect habitat for horseshoe bats. There is also another look at John Craven's visit to the Lakes to see for himself the final chapter in the 20-year reintroduction of red kites.
Countryfile is in North Cornwall. Matt Baker visits a stately home with an interesting past. Prideaux Place has been in the same family for fourteen generations and once housed American soldiers during the Second World War as they prepared for the D-Day landings. Matt gets access to the 'American Wing' which has remained untouched since 1943. Prideaux Place is thought to have the oldest fallow deer park herd in the country. Matt helps catch one special buck that's got himself in a spot of bother. Meanwhile, Helen Skelton is finding out why artists, writers and poets flock to Cornwall for inspiration. She also gets on her bike to test out a new woodland trail where cycling and conservation are working hand in hand. And Adam's in Dorset meeting a young shepherd and his Christmas lambs that are taking centre stage in a nativity. Tom Heap learns about plans to expand British farming to make the most of the increasing global market for dairy products. He travels to Wales to meet a farmer who is increasing his herd of dairy cattle and believes this is an opportunity not to be missed. But, Tom also hears from those who can't afford to expand - as well as people concerned about the consequences of producing more milk.
John Craven visits north Devon in search of the perfect bank holiday day out. But for him it is a working day out too. He visits Lynton where he lends a hand on the water-powered cliff railway, serves up cream teas at Watersmeet and puts on his pads and whites to go in to bat for Lynmouth and Lynton Cricket Club. During his day out, John looks back at some of the best days out that Countryfile has featured. There was the time Julia took to the hills as an Edwardian lady to hike in an old fashioned way, when Matt went looking for deer in the Scottish Highlands and found himself witnessing one of the rarest spectacles in nature, and the time Ellie braved the waves surfing for some winter sun.
Ellie Harrison and Matt Baker head for South Wales' Gower Peninsula. Ellie visits Swansea Docks to see how its once filthy waters are now so clean that mussels thrive there. And she finds out how little yellow fishes are helping people flush their waste water down the right pipes. Matt joins the divers pulling tonnes of waste a year out of the waters off the peninsular, before hitting dry land to hook up with the volunteers keeping its beaches pristine. Adam explores the threat to livestock from nuisance dogs, and John Craven reveals the final twelve photographs to make it into next year's Countryfile calendar.
Ellie Harrison and Matt Baker head for Staithes on the north Yorkshire coast. It is an old fishing village that has long been a magnet for artists. Matt meets the new breed of painters putting Staithes back on the art map, and even offers up his own contribution to the village's annual Arts and Heritage Festival. Up on the moors, Ellie discovers an ancient bee bole - the only one of its kind in the UK. Boles were places where bees would have been kept centuries ago. She also meets the family of bee keepers doing all they can to keep our native black bees alive. Back down in the village, Ellie has a close encounter with a feisty lobster and learns all about traditional Staithes bonnets. Tom Heap investigates solar power and asks why we are installing so many in farmers' fields when we have so many spare rooftops. Adam is busy harvesting his wheat, which he shows us is much more versatile than we think. And wildlife cameraman Richard Taylor Jones goes looking for kingfishers to film near his Kent home.
Ellie Harrison and Matt Baker are in Dorset for the Great Dorset Steam Fair. It is the biggest steam gathering in the UK, and Matt goes behind the scenes meeting the enthusiasts keeping the boilers stoked and wheels oiled. In an echo of Dorset's agricultural past Ellie spends time with a Romany gypsy family. They were once the main seasonal workforce, but now there are few left living the old life. She then meets the lady bringing a bit of tropical heat to Dorset's rural byways, before throwing down the gauntlet to Matt back at the Steam Fair. Julia looks at the efforts being made to help small furry animals cross one busy Kent road. Jules Hudson is in Wales' Elan Valley to find out the part played by its reservoirs in the Dambusters raids. And Adam looks at the threat to livestock from nuisance dogs.
Ellie Harrison and Matt Baker are in Devon, where Ellie gets to witness a very special homecoming. She meets Joey - the lifelike horse puppet that features in the successful stage play, War Horse. Joey has come to Iddelsleigh - the small village that inspired the story - and Ellie is there to greet him. Ellie then heads to North Devon to find out how beavers are being used to help manage the last of the region's rare culm grassland. Just a few miles away, Matt is deep in the woods at the start of a massive multi-million pound programme to regenerate some of the country's last tracts of pristine ancient woodland. Wildlife cameraman Richard Taylor Jones shows us the stars moving across the heavens with some amazing 'starlapse' photography. Tom Heap asks whether the number of domestic cats in the UK is posing a threat to our wildlife. And down on Adam's farm it may be harvest time, but there are still animals to be looked after. So Adam has a seasonal stock take.
Countryfile is in Shropshire. Its countryside is rich picking for some of Britain's finest homegrown foods. Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison head to the small market town of Ludlow for its annual food and drink festival. This place is up there with the best when it comes to all things local. Matt samples a few delights on offer at the festival, and he meets the farmer putting the county's native breed of sheep back on the culinary map. Meanwhile, Ellie finds out how rare breed pigs are giving our continental cousins a run for their money, and doing their bit for conservation too. Elsewhere, Tom Heap looks at the threat that non-native invasive species are posing to British plants and wildlife - and even to our own houses. But, as he discovers, some home-grown species also seem to be upsetting the delicate balance of flora and fauna in the countryside. And Adam is in Wales catching up with two sheep dog handlers representing Wales in this year's One Man and His Dog competition.
The team are in Abergavenny, a town famous for its markets and its food. Matt Baker is looking at the history and heritage of the old mining town of Blaenavon, seeing how the old spoil heaps have become rich habitat for a surprising number of creatures. The spoil heaps have also been made into a world-class BMX bike trail - Matt takes on some local young people in a time trial. He also sees how one old pit is now producing cheese rather than coal. Julia Bradbury is combining her love of food and art; she is at the Abergavenny Food Festival, where a group of artistically minded local people get together to make huge sculptures based on the food on show. Julia also explores the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal, and joins the team of volunteers restoring the waterway and bringing it back to life. Helen Skelton is in Scotland, meeting two of the contestants in this year's One Man and His Dog. John Craven heads to Essex to surprise the winner of this year's photographic competition - and to launch the Countryfile Calendar for 2014. Tom Heap is in Lincolnshire, investigating the criminal gangs behind widespread illegal hare coursing in the countryside.
In this special edition of Countryfile, John Craven is in Somerset where something strange is going on: a mast. Once every ten years or so, trees, shrubs and hedgerows all produce a super abundance of fruit. John finds out it is nature's way of compensating for bad seasons. He then heads for the hedgerows, where amongst the blackberries he finds the odd wild apple tree - the result of casually discarded apple cores. He starts picking and soon has enough to take along to a community apple pressing event, where he catches up with the original cider-drinking superstars, The Wurzels. During his Wild Harvest, John looks back at some of the best of all things autumnal to have featured on Countryfile. Like the time Matt hooked up with Antony Worrall Thompson to celebrate British sweet chestnuts. Or when Julia got a lesson in the science of autumn from BBC weatherman John Hammond. And the time Ellie went to Wales to discover the dark arts of mushroom growing.
John Craven visits the remote and strange landscape of Crummack Dale in the Yorkshire Dales. Here he learns about the Norber Erratics - giant boulders scattered after the last ice age, which have inspired painters, poets and dancers. And in a Countryfile exclusive he witnesses the first ever release of captive bred native crayfish anywhere in the UK. Ellie Harrison is in Kent, discovering the old industrial sites that are amongst the best nature reserves in the country. Tom Heap investigates whether our love of foraging is threatening the countryside. And Helen Skelton and Adam Henson meet more contestants taking part in this year's One Man and His Dog competition.
For the first time, Countryfile is home to the BBC's One Man and His Dog competition, showcasing the time-honoured skills and traditions of sheep dog trialling. The very best sheep dogs and their handlers from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales compete to become the 2013 champions. Matt Baker takes to the commentary box to take us through all the trialling action. Julia Bradbury finds out if the collie really is the brains in the operation, or if the simple sheep has been pulling the wool over our eyes. And Adam is in Bala in North Wales - the birthplace of sheep dog trialling - helping farmers bring down more than 900 Welsh mountain sheep from the hills.
The team are in the county of Hertfordshire. When Matt Baker and his family moved to the county 18 months ago, they took on an orchard of 16 apple trees along with their new house. Matt brings in the experts to learn how to look after his new orchard, and discovers what varieties of apples it might hold. Julia Bradbury is exploring the Hertfordshire countryside, which inspired the world-famous sculptor Henry Moore. His love of the landscape was evident in his work - especially his love of sheep, as Julia soon finds out. Ellie Harrison is also in Hertfordshire. looking at the wildlife hidden in its reservoirs. The dumping of rubbish on farmland is costing millions of pounds a year in clean-up costs - and damaging the environment. Tom Heap investigates the scale of the problem and finds out what is being done to stamp it out. Adam Henson is away from his farm and in Cornwall, helping to reintroduce sheep to the mystical ruins of Tintagel Castle - not an easy task, as he soon finds out.
On this week's programme, the team are in the wilds of Cannock Chase in Staffordshire. Julia Bradbury explores how with more than two million visitors a year coming on foot, mountain bike and horseback, volunteers are key to managing the landscape. She'll also be at the ancestral home of the Earl of Lichfield, Shugborough Hall, seeing how the local council manage a stately home. Matt Baker is celebrating the centenary of Staffordshire's county council farms. He joins in at milking time for first time farmers Giles and Emily and has a surprise for one farmer who first appeared on Countryfile as a teenager in 1995. As Countryfile marks Remembrance Sunday, Jules Hudson looks at the role Cannock Chase played as a training ground for troops. From the spread of Spanish slugs to disease resistant ash trees, Tom Heap is finding out why more and more organisations are using the public to gather and analyse huge amounts of information about the countryside. But can people power ever be as effective as the work of trained professionals? Adam Henson is in Ireland. This year the country has suffered its worst ever fodder crisis. Adam meets the man who thinks he's got the solution, he can grow fresh green fodder every day of the year - whatever the weather!
The team are in the coastal county of Suffolk. Julia Bradbury celebrates the centenary of the birth of one of our greatest composers, Benjamin Britten. He was inspired by many aspects of the Suffolk countryside, so Julia spends some time looking at one of his less well known operas, Curlew River. Matt Baker is with some of the county's best loved but rarest farm animals, the magnificent Suffolk Punch heavy horse. Ellie Harrison is also in Suffolk, meeting some alpacas on a farm where they are ultrasounding the pregnant mothers to be. Julia Bradbury is also looking for wildlife in an unlikely place, Sizewell B Nuclear Power Station. Tom Heap is in Scotland, finding out why hill farmers think they are going to get a raw deal in the future. Then he heads to Wales, where upland farmers are challenging the controversial view that they should no longer receive subsidies. Adam Henson is away from his Cotswold farm this week and is in Wales, where a young woman has won a competition to run a sheep farm in Snowdonia for a year - as Adam arrives, she is just taking in her first load of ewes.
Countryfile looks at the part the landscape has played in making scientific breakthroughs, and the way in which such breakthroughs have changed our understanding of the land we live in. John Craven heads to Wytham Woods, Oxford University's 'laboratory with leaves'. It is 70 years since Charles Elton first made scientific observations in these woods; John walks in his footsteps to find out how Elton's work still plays a part in shaping our ideas of the world, and meets the scientists carrying his work forward. John also looks back at the best of Countryfile's forays into the world of science, including Matt Baker's look at the pioneer of natural history; Gilbert White and Julia Bradbury's trip to the coast to uncover the story of the palaeontologist and fossil collector, Mary Anning; the time when Adam learned how Hollywood wizardry is helping scientists breed the perfect pig; and when Tom Heap found out how robotics could transform farming in the future.
John Craven looks at the mineral Blue John hidden deep underground in the Peak District. Ellie Harrison tests out part of the 2014 Tour de France cycle race route.
The team are in rural Cheshire. Matt Baker finds out about agricultural apprentices and Tom Heap asks whether we should be building more affordable houses in rural areas.
Countryfile is in North Cornwall, and Helen Skelton finds out why artists, writers and poets flock there for inspiration. Meanwhile Matt Baker helps catch a fallow deer.
The Countryfile team celebrate the festive season with a woodland Christmas at Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire as they switch on the holiday illuminations.
Ellie Harrison explores the plight of some of Britain's most endangered animals and looks back at some classic Countryfile moments.
2014
John Craven looks at the year ahead, visits the Killerton Estate and introduces some choice Countryfile films from the last few years.
A visit to Conan Doyle's Surrey home. Plus Leicester longwool sheep, an artist who loves horses, and David Cameron's pledge to discourage new developments near villages.
Julia Bradbury and John Hammond learn why the UK gets the unique winters it does. Landscape artist Andy Goldsworthy visits Dumfries and Galloway to create a new work of art.
Ellie Harrison and John Craven visit Pembrokeshire's Gwaun Valley and Preseli Hills. Ellie discovers Iron Age treasures, and John samples the local homebrew.
The Countryfile team is in Worcestershire. Matt Baker visits Witley Court, while Helen Skelton meets the creatures of the Wyre Forest and cooks up a Malvern pudding.
The Countryfile team is in the Lake District, looking in detail at some of the locations featured in the opening titles of the programme.
The Countryfile team visits the rural county of Wiltshire. Matt Baker visits a pig farm, and Julia Bradbury looks at the birds that call the UK home in the winter months.
Countryfile is on the Isle of Portland, off the Dorset coast. Matt Baker visits Portland's lighthouses, while Julia Bradbury explores the famous Portland stone quarries.
In Kent, Matt Baker island hops to Elmley Marshes on the Isle of Sheppey, Ellie Harrison explores Knole House in Sevenoaks and John Craven finds out about Kentish blue cheese.
Ellie Harrison meets scientists bringing endangered conifer species back to Scotland and also discovers what impact beavers are having on the countryside.
The Countryfile team head to Somerset, which has taken a battering from the winter storms. Matt Baker meets the locals who have come together to create a silage food bank.
Ellie Harrison sees how the beaches of Norfolk are bouncing back from December's storm surge and looks back at some of Countryfile's best beach-themed stories.
Countryfile is in the beautiful County Durham, where Matt Baker helps his mother with lambing, and Ellie Harrison learns about the farmsteads of Weardale.
Countryfile has an exclusive interview with the Princess Royal at her home, Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire; and Ellie Harrison meets the experts at Kew Gardens.
The Countryfile team visit the Merseyside coast around Southport. Matt Baker looks at the history of shrimping in the area, and Ellie Harrison visits a family potato farm.
The team head to the Isles of Scilly. Ellie Harrison looks at the problem of rats on the islands, while Matt Baker helps transport 50 ducklings to a duck farm.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison go in search of the great icons of Yorkshire. Tom Heap asks if eating horse meat could help solve the crisis over abandoned horses.
Ellie Harrison explores some of Britain's most spectacular hills and mountains, revealing that an iconic mountain is up for sale.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison are in the Lee Valley, the green lung of London. Ellie takes to the water to see what is being done to clean up its chalk streams.
Special edition of Countryfile. Ellie Harrison listens to the dawn chorus, Matt Baker searches for cranes, and Adam Henson goes on a voyage of discovery with John Hammond.
Countryfile is in Shropshire, where Matt Baker discovers the garden that inspired Charles Darwin's thinking and Ellie Harrison learns of a special restoration project.
In Buckinghamshire, Matt Baker visits Waddesdon Manor and learns about the Rothschild family, while Ellie Harrison discovers creatures great and small.
Helen Skelton is in Snowdonia looking at how the landscape has undergone many transformations down the ages, it is an area that has never stood still.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison are in Port Talbot in South Wales. Ellie has a go at the country's fastest-growing watersport. Matt is in pursuit of an unusual animal.
Ellie Harrison and John Craven are in and around Oxenhope in West Yorkshire. They see how the county is gearing up for the start of the Tour de France.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison visit Lincolnshire, where Matt meets one of the last surviving members of the Dambusters squadron and Ellie hunts for the man orchid.
Countryfile is in the Peak District where John Craven is on the set of the BBC drama, The Village, and Tom Heap looks at the value of the British shooting industry.
Countryfile is in Gower, south Wales, where Matt Baker explores Whiteford Burrows and explodes previously unearthed World War II ordnance on the sands with the MOD.
Countryfile takes a trip down memory lane with the legend John Craven as he celebrates 25 years on the show.
Matt Baker joins foragers scouring the coast of Cornwall for free food and Anita Rani makes an explosive entrance in her first show as she blasts 26,000 tonnes of rock.
The Countryfile team head to the Cotswold County Show in Cirencester for a celebration of the best of rural Britain, bringing along special guests.
John Craven and Shauna Lowry head for the Sperrin Mountains, James Wong has the latest from the Grow Wild campaign and Adam Henson explores the world of ticks.
John Craven and Anita Rani are in Herefordshire exploring the county's burgeoning foodie culture. John meets Simon Cutter, a farmer breeding pure Hereford cattle.
In this bank holiday edition of the programme Helen Skelton looks at how the British countryside has shaped childhoods down the ages.
Jules Hudson and Ellie Harrison are in Staffordshire exploring its wide open moorlands and the imposing millstone grit ridges of the Roaches.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison are in the Black Country, where they visit 18th-century English gardens Hagley Park and the Leasowes and the mysterious Kinver Rock Houses.
Countryfile is in Norfolk, where Jules Hudson is given access to MOD training grounds in the Brecklands and Anita Rani meets an artist who paints the workers of the land.
Countryfile is in Devon, where Matt Baker explores Dartmoor and Anita Rani meets a sculptor who is inspired by the ancient trees in the Devon landscape.
Countryfile plays host to the One Man and His Dog sheepdog trials, and Matt Baker and Helen Skelton present all the action from Byland Abbey.
Matt finds out how the latest technology is helping farmers get the harvest in quickly and efficiently and John announces the winner of the year's photographic competition.
John Craven explores the life and work of the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams and looks back at some other best bits of Countryfile that featured music.
In this seasonal special the team look at how autumn marks a time of transformation for the wildlife, landscape and communities of the countryside.
Matt and Ellie are in Northumberland, where they visit Hadrian's Wall and experience some of the best dark skies in England.
The team are on the Isle of Wight, where Matt Baker strolls along the oldest pier in the UK and Ellie Harrison visits Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's private beach.
In an extended programme for Remembrance Sunday, Countryfile explores the First World War's lasting legacy on the landscape of the western front.
Ellie Harrison looks back through the Countryfile archive to revisit the crafts of the countryside. She also visits Acton Scott, a historic working farm.
Countryfile is in Berkshire. John Craven visits the county's agricultural college, Shauna Lowry is in the valley of the racehorse and Sanjida O'Connell walks the Ridgeway.
Countryfile is in Lancashire. John Craven explores one of the county's hidden jewels and Ellie Harrison investigates the sculptural art of the area.
John Craven and Helen Skelton are in East Sussex, where Helen discovers a long-forgotten chronicler of the county's rural past and John takes a stroll around Batemans.
Ellie Harrison and Matt Baker are in the Clwydian range which spans Denbighshire and Flintshire in North Wales, where Matt joins the team cutting back heather.
The Countryfile team go out and about at Christmas before meeting up at the Christmas market in Bath.
John Craven is on the South Downs gathering goodies to throw his own festive party, toasting the taste of the South Downs.
2018
Matt Baker is in the Gisburn Forest and meets the people who make the most of what nature has to offer here. Anita Rani is on a farm which is looking to the future.
In the Somerset Levels, Matt Baker is on the hunt for the common crane, a bird that has been brought back from the brink and which now thrives in the area.
Anita Rani visits Leicester University's herbarium to investigate the city's plants' past, present and future, and Tom Heap looks at the rural fire services.
Matt Baker visits a farm in Crieff to meet two brothers from a family famous in the sport of curling, discovering how Olympic training fits around farming.
Matt Baker meets the Dorset man championing local winter produce. Anita Rani finds out how making jewellery inspired by nature can improve the winter blues.
Ellie Harrison and Matt Baker are in Cambridgeshire, where Matt looks at a huge project to turn a quarry into the UK's biggest reed bed.
Matt Baker and Anita Rani are in Anglesey, where Matt is on the lookout for harbour porpoises and Anita finds out what's behind the boom in Menai mussels.
Matt Baker and Helen Skelton are in Derbyshire, where Matt is exploring the boom in farming alpacas. Tom Heap looks at illegal abattoirs.
Helen Skelton is at Kielder Water in Northumberland, exploring the ways in which water shapes our lives. Plus watery worlds from the Countryfile archive.
Matt Baker visits St Abbs - a community who refused to let their lifeboat service go under.
Ellie Harrison is in Pembrokeshire looking at the effect of recent storms on the coastline. Adam Henson is in Scotland exploring the mystery behind some missing upland sheep. Tom Heap looks at the problems faced by the UK's sheep farmers and asks why people have fallen out of love with lamb.
Matt Baker immerses himself in Shropshire Wildlife Trust's Love Your Rivers project. It's a huge conservation operation, involving 12 organisations.
Matt, Anita and Joe Crowley are in West Yorkshire where Matt meets Dr Ryad Alsous, a refugee from Syria whose love of bees has helped him forge a new life here.
Sean Fletcher and Naomi Wilkinson are in the wilds around Loch Ness. They travel to to Glenurquhart where they go head to head in a game of shinty.
Matt Baker and Anita Rani are in West Cumbria where Matt takes a wild and bracing walk along a brand new section of the England Coast Path on Walney Island near Barrow.
Anita Rani is in Norfolk meeting the people keeping some of the UK's vanishing trades alive, including a millwright and a reed cutter.
Matt Baker is in Cornwall to meet Julian Jackson, who lost his sight in 2010 and is raising money for a vision charity by walking from Land's End to John O'Groats.
Anita Rani is in Rothbury, being put through her paces with the mountain rescue team and hearing how new technologies are helping search-and-rescue operations.
The team are in Hampshire, where Matt Baker hears about a project championing the use of local wood. John Craven hears how oysters are being reintroduced to the Solent.
Ellie Harrison meets the designer who's creating a celebratory 30th anniversary Countryfile garden for the Hampton Court Flower Show.
To celebrate 65 years since Her Majesty's coronation, Countryfile, also celebrating its 30th anniversary, has been given unprecedented access to the Queen's Windsor estate.
To celebrate 65 years since HM the Queen's coronation, Countryfile has been given unprecedented access to the Queen's Balmoral estate.
To celebrate 65 years since Her Majesty's coronation, Countryfile visits the Queen's Sandringham estate. Adam Henson looks into the farming history of Sandringham.
Sean Fletcher, Margherita Taylor and Steve Brown are in Northern Ireland. John Craven launches the Countryfile Photographic Competition with Cerys Matthews.
In West Sussex, Matt explores the phenomenon of 'champing' - where people pay to stay in churches - and Ellie meets Maya Leonard, a self-proclaimed insect activist.
Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor are in Dorset, where Matt spends time at Lorton Meadows, a nature reserve renowned for its birds of prey.
Ellie Harrison and Sean Fletcher explore the grounds and surrounds of Hampton Court Palace, which is home to the last stable of working shire horses in London.
Sean Fletcher introduces his 'seven wonders of Wales' - the mountains, hill farming, heritage, wildlife, castles, food and the coastline.
To celebrate Countryfile's 30th anniversary, John Craven takes us through 30 of the most memorable moments from the programme from the past three decades.
In Exmoor, Margherita Taylor meets those doing all they can to restore the habitat, and numbers, of the UK's most endangered butterfly - the high brown fritillary.
John, Margherita and Steve are in East Yorkshire where John takes a trip down memory lane to the seaside holidays of his youth.
Matt, Ellie and Steve are in Nottinghamshire where Matt reports on the plight of the original Bramley apple tree and there's a double hit of wildlife from Ellie.
The team are at Countryfile Live, set in the stunning grounds of Blenheim Palace. Steve Brown goes backstage at the first ever British charcuterie awards.
Matt and Margherita are in north Wales where Matt discovers how miniature technology could tell us more about the habits of one of our best-loved insects.
Steve Brown goes on a tour of the Isle of Sheppey. A flat landscape typified by saltmarsh, sea and big skies, this is a wilderness full of wildlife.
Anita Rani and John Craven visit Essex. Anita hears how timber that has travelled around the world from the tropics to the UK is being up-cycled and repurposed.
Helen Skelton visits a farm in York to hear how carrots are in crisis. The extremes of weather have lead to the lowest yields for decades and the highest levels of imports.
The British Isles' top shepherds and their collies descend on the small village of Llansteffan in south Wales as we host Countryfile's One Man and His Dog 2018.
The team are in Herefordshire visiting a habitat creation project, harvesting hops and learning about the new-found popularity of a medieval apple drink called verjuice.
Ellie Harrison takes a look at the state of the country's wildlife - the pressures it is under, the challenges it faces and the prospects for vulnerable species.
Ellie Harrison is in Derbyshire to explore ideas for a different day out, including building a makeshift raft and taking in an arts trail.
Matt Baker is on the Isle of Skye otter spotting, Anita Rani visits the Ards Peninsular, and Steve Brown experiences the beauty of autumn leaves in miniature.
The fourth annual Countryfile Ramble for BBC Children in Need features the show's presenters leading rambles across the UK, joined by viewers and inspirational youngsters.
Countryfile visits Worcestershire, where Matt Baker finds out about plans to save Pershore Lock Island and encourage more wildlife to live there.
Countryfile visits East Sussex, where Sean Fletcher meets the family with a passion for poultry.
Countryfile visits Cambridgeshire, where Anita Rani is at the 40th annual hedge-laying competition and meets a painter who finds trees totally inspiring.
Countryfile is in Suffolk, where John Craven takes to the water to meet the Walberswick ferrywomen. He also finds out about the age-old craft of pargetting.
Countryfile is in County Durham, where Helen Skelton finds out about the traditional rapper dance of the region and Steve Brown finds out about fancy pigeon showing.
John Craven, Helen Skelton and Margherita Taylor are on the Isle of Wight, where John meets the amateur dinosaur hunter finding new prehistoric creatures.
In the Cairngorms, Matt Baker meets Tilly Smith and her herd of 150 reindeer, whose grazing habits are being studied by scientists to assess their environmental impact.
Matt Baker and the team are in the small village of Elsdon in Northumberland, where preparations are in full swing for a big Christmas bash.
Anita Rani is in Yorkshire celebrating some of the many remarkable women who have been featured on the programme over the years.
2017
Anita Rani travels to Malham Cove in the Yorkshire Dales. Plus she looks back at some famous faces who shared special places in the British countryside.
Countryfile is in Shropshire, where Matt Baker is exploring the highs and lows of a landscape shaped by the miners who once called this place home.
Countryfile is in Carmarthenshire, where Matt Baker explores the explosive history of the sand dunes and Helen Skelton visits the National Botanic Garden of Wales.
Countryfile is on the Jurassic Coast, where Matt Baker meets the man who's been digging for fossils for more than thirty years.
Countryfile is exploring the Peak District. Matt Baker joins the team on a mission to restore the scarred moorland.
Matt is up at the crack of dawn at the RSPB reserve at Snettisham on the north Norfolk coast to witness thousands of pink-footed geese taking flight.
Ellie Harrison is on a winter wildlife safari in the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland. In Filey, John Craven hears the history behind the fisherman's gansey.
Ellie abseils with a team from the National Trust to help give Cheddar Gorge its annual clean-up and make sure there are no loose rocks.
Joe takes a trip back in time on the oldest horse-drawn tram in the world and visits the farm where magnificent horses get to live out their days.
The team explore the South Downs. Matt Baker meets the pony who's blazing a trail. Helen Skelton discovers why dark skies are important for wildlife.
Adam Henson is in Snowdonia to discover how farming has changed in the past 60 years, with the help of some recently unearthed BBC archive.
Matt Baker and Anita Rani are on the Hoo Peninsula in Kent, and Tom Heap looks at what leaving the EU could mean for the UK's agricultural migrant labour force.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison visit Denbighshire in north east Wales. Ellie is up at the crack of dawn to witness the spring mating rituals of grouse.
Matt is in the New Forest taking part in an inventory of trees. Ellie is in Inverness-shire seeing what industrial-scale timber production looks like.
Matt, Anita and John are in Holderness in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Matt is on Spurn Point, which is now the country's newest island.
In Lancashire, Matt Baker learns all about the age-old Easter tradition of pace egg rolling and Anita Rani takes to the hills to follow the Lancashire Witches Walk.
Countryfile is in County Durham, and Matt is on his old home turf, showing how to make panackelty, a traditional north-eastern dish.
For Hedgehog Awareness Week, Ellie Harrison meets three schoolgirls on a mission to keep the hedgehogs of Warwickshire safe from harm.
Ellie Harrison reveals how the landscape has been shaped by rivers, meeting those who live, work and play on the banks of the Severn.
Matt Baker hears about the plans the Suffolk Wildlife Trust are making for their biggest-ever land purchase in the charity's 55 years.
Matt Baker explores the rise and fall of the Clyde valley in Lanarkshire as a major force in Scotland's food industry. Ellie Harrison meets an urban beekeeper.
In a spring special edition of the programme Countryfile goes in search of the secret and often overlooked wonders of the season.
Matt and Ellie are in Essex where Matt jumps aboard the Pioneer, a fully restored Essex oyster boat, and Steve Brown finds out what it's like to fire an English longbow.
Joe Crowley is just south of Belfast, where he joins an RSPB team tagging swifts to find out where they are feeding. Joe Crowley is just south of Belfast, where he joins an RSPB team tagging swifts to find out where they are feeding.
At the Hay Festival, Ellie Harrison goes on a wildlife safari and Sean is on a literary adventure with a group drawing inspiration from the Wye Valley countryside.
Sean Fletcher is in Carmarthenshire in west Wales taking a look at working animals. He meets one of the world's leading experts on birds of prey.
Ellie joins a family who have set up a traditional cottage industry producing natural elderflower cordials and presses, and tracks lesser horseshoe bats in Worcester.
John Craven meets enthusiasts Matthew and Neil as they create a truly disgusting butterfly banquet to try and catch a glimpse of the purple emperor.
Ellie Harrison crosses the Firth of Forth to witness the seasonal spectacle of guillemots, kittiwakes and puffins jostling for position on the Isle of May.
Anita meets the contestants of the International Young Beekeepers competition at Marlborough College and visits the River Kennet.
Anita Rani is in London at the remarkable Woodberry Wetlands, a haven for all sorts of wildlife just a stone's throw from the tower blocks of Stoke Newington.
Ellie Harrison visits a Bristol herb garden to find out about a plant that is on the front line in the fight against cancer.
Anita Rani explores the Artisan Trail in Dartmoor, a newly created route that links some of the area's best artists and craftspeople.
Anita Rani explores the Artisan Trail in Dartmoor, a newly created route that links some of the area's best artists and craftspeople.
On the Llyn Peninsula, Ellie goes snorkelling to explore the rich seagrass habitat underwater. Steve meets the dairy farmers who produce and deliver their own milk.
Countryfile looks at how food is harvested, from large-scale crops for supermarket shelves to smaller hand-picked harvests for local markets.
Ellie Harrison visits Mount Edgcumbe on Cornwall's Rame Peninsula, where the UK's first ever native dark honeybee reserve has just opened.
To mark it becoming a Unesco World Heritage Site, Ellie explores what makes the Lake District an area of international cultural significance.
The best shepherds and their dogs from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales go head to head for the coveted One Man and His Dog 2017 title.
Ellie is in South Yorkshire, right on the border of the Peak District, following in the footsteps of the Clarion Ramblers.
Prince Charles talks about why he stepped in to save Dumfries House in East Ayrshire and his vision of how it can be used to help the local community.
Thirty years on from the Great Storm of 1987, Ellie Harrison visits Wakehurst Place in West Sussex to learn how it dealt with the devastation.
John and Margherita are in Cornwall, where John attends a food festival with a difference. Plus a profile of Cornish artist David Hosking.
A special programme following the team as they lead the way on rambles of their own through some of Britain's best landscapes, all in aid of Children in Need.
Matt Baker crunches through the leaves to find out about a new charter to protect woodlands, and Ellie Harrison meets Skomer's new seal pups.
Ellie Harrison finds out about the so-called 'Idle' women of the canals, who played a vital role in the Second World War.
Countryfile is in Hertfordshire, where Charlotte Smith meets the man who's made it his sole mission to save the barbel in the Old River Lea.
Joe Crowley is at Britain's largest national nature reserve, Mar Lodge, and he is on the search for ptarmigan at the top of a mountain.
Helen Skelton and Sean Fletcher are on the Cleveland Way in Yorkshire. Helen meets the team of Scouts who have 'adopted' their own stretch of the 109-mile trail.
Ellie Harrison finds out about a conservation effort to save two species from extinction in Breckland, on the Norfolk-Suffolk border.
Ellie Harrison sees her home county of Gloucestershire as she has never seen it before. And Nina Wadia explores the Highlands.
In this Christmas special, Matt Baker, John Craven and Anita Rani are in Castleton in the Peak District, where the Christmas tree festival is in full swing.
In New Zealand, Adam Henson meets some old friends, helps with a cattle muster and witnesses sheep farming on a breathtaking scale.
2019
Adam Henson looks at the harsh reality of being a rural vet in the depths of winter. He also looks back at the trials and tribulations of one the country's largest practices.
Matt Baker is exploring the magnificent Leeds Castle as it celebrates its 900th anniversary. He tries his hand at a spot of falconry with the castle's resident birds of prey.
Matt Baker discovers the incredible work of a care farm in Wiltshire which is changing children's lives. Anita Rani tastes a local cheese with a long heritage.
Turner Prize-winning artist Rachel Whiteread shows us her sculpture, commissioned to mark the Forestry Commission's centenary.
Steve Brown visits Lower Moss Wood nature reserve in Cheshire to meet the volunteers and is shown the specialist hospital unit.
The team reveal how the countryside is full of life even in the coldest of months. Steve Brown discovers the challenges faced by barn owls during winter.
In Devon, Matt Baker looks at the work of James Ravilious, who spent years photographing the Devon countryside, and meets one of the farmers who appeared in the photos.
Matt and Helen are in Gloucestershire where Matt pays a visit to the world-famous Slimbridge wetland reserve to see how a massive multi-million-pound refurbishment is going.
Matt and Ellie explore Cheshire and a wildlife haven in the Wirral, and Hannah Cockroft travels to beautiful North Uist in the Outer Hebrides.
Matt Baker and Helen Skelton are in Somerset, and in a special film for Comic Relief, Sir Tony Robinson visits a charity that’s making a real difference to people’s lives.
In north west Wales, Joe Crowley visits a sheep farm and meets its striking new arrivals. Margherita Taylor discovers the Welsh names for the local flora and fauna.
Sean is in Oxfordshire meeting farmers with a passion for our more unusual produce, from picklers to cheesemakers.
Countryfile is exploring Surrey, where Matt Baker meets the women who have inspired generations of conservationists and Helen Skelton visits a biodynamic vineyard.
Matt Baker, John Craven and Margherita Taylor mark the 70th anniversary of the creation of our national parks.
Matt meets the farmer using a no-till method of raising crops to help save our soils, while Ellie is on the trail of Shropshire’s Clun sheep.
Matt is in Panshanger Park in Hertfordshire, seeing how an old quarry has become one of the best places for wildlife in the county.
Matt Baker is at Morecambe Bay to meet caravan enthusiasts celebrating 100 years of caravanning history, while John Craven tries his hand at sheep shearing.
With sea levels rising and ferocious waves battering our coasts, Ellie Harrison finds out what it’s like living on the edge of land and sea all year round.
Anita Rani is in Aberdeenshire meeting a family with a passion for Highland cattle, and Joe Crowley investigates the rapidly falling number of wild Atlantic salmon.
This month marks 200 years since Queen Victoria’s birth, so Countryfile is exploring the Victorian fascination with nature and the great outdoors.
The team are in Derbyshire. Matt Baker joins a group who have been restoring Chesterfield’s canals, Anita Rani visits Tissington and Steve Brown learns how we can help pollinators.
Matt Baker learns about a scheme to create new structures from the fabric of the land, while Tom Heap asks whether our countryside has become a tax haven for the super-rich.
Anita and Matt are in Hampshire celebrating our chalk streams, while Adam and Charlotte meet the last of the three contenders for our Farming Hero Award.
Matt Baker visits the beautiful Hardcastle Crags near Hebden Bridge, and John Craven launches this year's photographic competition.
In Lincolnshire, Ellie kicks back in a bar where it’s not drinks on the menu but clouds! Meanwhile, Adam looks at what Brexit could mean for our farmers.
Machynlleth is the first town in Wales to declare a climate emergency. Anita sees how the community is doing its bit in the fight against a warming planet.
The team are at the Royal Highland Show celebrating the best that rural Scotland has to offer, including the Arbroath smokie and an award-winning Scottish gin.
John Craven visits the secluded Luton Hoo estate, once a training ground for land girls, and Tom Heap looks at new forms of environmental campaigning.
Anita Rani visits the Antony Estate on the Rame Peninsula, John Craven visits an off-grid camp in Truro, and Tom Heap meets farmers caught up in the bovine TB outbreak.
The team is in Gloucestershire to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Riding for the Disabled Association. Interviewed, Princess Anne talks of her long association with the RDA.
John and Margherita are in Norfolk, where John is up at the crack of dawn to help with a release back into the wild of one of our rarest birds, the corncrake.
Countryfile visits Perthshire, where Matt visits Cultybraggan, a former prisoner of war camp that is now a thriving community of artisans and food producers.
Sean is in the Lake District taking a look at some of the jobs working animals do, and we take another look at working animals we’ve featured in the past.
Matt Baker marks the centenary of the death of Joseph Arch, a farm labourer who founded the first national farm workers' union and later became an MP.
This special programme looks back at how the wartime evacuation of children to the countryside shaped the lives of a whole generation.
This week the team are in Northumberland. Helen Skelton visits the Blyth Tall Ship scheme, where students from disadvantaged areas are taught traditional boat-building skills.
Ellie Harrison joins volunteers restoring the Cerne Abbas Giant, and Charlotte Smith investigates the true scale of domestic abuse in the countryside.
The best shepherds from across the British Isles descend on the Scottish Borders to find out which nation has what it takes to claim the coveted title of One Man and His Dog 2019.
Joe Crowley is in Cumbria exploring the Lakes’ wild side, and Charlotte investigates the rise of far-right extremism in the countryside.
Helen Skelton learns about the history and traditions of harvesting, and we revisit the times when our presenters got stuck in to help harvest this country's varied produce.
Joe Crowley, Anita Rani and Ellie Harrison explore the wildlife and naval history of Wembury, near Plymouth, while Tom Heap tracks the gangs stealing village cashpoints.
In the Forest of Dean, Matt Baker is on the hunt for the elusive adder, while Margherita Taylor meets a local brass band and visits Puzzlewood.
Matt Baker leads the fifth annual Countryfile Ramble for BBC Children in Need.
John Craven takes a walk in the footsteps of the poet John Keats and explores the landscape that inspired his poem To Autumn, written 200 years ago this autumn.
Matt Baker helps the Essex Wildlife Trust with their first ever winter fish survey on Fingringhoe Wick, a newly created stretch of saltmarsh.
The team are on the Balcaskie Estate in the East Neuk of Fife, where Charlotte Smith tries her hand at the fast-growing rural sport of competitive ploughing.
Matt Baker walks the Snowdonia slate trail, while Ellie Harrison finds out about the Outdoor Partnership, a project to get people outdoors and into the countryside.
Sean Fletcher and Helen Skelton explore the Tees Valley, while Tom Heap looks at whether enough is being done to protect UK farming and food production from flooding.
John Craven visits a wood in Wiltshire that has been ravaged by ash dieback, while Adam Henson is in Lincolnshire to see for himself the impact of the recent devastating floods.
Matt Baker joins a group of schoolchildren making their first visit to a farm, while Margherita Taylor meets the people preserving some of the UK's last box trees.
John Craven and the team are at Tyntesfield in Somerset, a stately pile that celebrates Christmas in high Victorian style.
Steve Brown is in Somerset celebrating the work that volunteers and communities do in our countryside. He spends the day on a community farm that's doing its bit for sustainability.
2020
Countryfile celebrates cottage industries, with Ellie Harrison meeting a woman who sells hand-crafted products all revolving around fire.
The team are at Welney Wildlife Reserve in Norfolk. Charlotte Smith helps out with the international swan census, and Sean Fletcher hears how mini donkeys are helping residents of a Welney care home. Steve Brown is on the trail of the elusive cranes that live in the washes around Welney. Margherita Taylor sees how the reserve's staff control flooding on the wetlands, and Sean Fletcher hears how mini donkeys are helping residents of a Welney care home. Tom Heap investigates the threat posed by the alien species making their way to our shores, and Adam Henson has designs on his own mini wetland down on the farm as he starts creating a dewpond.
The team are in Ballycastle, a coastal community on the north eastern tip of Ireland that's quickly becoming known for its local crafts and artisan food and drink. Margherita Taylor is on a small ‘forward-thinking farm’ that produces ethical and sustainable produce from animals that would other be considered waste products in the dairy industry. Joe Crowley catches up with a couple who produce award-winning smoked salmon and dulse seaweed, a popular local delicacy. Charlotte Smith goes on a red squirrel safari with a local school group, and Adam Henson welcomes new bull Black Prince to his farm.
This week, Countryfile is in the heart of the Peak District, where the pub is most definitely the hub! Anita Rani hears how the locals here saved Bamford’s village pub. It is now owned by the community and seems to be the epicentre of village life. Anita meets some of the locals and puts her best foot forward with a group of ramblers that meet here before exploring some of the stunning countryside that surrounds it. Sean Fletcher meets Luke Osborne, who is a grocer with a difference. He pulls together the best regional foods from farmers and local producers and delivers it to people in the wider rural community. Helen Skelton hangs out with a few more of the locals. When they are not propping up the bar in the village pub, some of them can be found dangling off rock faces! And the Peak has some of the top climbing spots in the country.
Although it's classed as Britain’s only 'desert' - and despite its bleak aspect in the depths of winter - the shingle headland of Dungeness is home to an incredible array of wildlife, plants and birdlife. Matt meets Owen Leyshon, who's been the warden of the national nature reserve here for the past 25 years, to find out more about the rich and diverse species that make Dungeness their home. He also discovers that this is a landscape on the move – one that is growing outward at a rate of up to two metres a year. Matt also joins a group of volunteers to tackle an important winter job that keeps some of the unique species here in tip-top condition – clearing bramble from the blackthorn bushes that grow on the headland.
Matt, Charlotte and Steve are on the Auchlyne Estate near Killin in Perthshire. It’s the first of four visits they’ll be making over the next year, charting life on the estate throughout the seasons. Matt meets Emma Paterson, the laird of the estate, to learn about its history and the plans for its future. He also gets a lesson in preparing their prized highland cattle for a show. Charlotte hooks up with Emma’s daughter Nicola for a spot of deerstalking and chats to gamekeeper Ian Dingwall about turning a profit from the venison. Steve is down by the river trying his hand at fly fishing for salmon, and there is a closer look at the life of Auchlyne’s resident handyman Dave Christie. Away from the estate Adam discovers that for one rare breed of sheep it’s already shearing time, and Tom goes back to the classroom to see if the next generation of farmers are being given the training they need.
Sean is in Essex meeting a farmer who has taken diversification to the next level. David Eagle has let the sea inundate acres of his farmland to create vital saltmarsh habitat for migratory birds, and already thousands of brent geese are making the most of his hospitality. David is also on trend with his sea buckthorn juice, made from the berries of hundreds of sea buckthorn shrubs he has planted. But Sean finds out that they are not so easy to harvest. Sean then dons his running shoes to take part in a farm run – a form of diversification designed to help those with stress. We also look back through the Countryfile archives at other farm diversification stories featured on the programme.
Matt, Ellie and Steve are in Shaftesbury in Dorset, where they take part in the town's celebrated snowdrop festival. Matt meets the growers and enthusiasts dedicated to the small white flowers. He discovers some of the rarer varieties and learns of the high prices some bulbs attract. Steve meets a potter whose snowdrop planters are in demand and who has his own special way of sourcing the clay he uses. Ellie finds out that there is more to spring flowers than just snowdrops. She goes on a seasonal stroll and sees some of the different plants whose early flowering is a blessing for insects. She then joins Matt and the townsfolk of Shaftesbury on a snowdrop-themed lantern parade that takes in the famous cobbled street, Gold Hill. Elsewhere, Adam meets a trailblazing vet, and Tom looks at whether the UK’s farmers can go carbon neutral by 2040.
This week the team are on the Gwent Levels. Matt Baker meets a group of fishermen who are still catching salmon the way it has been done there for centuries. Ellie Harrison is on the trail of a star species that has made an amazing comeback on the Levels. Tom Heap is looking at what is being done to ensure that those most in need in the countryside can access the healthiest fresh food, and it’s the calm before the lambing season storm down on Adam’s farm.
It’s International Women’s Day, and we’re in Somerset on the Holnicote Estate. Anita Rani meets Holly Purdey who farms with a baby on her back and her three-year-old as her farmhand. She’s part of a local Women in Farming group that aims to reduce the isolation often felt by women who live and work on farms. Meanwhile, Matt Baker finds out that the picturesque Holnicote Estate is at the beginning of an innovative river restoration project that is the first of its kind in the UK. It is also home to a new family of beavers. It's a busy day on Adam Henson's farm as he gets ready for the lambing season, and our special guest reporter, the 'Red Shepherdess' Hannah Jackson, looks at whether times have really changed for women in farming.
Countryfile visits Looe in Cornwall during Cornish Pasty Week. Margherita Taylor and Matt Baker meet the town's pasty makers and compete in a pasty-making competition. Margherita finds out more about the area's seal population and the fishermen who live and work on the shores. Adam Henson has his hands full as lambs start to arrive, and Tom Heap finds out if the UK's leading food-standards scheme is delivering when it comes to animal welfare.
Lake Vyrnwy in Wales is gearing up for the warmer spring days ahead, when there will be a huge increase in migratory birds and tourists. Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison immerse themselves in the landscape, discovering the history of this man-made Victorian reservoir. Ellie finds out about the bird species that make the surrounding forests and breathtaking moorland home. The Evans family farm the moorland for the RSPB, and Matt helps out as they gather in their ponies for health checks and get their ewes ready for lambing. Meanwhile, Adam, Charlotte and Tom are joining forces for a special report on what future global trade deals could mean for UK farming and food production.
Ellie is in the Lugg Valley in Herefordshire, where recent heavy floods have left their mark. Despite this, she is on the hunt for signs of spring - not least toads. She joins volunteers making sure the amorous amphibians can make it safely across main roads to their favoured spawning grounds. Ellie also meets members of the community who have just planted out their first forest garden, and she joins an artist who sees beauty in the flooded landscape.
It is all systems go in the lambing shed as Adam Henson and Helen Skelton work round the clock to help a Wirral farmer at one of his busiest times of the year. Meanwhile, Sean Fletcher is in Carmarthen discovering first-hand the rigours of lambing outdoors.
The Countryfile presenters take you on a trip down memory lane, as they pick out their favourite films from the archive, including Anita Rani surfing in Snowdonia, Ellie Harrison counting gannets, Matt Baker visiting an alpaca blood bank and Helen Skelton fell running. Adam will be on his farm finding out about the pecking order of his chickens, and as always, we’ll be celebrating the glory of the countryside that surrounds us and the people who make it so special.
In the first of a new-look Countryfile, Anita Rani is on her home patch discovering what the coronavirus lockdown means for Woodberry Wetlands and what the future holds for the animals of Hackney City Farm. Back at home, she gets stuck into reinvigorating her garden and cooks up a barbecue tandoori. Adam Henson is feeling the effects of the pandemic on farming, and Tom Heap investigates how a new British land army might work for our fruit and veg growers.
With the country still in lockdown, Matt Baker is on his home patch doing all the jobs he has not had time to do until now. He gets stuck in building a pond, meets a peregrine who lacks the confidence to hunt and gets crafty with the paint brushes in his back garden. Also in the programme, wildlife film-maker Jack Perks reveals the wonderful world beneath the surface of his garden pond, Adam has a lot of hungry mouths to feed on the farm, and in the first of a series of new films, Kate Humble takes us round her home village to find out how the community is pulling together in these challenging times.
Joe Crowley is on his home turf in north London, exploring the wonderful Lea Valley. He pays a visit to one of the UK’s biggest salad growers to see how Covid-19 is affecting them. He also heads to the mysterious gunpowder mills, its overgrown ruins a testament to past battles. As it is International Dawn Chorus Day, bird expert Adrian Thomas will be telling us what to listen out for. We hear from Hannah Jackson, the Red Shepherdess, about how she’s coping with the pandemic, and it is a race against time for Adam as he goes flat out to get his spring barley in.
Helen is staying close to home in West Yorkshire, finding out how current restrictions are affecting her community. She pays a visit to Harewood House to learn more about their conservation projects, and she drops in to meet some of the lonely residents of her local horse and donkey sanctuary, who are missing their regular volunteers. Local brothers and Olympic medallists Jonny and Alistair Brownlee demonstrate how to keep fit under lockdown, and Tom discovers how school closures have hit vital outdoor education. Adam steps in to help a nanny goat in distress, and we catch up with young naturalist Xander Johnston as he keeps an eye on local insect life on his daily walks.
Ellie Harrison is on her home turf in Gloucestershire. At the Slimbridge Wetland Centre she helps with important conservation work and gets a ringside seat to watch some kingfisher parents busy feeding their young. She also visits an ancient bluebell wood, exploring the treasures of the forest floor. Adam Henson reveals how his horses are helping to create a wildlife haven, and Tom Heap investigates how fly-tipping is blighting the countryside more than ever.
Sean Fletcher visits Hampton Court, not far from his west London home, seeing how the team there keep the gardens and grounds in top condition. There is no machinery here, though - it’s a team of magnificent shire horses that do the work. Sean meets the handlers and takes the reins as the horses start another shift, pulling and harrowing and preparing the grounds for the summer ahead. Back home, Sean gives us tips on how to stay fit during lockdown by building his very own home gym. Kate Humble reports from her Wye Valley home patch on how local food producers are rallying round during the crisis, and Adam turns out a new Gloucester calf onto spring pasture.
John Craven is at home in his garden where he gives us tips on what butterflies to look out for and how to get involved in a nationwide survey and he catches up with super fund-raiser Captain – now Colonel – Tom Moore to discover what role the countryside has played in his life. We also find out how Hannah Jackson, the Red Shepherdess, is getting on with her two new collie puppies as she puts them through their first paces as working dogs. And Adam Henson turns teacher as he brings his piglets to the country’s home-schooled children.
Steve Brown explores one of his favourite local haunts, Elmley Nature Reserve on the Isle of Sheppey, where swallows and swifts are gathering in their hordes, heralding the arrival of summer. Margherita Taylor is on the hunt for an invasive species of moth which threatens not just the oaks on Hampstead Heath in London but walkers too. On the farm, Adam’s horses are getting a hoof health check, and he catches up with top trainer Jonjo O’Neill to see how his racehorses are coping with life off the track. And wildlife film-maker Richard Taylor Jones hangs out with a busy vixen and her litter of playful cubs.
As well as tending to his crops, much of Adam Henson’s time on his Cotswold farm is devoted to caring for his animals. Each and every one of them is important to him, from his commercial flock of sheep to his chickens, his pigs and his ponies. Many have become much-loved Countryfile characters. We are dipping into the archive to rediscover some of Adam’s highs and lows with his marvellous
Anita Rani is in Epping Forest to find out about its past, its wildlife and to meet some of the people who look after it. She discovers the art of cattle whispering when she meets the herd of Longhorns that help to conserve the forest, and at dusk she goes on the trail of one of the UK’s rarest creatures. Wildlife film-maker Hamza Yassin gets up close to one of our best-loved seabirds, the puffin, near his home on the west coast of Scotland, Gareth Wyn Jones gives us a glimpse into his life as a hill farmer in Wales, and down on his farm Adam Henson has a shearing dilemma to solve.
As organisations like the National Trust open up to visitors again, Ellie Harrison is at Charlecote Park in Warwickshire, one of the great estates of the Elizabethan era. She’s rolling up her sleeves to help with Britain’s oldest managed flock of Jacob sheep and visits a working Georgian water mill that’s busier than ever, supplying the lockdown baking boom. Dwayne Fields investigates the challenges facing members of the BAME community living in the countryside, and Adam is judging entrants in an online livestock show.
Matt Baker explores the stretch of the Grand Union Canal that runs close to his home in the Chilterns. He meets those who live and work on the water and gets to grips with an engineering marvel that keeps the system flowing. Tom Heap investigates how farmers are adjusting to climate change, and with the help of Cerys Matthews and Simon King, John Craven launches this year’s Countryfile photo competition.
This week Anita Rani and Matt Baker are visiting The Blean, an ancient woodland in the heart of Kent, to get an exclusive look at a wilding project like no other. Matt comes face to face with the beast that will hopefully make this conservation scheme a reality – the bison - and Anita finds out about a sleepy success story: dormice are being breed here to boost the numbers in the wild. We also revisit the Auchlyne hunting estate in Scotland to catch up with Emma, the incoming laird. Deep in the wilds of Gloucestershire, we get a very special look at some of the UK’s most elusive creatures, pine martens, and down on Adam’s farm one of the driest springs on record is causing big problems.
Ellie Harrison and Tom Heap are in the Shropshire Hills to find out about an ambitious project to create a nature corridor between the two peaks of Long Mynd and Stiperstones. Tom meets a farmer who has become a convert to environmentally friendly regenerative farming, while Ellie goes in search of some rare and much misunderstood wildlife. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and with Brexit on the horizon, Charlotte Smith tests the strength of Britain’s food supply system. And could the pitter patter of tiny hoofs be on the horizon for Adam’s Suffolk Punch?
Countryfile visits Chichester Harbour, the only Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the UK that’s managed by a harbour authority. Matt Baker and Anita Rani discover how you balance the needs of a very busy harbour with those of nature and wildlife. While Matt is out on the water doing the daily rounds with the harbour master, Anita finds out about projects that help to protect the local populations of oysters, terns and seals. And Adam Henson’s Highland bull Archie might not have long left on the farm, but his legacy lives on…
Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor are at Wisley and Ockham Common on a mission to discover why heathland habitat like this needs to be prized and protected. Margherita goes in search of one of Britain’s rarest reptiles, the sand lizard, while Matt is on the hunt for one our strangest and most elusive birds, the nightjar. For Adam Henson, it is a time of new beginnings as he opens the farm park again to visitors and celebrates the arrival of a litter of rare piglets, and Tom Heap investigates whether brewers and hop growers can recover from the impact of coronavirus.
Day in, day out, our countryside is a hive of activity. Farmers grow our food, while guardians nurture our nature and wildlife. But you don’t have to dig too deep to discover the weird and the wonderful, as Ellie Harrison finds out. She is in the Cotswolds to visit Broadway Tower, a folly which sums up British eccentricity.untryside - such as the time Anita Rani met the farmer growing a crop of chairs, and when Margherita Taylor made microscopic art from nature.
Matt Baker and Anita Rani are in Northumberland in the beautiful coastal village and ancient English royal kingdom of Bamburgh. Matt is busy in the castle, which covers nine acres, discovering what it takes to safeguard it from the elements, while Anita digs into the secrets of bones dating back to the seventh century. Tom Heap investigates the new trend of escaping the city for the country – but at what cost? And on the farm, Adam goes head to head with his actor neighbour Robert Llewellyn to discover how green machines measure up to traditional diesel.
Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor visit the Somerleyton Estate in Suffolk to find out about an ambitious Wild East project aimed at turning East Anglia into a giant nature reserve. And it’s not just something that’s confined to the the 5,000-acre estate, as Steve Brown discovers. He is in the village of Risby, where residents are doing their bit no matter how small a patch they have. Margherita meets youngsters learning old rural skills to rescue Herringfleet smock mill, the last of its kind in this neck of the woods, and discovers why poo is key to otter communication. Meanwhile, Adam fears the worst for his winter barley as he starts harvesting.
Special guest Mary Berry reveals how farming and the countryside have influenced her life and career – and still do. Matt Baker is by her side to discover what inspired her during her childhood on her parents’ smallholding and the rural issues she holds dear today. Mary is a champion of small producers and local produce, but she loves her pigs too. Adam Henson is despatched to investigate the state of British pig farming, while Anita visits a school with a field-to-fork ethos. This is music to Mary’s ears, and something she would love to see rolled out across more schools across the country. And how will Matt fare when he has to cook for the UK’s queen of the kitchen?
Anita Rani goes back to her Yorkshire roots, exploring the lesser-known River Burn in the glorious Swinton Park estate. She discovers why we’ve fallen in love with fishing since lockdown and how the humble willow is the perfect weapon against river bank erosion. Meanwhile, there are competitions all round as Adam Henson meets this year’s One Man and His Dog competitors from Northern Ireland and Wales with their amazing sheepdogs, and John Craven joins Cerys Matthews and Simon King for the photographic competition as they all battle to get their favourites from the thousands of entries into the final twelve for the Childen in Need 2021 Countryfile.
Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor are in Stoke-on-Trent to learn about an ambitious scheme to bring the countryside into the heart of the city. Margherita finds out what it takes to move a stretch of the River Trent, while Matt meets the next generation of nature lovers as he glories in mud with some of the city’s youngest residents and their parents. In the light of the coronavirus pandemic, Tom investigates whether the UK is sufficiently armed against further threats of diseases that spread from animals to humans. And Adam meets another set of regional competitors vying to be crowned national One Man and His Dog champion.
Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith are with four of the UK’s top shepherds and their amazing sheepdogs for this year’s Countryfile One Man and His Dog competition. It is taking place on a tough course in the grounds of historic Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire, which really test man and dog alike. Coronavirus means things have to look a little different this year, with just one competitor from each home nation vying for glory. But this socially-distanced shepherding showdown is as testing and competitive as ever. The premier league of shepherding talent from England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland must battle it out over two rounds – the singles, where they run one dog, and the notoriously difficult brace, where they must work two dogs at the same time. Whoever gets the highest combined score secures the pride of their nation and the coveted One Man and His Dog title. Who has got what it takes?
Ellie Harrison and Joe Crowley are in the Lake District to celebrate the 250th anniversary of William Wordsworth’s birth. They discover how his sister Dorothy and her writings were as influential as the beauty around him. And while Wordsworth’s poetry may lure many of us to the lakes, visitors can mean extra challenges. So we’re also commemorating another significant anniversary - 50 years of Langdale and Ambleside Mountain Rescue. And Adam finds out where he might get the best prices for his rams - online or at a traditional livestock market?
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison visit south Devon, once the cider capital of England, to discover how orchards are being revived. Matt meets eighth-generation cider-makers who have as close an eye on conservation as they do in making the liquid gold, while Ellie finds out why one of Britain’s rarest bats is so at home in this particular part of the south west. Adam Henson is on a quest to ensure the survival of one of Britain’s rarest cattle breeds, the Albion, and Tom Heap investigates whether efforts to combat air pollution could come at a high cost to those rural communities already fighting fuel poverty.
It’s a harvest that will go down in history - downpours and drought, pests and a pandemic. Adam Henson takes us through the toughest harvest of his career on his Gloucestershire farm. Charlotte Smith picks grapes from sun-ripened Welsh vines, and Matt Baker races to keep up with the booming strawberry harvest in Yorkshire. Who will be the winners and losers of harvest 2020?
We could all do with a bit of adventure in our lives after the last few months - and what better place to find it than in our great British countryside! This week, Joe Crowley visits Box Hill in Surrey to take on its infamous zigzag cycle route – pitting himself against cycling Olympic gold medallist Joanna Rowsell Shand. And we go on an adrenalin-fuelled journey through the Countryfile archives in search of the some of the best thrills and spills in our countryside.
Matt and Ellie are in Wales, exploring how industry and conservation are working together to safeguard important habitats at Lake Vyrnwy. Ellie gets hands-on with woodland management in a bid to protect a rare day-flying moth, while Matt discovers the fascinating story of the Bank of the Black Ox. After a disappointing harvest, Adam hopes some new crops will make for an improved yield, and Charlotte investigates concerns that the UK’s environmental watchdogs aren’t doing enough to protect our wildlife and their habitats.
The Countryfile team head out for Children in Need Rambles like you’ve never seen before. In this 75-minute special of one-to-one rambles with inspirational youngsters from across the UK, Matt Baker goes canoeing, climbing and walking with bereaved teenager Harvey. We discover how a five-year-old has inspired Steve Brown to pit himself against the challenges of Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons. Margherita Taylor is in Northern Ireland with a youngster who has been helped with anxiety issues, while Anita Rani’s in Scotland to find out more about sibling support. Adam Henson rambles in the Cotswolds to learn how dogs are helping to transform the lives of two children, and John Craven catches up with ramblers supporting Children in Need – all putting their best foot forward up and down the country on Covid-safe sponsored rambles.
Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith are in Falmouth for the start of the oyster season, where successful hatching is down to the moon. They also discover how old traditions are being used in modern ways, from boat building to using horse power to manage an ancient landscape. Charlotte also helps out in the exotic gardens of Trelissick, and Adam Henson finds out why British turkey farmers could be in for tough time this Christmas.
The healing powers of the great outdoors have never been more valued than now, so Ellie Harrison visits Gloucestershire to discover just how our countryside can provide the perfect tonic in troubled times. From forest bathing to wild swimming, she immerses herself in nature. We also take a restorative visit to the Countryfile archives to rediscover the health-giving potential of the UK’s green havens. John Craven finds out how nature helped wartime wounds, Anita Rani visits a farm giving respite to refugees, and Steve Brown learns about the healing power of goats’ milk.
Anita Rani and Joe Crowley are in the Lincolnshire Wolds at historic South Ormsby, which has ambitions to be the finest farming estate in the world. They discover the entrepreneurial spirit driving the revival of the local rural economy, including two young women carving out new careers. Adam Henson has high hopes for an inner city teenage jockey competing in her first race, while Tom Heap investigates whether it's time to ditch the greenbelt.
Countryfile launches Plant Britain, an ambitious two-year challenge aimed at galvanising everyone in the nation to get planting. Matt Baker is in Cheshire, planting the very first trees in what will become the Countryfile Plant Britain wood, while Anita Rani is in her home town of Bradford, helping residents of the Canterbury Estate to plant trees in their front gardens and at the local primary school. Anita is also on her home turf in Hackney, discovering how her local area is going green with help from voluntary organisation Tree Musketeers. Margherita Taylor is at Wytham Woods in Oxfordshire, discovering exactly how trees capture carbon. Steve Brown is in Neath, south Wales, to learn which trees to plant in which location, while John Craven discovers a micro-forest close to his home and plants a simple window box to demonstrate how you can still do your bit even if your outdoor space may just be a window ledge.
Ellie Harrison and Sean Fletcher are in the Black Mountains, which straddle the border between Wales and England, to find out more about a drive to preserve ancient rural skills and traditions. Sean gets a bird’s eye view of the spectacular landscape, while Strictly alumni and former thatcher Joe Sugg battles for supremacy in a hedge-laying competition. Joe Crowley investigates the challenges facing the Scottish salmon industry, and Adam has high hopes that his smart new ram will be a hit with the ewes in his flock.
The Stour estuary in Essex has just been added to Suffolk Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - the first extension of an AONB for thirty years. At this time of year, birds flock here in their thousands to over-winter, but Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor are on a quest to find the area's unsung heroes that don’t get the recognition they deserve: bugs, beetles, crabs and worms. Adam Henson welcomes early lambs to his farm in the Cotswolds, and Tom Heap investigates a tale of two rural high streets in lockdown .
Countryfile celebrates Christmas on the stunning Auchlyne estate in Scotland. Charlotte Smith and Joe Crowley join laird Emma and her family to help monitor beavers and tame some deer. Charlotte also discovers the remarkable story behind a Scottish version of German stollen, Matt Baker makes decorations for a special Christmas tree that will help birds survive the winter cold, and John Craven finds out about the ancient tradition of Gaelic psalm singing. Adam Henson is as busy as ever on the farm but gets some welcome help from Countryfile’s very own Christmas elf, Anita Rani, and Tom Heap is in search of festive cheer.
Ellie Harrison has a love for the natural world and all creatures great and small. She is in Bristol to meet wildlife photographer and friend of Countryfile, Simon King, to get a crash course in how to photograph wildlife. His top tip is, if you’re experimenting with nature photography, don’t make your life too hard by picking nervous subjects. So they attempt to capture on camera birds in flight over the magnificent Avon Gorge, inquisitive city squirrels and a herd of deer who live semi-wild in the nearby Ashton Court estate. Ellie has also combed the Countryfile archive for some of her wildlife highlights plus a few extra treats.
2021
Sean Fletcher looks back at 2020 – a difficult year for all of us as we faced a pandemic but a year when the countryside became a lifeline for unprecedented numbers; when wildlife came out to play and also made their homes in curious places during lockdown. Sean also catches up with some of the inspiring young people at the forefront of the battle to protect the environment, and there's a timely reminder of how we can all do our bit to safeguard our countryside.
After the turmoil of 2020 and as a new year gets underway, how do we plan to make the countryside a bigger part of our lives? Matt Baker wants to get fitter and tries his hand at canicross, Anita Rani straps on her walking boots, Margherita Taylor heads for the woods, Helen Skelton wants to buy local, Tom Heap discovers the joys of 'blue' therapy, and Adam Henson gets creative with clay.
Ellie Harrison and Tom Heap are in the Mendips looking at how this stunning but fragile area is being protected from the invasion of visitors. Ellie scales Cheddar Gorge and discovers the damage cars are wreaking on narrow, winding roads. She also learns how white-clawed freshwater crayfish are being saved from voracious invaders. Tom finds out how the countryside can help transform lives and investigates if the government’s new green subsidy scheme can really deliver for farmers and the environment. Meanwhile, Adam meets one of his heroes, international rugby ref turned farmer Nigel Owens, who is facing his herd’s first TB test.
Matt Baker is staying close to home, exploring the Chilterns landscape and the people and skills that have shaped this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. He discovers some hidden historical gems revealed by a revolutionary new mapping technique, heads deep into the woods to learn about the ancient art of bodging and rolls his sleeves up to help clean up ponds which are so desperately needed by wildlife. Joe Crowley investigates if large-scale schemes such as HS2 tally with the government’s pledge to go green, and on the farm, Adam calls in a horse whisperer to help with a nervous Exmoor pony.
Ellie Harrison is in Gloucestershire, finding out how communities on her home turf are pulling together to support each other in these tough times. She meets the producers on a mission to get everyone eating local and healthy meals at affordable prices, finds out why gardening is on prescription and helps out with Britain’s favourite mammal, the hedgehog, which is facing a precarious future. Wildlife film-maker Jack Perks gets up close to dippers, Adam sizes up a new boar for his pigs, and Charlotte investigates what future trade deals could mean for the food on our plates.
Helen Skelton is on Crompton Moor in the Pennines, braving all weathers to discover what makes this site of biological interest such a special place. Battered by rain, wind and snow, she helps install ‘leaky dams,’ discovers how a plant with superpowers is helping to restore these uplands and meets the community coming together to bring wildlife back to the hills. Adam Henson tries out a new app to show how contented his animals are, wildlife film-maker Richard Taylor-Jones shows you how to spot wonderful wildlife on your doorstep, and Tom Heap investigates the rural mental health crisis.
Whilst visiting Kentish Town City Farm to lend a helping hand, Margherita Taylor takes a look back through the Countryfile archives to celebrate some winter heroes - the farmers toughing it out in all weathers; wildlife rescue volunteers risking their lives to save one of our most majestic animals; and the community working together to save the heart of their village. Margherita also catches up with one of her childhood winter heroes, Eddie the Eagle. And we couldn’t forget our Children in Need ramblers, as we reveal the astonishing amount our viewers have raised.
Tom Heap explores Northamptonshire’s Nene Valley, discovering how a farmer fighting flooding has embraced wetland wildlife to make his land pay. Tom also meets a sheepdog turned search-and-rescue hero and gets hands-on with a project that has unearthed evidence of riverside residents dating back to Neolithic times. Adam is hoping for good news from his ewes as, thanks to scanning, he discovers how many are in lamb. Charlotte Smith investigates whether Brexit is delivering all it promised for the UK’s fishing industry, and ecologist Josh Styles reveals the secret world inside a prehistoric plant.
This week Anita Rani is on her home turf in London, showing that you don’t need to go far for a healthy dose of green. Anita is taken on an enchanting tour of one of London’s 'magnificent seven' cemeteries, as she discovers a trove of treasures right on her doorstep and sets out to crack the mystery of a non-native bird. Adam Henson shows us how he concocts a super-meal for his animals during the winter months, and Tom Heap investigates a controversial decision that allows UK farmers to use a banned pesticide on their fields.
Charlotte Smith visits the Colne Valley Regional Park, a landscape of forest, fields and waterways on the edge of west London. She does battle with an invasive species, gets up close with tiny creatures that show the health of the park’s rivers, meets a savvy septuagenarian saving her farm from development, and helps secure a future for one of our most endangered mammals, the water vole. Tom Heap asks whether eco-education should be at the heart of our school system, Adam Henson introduces new boar George II to his sows, and wildlife cameraman Jack Perks gets up close with otters.
In this special episode, Ellie joins Adam and his team for 48 hours of hectic lambing action. She may be the rookie in Adam’s lambing shed, but Ellie quickly gets to grips with multiple births, touch-and-go adoptions and the emotions of the life-or-death decisions faced each day during this busiest of spring seasons on the farm. Tom Heap finds out why mountains of wool, historically the nation's most valuable sheep product, are now piling up in warehouses across the country. In Cumbria, Hannah Jackson – the Red Shepherdess - meets young upland farmers bringing new ideas to this traditional form of sheep farming. Plus how to count sheep using an almost forgotten Celtic language system.
Ellie Harrison celebrates the arrival of spring on her home turf in the Cotswolds. From the millions of snowdrops in Painswick’s Rococo Gardens to discovering some old folklore, finding out about a scheme to enable wheelchair users to enjoy tougher terrain in the great outdoors and meeting the cattle that encourage wildflowers, Ellie also raids the Countryfile archive. There’s the time she went on dolphin watch in Cardigan Bay, Matt Baker's visit to tulip fields in Lincolnshire and the day Adam Henson went to North Yorkshire to catch his supper.
Joe Crowley discovers how science is helping better understand nature on Bedfordshire’s Greensand Ridge. He gets up close with avian giants, finding out how the world’s longest-running bird survey helps monitor heron numbers. He gets on his bike to help map the amount of plastics polluting our rural landscape, and is out on toad patrol, helping create a new national DNA database to discover why these amphibians are in trouble. As spring appears, Adam finds out if his farming gambles are paying off, Tom investigates whether the UK’s environmental ambitions will change the face of our national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty, and naturalist Dan Rouse captures the seasonal spectacle of thousands of oystercatchers on the Gower Peninsula.
Ellie Harrison visits the 'golden triangle' in Gloucestershire to find out why the area is so famous for the wild daffodil. She takes a trip down memory lane with villagers who recall picking the daffs as children and how the flowers were sent by rail on the daffodil line to cities across the country. She discovers the difference between wild and cultivated daffodils and witnesses some of the finest medieval wall paintings in England. We also meet the Meanwells - a mother and son fulfilling their dreams of farming in the Cumbrian hills - and Charlotte Smith investigates the challenges facing our rural churches and the communities they serve.
Tom Heap and Margherita Taylor look at the impact of canals on the past, present and future of our countryside. In the Midlands, Tom is on the UK’s longest canal – the Grand Union - discovering the engineering triumphs that helped traverse our rugged landscape and how they could now play their part in a 21st-century green tech revolution. Meanwhile, Margherita celebrates the 200th anniversary of the Regent’s Canal, finding out how this once commercial route now brings a slice of countryside to the city, benefitting both residents and wildlife. Tom also investigates what’s going into our public sector meals, wildlife film-maker Jack Perks dons his wetsuit to get up close to some frisky frogs, and we pay our first visit to Brookvale Farm in Northern Ireland, where we will be following the fortunes of a family staking their future on the success of hi-tech farming.
Sean Fletcher goes wild in the Hambleden Valley in Buckinghamshire with a whistlestop trike tour of a chocolate box landscape that has been the beautiful backdrop for many TV dramas and films. But how can we breathe new life into the area? Sean finds out how the old cottage industry of lace-making is poised for a comeback, and he saddles up to meet a couple opening up their farm to enable safer riding in this corner of the countryside. Adam Henson is busy with some new arrivals, and as picking season dawns, Charlotte Smith investigates whether UK farmers can cover any shortfall in the number of seasonal farm workers needed to gather their harvests.
Helen Skelton is in the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Yorkshire, helping prepare for the return of both animals and visitors to the hills. She joins a team keeping track of adders emerging from hibernation, to find out why numbers are falling. She also joins in with efforts to help save essential woodland and its wildlife, and discovers hidden wonders as she heads into the depths of How Stean Gorge. On his Cotswold farm, Adam Henson is struggling with the unpredictable spring weather. Tom Heap investigates how a rise in pet ownership is fuelling dog thefts and wildlife film-maker Jack Perks celebrates one of our most colourful but overlooked freshwater fish – the grayling.
As John Craven celebrates 50 years as a BBC presenter, on this – his 1,250th episode for Countryfile - he opens up a treasure trove of memories of some of his favourite parts of Britain. Each location evokes aspects of his life, his career and his passions: discovering a hidden treasure he never knew existed on his childhood doorstep in Yorkshire; indulging his love of verse with a trip to Cambridgeshire to find out more about John Clare, the peasant poet; and revealing his love of history on an ancient Scottish battlefield. And he has never forgotten the time he was roped up to the heady heights of the dark hedges in Northern Ireland.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison uncover the wonders past and present of Cranborne Chase. Matt unravels a puzzling piece of the area’s past as he explores a 900-year-old mediaeval ‘miz maze’ hidden in the woods, before crossing the Chase to help tend to Britain’s biggest modern day maze on the Longleat Estate. Ellie joins the UK’s only ‘supercluster’ of farmers working together to encourage wildlife on their land. She also heads to the River Ebble to disccover what makes this chalk stream so special and how it’s helping to give rural teenagers a sense of purpose. Steve Brown is in for some special stargazing in the Chase - the UK’s first designated dark sky reserve. Tom Heap investigates plans to launch a new space race from the heart of our countryside – but at what cost to the environment? And Adam Henson has a nervous wait on his hands as his rare-breed Suffolk Punch Lexi goes to the maternity unit.
Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith head to the Peak District to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the UK's first national park. Matt joins a pioneering scheme to restore ruined farm buildings and meets 'legend' of the Peak District Gordon Miller, one of the area's early rangers and a last link to those who brought about the national park. Charlotte channels her inner artist to help create a giant anniversary art mural and records the special sounds of the park's waterways. Sean Fletcher meets a 'tyre runner' using the Peak District's hills to help his mental health. Meanwhile, as some of his traditional crops fail, Adam takes a glimpse at what the farming of tomorrow might look like, and Joe Crowley investigates new pollution laws causing controversy in the countryside.
Plant Britain is all about encouraging community gardens and planting wildflowers in a two-year initiative to help combat climate change, help wildlife and pollinators and transform our own wellbeing. Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor help Bristol locals to create a community garden, and Charlotte Smith visits a project in Glasgow that is blooming. Sean Fletcher is in Northern Ireland with primary school children to find out about their field-to-fork project. Helen Skelton is with a young botanist who is on a mission to save our native wildflowers, while Joe Crowley discovers the secret life hidden in a special meadow in north Wales. The Natural History Museum do some cutting-edge soil and pond DNA forensics, and John Craven finds out how to do your bit no matter how small a space you have - from a pot on a windowsill to a balcony planter. Also, look out for special messages from some well-known faces.
Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor visit the stunning Llyn Peninsula in north Wales, known as 'Snowdonia’s arm'. Margherita finds out about plans for a major blue energy project. While harnessing the power of the tide might cure energy issues, what do residents make of it all? And what will the impact be on wildlife and fishing? Matt dons his wetsuit, wading into the sea to help check the health of a critical crop of carbon-capturing sea grass, and also helps launch new research into mountain goats. Joe Crowley is hoping for a close encounter with angel sharks to find out why they are appearing more and more frequently in Welsh waters. Adam Henson celebrates the success of the rare breeds revival, and Tom Heap investigates planning loopholes that could see park holiday homes become permanent residences and threaten some of the most beautiful parts of our countryside.
It’s a tale of transformations as Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith head to the Norfolk-Suffolk border. Matt gets his fingers dirty gardening and feels the heat of the forge at a social enterprise that is harnessing the healing power of the rural landscape and training homeless people in traditional skills to give them a fresh start. Charlotte heads into the surrounding countryside to meet farmers making Britain’s only raw brie, and she sets sail with a lady fisherman who swapped a job in logistics for lobsters and whelks. Adam Henson looks at how science is using biobanks to secure the future of rare breeds.
Matt Baker and Anita Rani head to County Down in Northern Ireland to catch up with the dairy farming Lilburn family and their quest to diversify. Matt jumps into a tractor to help cut grass to feed the cows, and he discovers how ‘zero grazing’ works. Anita helps check the calves’ health with a cattle nutritionist, before seeing how the farm’s milk is being turned into ice cream ready for the summer months ahead. Elsewhere, Adam Henson discovers how science is helping to save rare breeds, Charlotte Smith investigates a ‘shadow pandemic’ of rural domestic violence, and John Craven launches the thirtieth Countryfile Photographic Competition.
Ellie Harrison is in Gloucestershire at Nature in Art, the world’s first museum and art gallery dedicated to art inspired by nature, as she goes in search of her inner muse. Under the expert eye of award-winning wildlife artist Jackie Cox, Ellie picks up some top tips including how old make-up can do just as good a job as fancy pencils.
Adam Henson and Charlotte Smith are in the stunning Cumbrian Hills as we catch up with the formidable mother and son farming duo Andrea and Hector Meanwell. We first met them in early Spring, but Adam is rolling up his sleeves to discover what life is like on the farm as summer beckons. We also see how the Meanwells are diversifying to make ends meet. Charlotte meets their neighbours to find out how they are working to protect this beautiful landscape and the animals which call it home. We also head to Northern Ireland to catch up with award-winning author Dara - one of Countryfile’s young naturalists - as he takes a group of young eco warriors out on a nature adventure. Meanwhile, Joe Crowley investigates the worrying rise in attacks on livestock by dogs off the leash.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison explore Wimbledon Common to celebrate its 150th anniversary. Matt saddles up with one of the UK’s only mounted rangers, finding out how horseback patrols have been enforcing the common’s 57 bylaws for the past seven decades. Ellie goes on the hunt for miraculous but often maligned moths, discovering how these winged wonders can be creatures of beauty and are more prolific pollinators than bees. And Matt and Ellie join together to celebrate the common’s most famous ‘residents’, the Wombles, meeting the daughter of their creator and seeing how these original eco warriors are still inspiring others today. Elsewhere, Adam Henson has a busy day on the farm as some new bulls are introduced to the herd; Tom Heap investigates whether efforts to protect the world’s oceans are delivering for UK waters; and, in the first of a four part series, explorer Dwayne Fields leads four youngsters at a crossroads in their lives on an expedition into the Welsh wilderness.
Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor are in Dorset, on the stunning Isle of Purbeck, looking at the importance of its diverse landscape and the changes the coastline has gone through over the centuries. Matt goes on safari to look at the wildlife that call this habitat home, and Margherita discovers what used to live along these shores millions of years ago. We catch up with Dwayne Fields and his gallant team of explorers on the second part of their Snowdonia adventure, and Tom Heap investigates the damage that is being caused to the countryside and coast by an influx of visitors and holidaymakers.
Anita Rani and Tom Heap head to Yorkshire’s Flamborough Head. Anita visits England’s largest onshore seabird colony at Bempton Cliffs, where she helps to track breeding numbers and witnesses a very special arrival as a rare albatross pays a visit. Below the cliffs, Tom explores some of the coast’s chalk caves, discovering the rare life they support, and Tom and Anita are joined by local youngsters as they go on a rockpool safari to take stock of the marine life washed up at low tide. Charlotte Smith investigates the environmental impact that increases in offshore windfarms are having both on land and at sea. Adam Henson visits an project that gives teenagers a step on to the farming ladder, and in the third of our four-part series with explorer Dwyane Fields, our four youngsters overcome their fear of heights, getting to grips with climbing a rockface - but things take an unexpected turn when one of the team has to leave the challenge early.
As more and more of us yearn for a life in the country, Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith roll up their sleeves on a community farm in Herefordshire. Matt helps to save a bee colony and harvests fruits from their walled garden. Charlotte hand milks Snowdrop, one of the community’s dairy cows, before making her own butter. It’s the final challenge for Dwayne Fields and his gallant team of adventurers as they set out to climb Wales’s biggest mountain, Snowdon. Tom Heap investigates why some plant-based products on supermarket shelves may not be as good for us as we might think.
Joe Crowley meets chef Romy Gill to celebrate the glories of seasonal food at Chew Magna Community Farm. From pickles and preserves to a feast making the most of fabulous produce, Joe also delves into the world of no-dig farming and rolls up his sleeves to help pack orders with a thriving veg box business. He calls into Hartcliffe Community Garden, which Countryfile helped to establish as part of our Plant Britain initiative, to check in on the venture and join school children as they harvest vegetables they have grown in the garden. He also delves into the archives to celebrate the best of British food and drink, like the time Anita met a highland beef farmer, Matt visited a 200-year-old cider orchard, and Steve found out how surplus produce can be ‘gleaned’ to reduce food waste.
Joe Crowley and Charlotte Smith are in the Highlands, visiting a 100-acre rewilding site near Loch Ness known as the Natural Capital Laboratory. But this is no ordinary lab, and there’s not a white coat in sight. Instead - and with the help of the latest technology - scientists here are mapping, tracking and quantifying the changes to the landscape and the life in it. Charlotte looks at hi-tech devices that track animals and create a virtual vision of what the site will look like in 100 years’ time. Joe digs in, discovering how efforts to restore neglected peat bogs could pay dividends for the environment. Tom Heap investigates the impact that reintroducing long-lost species could have on our countryside and its people, and wildlife film-maker Tom Hartwell take us on a journey into the beautiful and brutal life of the cinnabar moth.
Charlotte Smith and Steve Brown are on Yew Tree Farm in Coniston, which sits in the stunning landscape of the Lake District National Park. Steve meets first-generation farmers to find out how they are diversifying and tries a bit of therapy with some of their woolly residents. Charlotte discovers how the landscape surrounding the farm is one of their driving inspirations, Sean Fletcher visits a farm in Monmouthshire that has branched out into music and some of the biggest names in rock and roll, and Tom Heap investigates if plans for a greener, more environmentally friendly economic recovery can really bring benefits for the UK’s wildlife and its habitats.
Countryfile Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison are on the border of England and Wales to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Offa’s Dyke Path and to explore the fascinating history and treasures that lie along this 1,200 year old man-made monument. Matt kicks off conservation efforts to help to preserve the dyke and the surrounding landscape for future generations to enjoy, while Ellie abseils to measure and record one of the UK’s rarest trees. She also discovers the engineering skills of nature’s very own master builders. Adam Henson has got the experts in to calculate the carbon footprint of his farm, and, in its 30th year, it’s decision time in Countryfile’s photographic competition. Which of the thousands of entries will make it into the top 12?
Sean Fletcher and Steve Brown are in Staffordshire at the Manifold Valley Agricultural Show, where the focus is on encouraging young people to get into the countryside, agriculture and the show ring with their prize livestock. After weeks of preparation, will it be a red rosette for eight-year-old Owen and his Limousin calf, and how will 12-year-old Myles and his Clydesdale fare? Adam Henson finds out what he needs to do to go green on his farm, and Tom Heap investigates a toxic threat to dolphins, porpoises and killer whales.
Joe Crowley is on Isle Martin, a dot of an island off the west coast of Scotland, which is getting ready to host Scotland’s very first seaweed festival. Joe meets the island's sole occupant, explores the magical qualities of seaweed and sees how it is at the forefront of the battle against climate change. Joe also delves into the Countryfile archives to revisit some island jewels around the UK, including the time Anita Rani visited the Hebridean island where all the farmers are women, Ellie Harrison's trip to Church Island in Northern Ireland, and Margherita Taylor surveying seals off Looe Island. And we catch up with Mari Huws on Bardsey Island, just off north Wales’s Llyn Peninsula. Audio
Charlotte Smith is in County Down, Northern Ireland, catching up with the dairy farming Lilburn family after our last visit in June. The pressure is on for them – Richard is up against the weather to get his harvest done. Will the rain scupper his plans for his pea crop? Charlotte also hits the road with Pamela to meet local suppliers providing for the new farm shop, and there’s some taste-testing to do on bakes – good news for the three Lilburn children. We also meet the first two teams, England and Wales, vying for glory in this year’s One Man and His Dog competition, while Adam Henson starts his quest to find Countryfile’s young countryside champion of the year when he visits a teenager carrying on the family farm after his father’s untimely death. And get ready to ramble as Matt Baker meets brother and sister Ailsa and Finn, who are working to inspire everyone to get outdoors and raise money for Children in Need in this year’s Countryfile ramble.
Anita Rani is in Herefordshire to discover the secrets behind the great hop revival, from pest-eating predators to new flavours to help pack a punch in our pints. She also meets one of the last pickers who harvested hops by hand. Adam Henson chats with another inspiring contender to be Countryfile’s Young Countryside Champion, and he meets the final two teams of shepherds and their dogs going for glory in this year’s One Man and His Dog competition. As the countdown continues to the Children in Need Countryfile Ramble, we discover what a difference we can all make to young lives.
Matt Baker and Helen Skelton are at the helm of this year’s One Man and His Dog sheepdog trial competition as competitors from all four nations compete to clinch the coveted trophy. And there couldn’t be a better backdrop than Penryhn Castle in Gwynedd, set between the waters of the Menai Straight and the dramatic mountains of Snowdonia National Park. The best young talent from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales are paired up with top senior shepherds from each home nation. The youngsters will compete with one dog while the seniors take on sheepdog trialling’s toughest discipline - ‘the brace’ - where they must work two dogs at the same time. Who has got what it takes to lift the trophy? Away from the action, Helen also discovers how the surrounding landscape supports a wealth of wildlife and investigates what it takes to keep the Olympians of sheepdog world in top condition.
Sean Fletcher and Charlotte Smith catch up with mother-and-son farming duo Andrea and Hector Meanwell in Cumbria. Countryfile has been following them throughout the year, and they have some big challenges ahead - not least the results of TB tests. Will Hector’s cattle be clear? Get ready to ramble as we meet 14-year-old Alfie, who is determined to live life to the full, no matter what. Adam meets the third and final contender in our Young Countryside Champion Awards, and John has a big surprise for an unsuspecting photographer when the winner of this year’s Countryfile Photographic Competition is revealed. In an exclusive Countryfile investigation, Charlotte uncovers fears that the UK’s farm labour shortage has left the foreign workers who bring in our harvest at greater risk of exploitation than ever before.
It’s harvest time on Adam’s farm. The old reliables are back - wheat, barley and oilseed rape - and the combines, tractors, trailers and balers are hard at work. But how much longer will farmers be working like this? Big changes are on the horizon for British agriculture, and harvests of the future will be very different to what we’re used to. But how exactly? In this harvest special, Countryfile turns its eyes to the future and meets the machines and robots that could be the farmers of the future.
Steve Brown is on the Isle of Mull in the hope of realising a lifetime ambition: to see white-tailed eagles in the wild. They are Britain’s largest bird of prey, and not the only wild wonders he might encounter. Steve also delves into the Countryfile archives to celebrate wild Britain, including the memorable moments when Anita visited Northern Ireland's Causeway Coast, Margherita explored how nature has taken over ancient mines in the Forest of Dean, and Charlotte investigated wild flavours for chocolate-making in Scotland.
In this 75-minute special, the Countryfile Ramble for BBC Children in Need heads out on a tour of the UK in the company of some truly inspirational youngsters. Matt Baker takes on a challenge in the Lake District with Alfie & his family, all of whom were helped by Hope House Children’s Hospice after Alfie had his leg amputated following cancer treatment. Steve Brown heads to the Mendips with sports-mad eight-year-old liver transplant patient Violet, on a ramble with a high-octane finish; Margherita Taylor walks the vast open sands of the Norfolk coast with 17-year-old Chloe, who shares how therapy sessions have helped her with anxiety and other issues; Ellie Harrison is in County Down, hearing how the Children in Need-funded charity Women’s Aid helps children caught up in domestic abuse; and, for her first Countryfile Ramble, Charlotte Smith is on a memory-filled stroll along Scotland’s stunning east coast with brother and sister Finn and Ailsa, whose dad passed away during lockdown.
Joe Crowley and Ellie Harrison are in Cornwall, exploring the fishing port of Newlyn with a remarkable secret history. Joe also discovers the fishy equivalent of ‘nose to tail’ eating, while Ellie finds out how the area is reeling from the 2021 Staycation Invasion. As global climate change talks get underway, Tom Heap investigates the threat posed by rising sea levels here in the UK. And on his farm, Adam Henson has some new arrivals - but will they all be delivered safely?
Countryfile’s Plant Britain autumn special celebrates the magic of trees and hedgerows in combatting climate change, boosting wildlife and our own wellbeing. We also look at the future guardians of our planet as Charlotte Smith finds out about green careers and Matt Baker meets a six-year-old environmentalist with big ambitions. Tom Heap joins the front line in the fight against tree disease, John Craven is at Westonbirt Arboretum to discover what our future forests could look like, and Joe Crowley is busy learning how to collect and sow seeds. Margherita Taylor pops into a Bristol community garden to help them get ready for winter, and there are some special messages from well-known faces to encourage us all to plant Britain.
For Remembrance Sunday, Ellie Harrison visits the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire to help the Royal British Legion mark their centenary and to explore the diverse ways nature can offer healing and recovery. She also treks with llamas and discovers how an old pair of jeans are key to converting old Second World War pillboxes into new des res for bats. Adam Henson discovers why military veterans are armed with just the right skills to be the farmers of tomorrow, and Charlotte Smith investigates the true cost of protecting the countryside’s most historic landmarks and landscapes.
John Craven revisits the Gloucestershire village of Hillesley 50 years after he first reported on the local newspaper. He meets Hollywood screenwriter William Nicholson, who cut his teeth on the paper, catches up with today’s editor, meets three generations of farmers and pops into the pub that was saved by the community to discover what’s at the heart of village life. And he delves into the Countryfile archives for some of his favour autumn moments across the years.
Ellie Harrison and Joe Crowley are at the Compton Verney estate in Warwickshire to mark 300 years since the death of Britain’s greatest master carver, Grinling Gibbons. Known as the Michelangelo of wood, Gibbons was influenced by nature, and Joe discovers how his legacy lives on today. Ellie explores Compton Verney’s 120 acres of parkland, shaped by 18th-century landscape architect Capability Brown, and finds out why it is now a haven for local wildlife, including orphaned badgers. Tom Heap investigates the crisis facing UK pig farmers, and Adam Henson is on Exmoor to help with the annual round-up of one of the UK’s rarest native pony breeds.
Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith are in Kielder in Northumberland to explore some of the 250 square miles of England’s largest forest. Charlotte discovers how this man-made landscape supplies a quarter of England’s timber - from the joists in your house to the chair you sit on - and heads to a ‘rock festival’ as Northumberland Wildlife Trust celebrates its 50th anniversary by revealing secrets going back millions of years that are hidden in the stones that shape this landscape. Matt finds out how the forest is managed for its wildlife, helping a team clean out osprey nests 65 feet high up and foraging for fungi that help the forest thrive. Adam Henson gets to grips with the latest entrants into the milk market - camels - and Joe Crowley investigates whether schemes to reduce the impact of big building projects on wildlife are working.
Matt Baker and Anita Rani explore the beauty of the Malvern Hills and discover how this area inspired writers such as JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis and composer Edward Elgar. Anita visits Malvern College, where Lewis studied and was visited by his friend Tolkien, and up on the hills she meets a group of young writers hoping to follow in the great masters’ footsteps. She also steps into Narnia as she meets the world’s only female gas light engineer, who repairs and maintains the famous lights that influenced CS Lewis. Matt is on the musical trail of Elgar and meets cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason for a special Countryfile recital. Adam Henson welcomes a very festive new arrival to his farm, and Tom Heap investigates the toxic risks being served up in our winter game.
Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith head to Christmas Common in Oxfordshire, home to one of the biggest Christmas tree farms in the country, to celebrate the festive season. Matt finds out why a dairy-farming family swapped cows for Christmas trees and how seasonal farming is a year-round business. Charlotte channels her inner elf, heading to the local market town of Watlington to help a butcher, a baker and a candlestick maker prepare their festive treats. The cattle are lowing as Adam Henson visits a Christmas cattle market in Rutland and also launches a cracker of a competition to design a bobble hat for Children in Need. Tom Heap gets gift wrapping with the countryside communities preparing a rural welcome for refugees. John Craven gets a Christmas present to remember as he meets the descendants of red kites he helped release nearly three decades ago, and wildlife cameraman Richard Taylor Jones goes on a white Christmas wildlife walk.
Charlotte Smith takes a look at some of our Christmas traditions. She visits historic Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire – the birthplace of photography in Britain – to discover how the Fox Talbot family celebrated the festive season in the run-up to New Year. She also finds out how to make the most of Christmas leftovers, learns about some intriguing, age-old cures to relieve festive overindulgence, and delves into the archives to revisit some special Countryfile Christmas moments from across the UK.
2022
John Craven pays tribute to inspirational young people who are doing their bit for farming and the countryside, including volunteers, rangers and a 14-year-old shepherdess.
Sean Fletcher is in the snowy Cairngorms to mark the centenary of the death of the great explorer Ernest Shackleton.
Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith visit the last traditional farm in the Bristol postcode to meet a farmer fighting to keep her farm and her connection with the local community she feeds. Matt helps out with a spot of animal husbandry and some porcine romance, while Charlotte discovers how the farmland provides the city with a 'green lung' and a wildlife haven. On his Cotswolds farm, Adam Henson is keeping the peace between two testosterone-fuelled rams, and Charlotte investigates whether cuts to rural youth work are putting youngsters at risk of criminal exploitation.
On the 50th anniversary of the miners’ strikes, Matt Baker and Anita Rani are in County Durham on the Heritage Coast to discover how this area has risen from the ashes and reinvented itself after pit closures. Matt finds out how a colliery has become a nature reserve, and Anita discovers how one pit is now enjoying a new lease of life as a source for cutting-edge clean, green energy. Also, Tom Heap investigates the hidden threat facing countryside communities living in the shadow of our mining past, and Adam Henson sees how the avian flu crisis is threatening the livelihood of free range egg farmers.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison visit the largest privately owned estate in Devon, which has been in the same family for more than 700 years, to discover how the 25,000 acres are shaping up to the future. Matt joins the calving team at Clinton Devon Estates and sets the wheels in motion at a 900-year-old watermill, while Ellie checks out a mammoth project where the sea will be more than welcome to flood the land. Then, she meets the organic farming duo who also juggle part-time jobs as a lecturer and a GP.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison are at the Allerton Project in Leicestershire, where cutting-edge research by farmers for farmers enables agriculture to keep ahead of the challenges facing the industry. Matt finds out how sheep urine is contributing to climate change, Ellie discovers the miracles of the humble hedge, and binoculars at the ready, both do their bit for the Big Farmland Bird Count. Also, Tom Heap investigates what’s being done to keep antibiotic-resistant superbugs out of the food chain, and Adam Henson is busy with winter checks on his livestock.
Matt Baker and Joe Crowley get their walking boots on as they visit Snowdonia National Park. Home to Wales’s largest natural lake and its highest mountain, Mount Snowdon, the park shot to the top of the staycation list last summer as more Brits than ever holidayed on home turf. But Snowdonia is paying the price for its popularity, as the heavy influx of tourists is taking its toll on the landscape. Matt finds out about the invisible scourge of micro-plastics plaguing the scenic landscape, while Joe mucks in with a mountain makeover as he helps repair the footpaths. Tom Heap investigates the growing problem of vandalism and anti-social behaviour in our National Parks, and Adam Henson visits a farm in Wiltshire where cow dung is being used to generate electricity.
This week we’re visiting the Holkham Estate in Norfolk. Joe Crowley witnesses the awesome spectacle of thousands of overwintering pink footed geese leaving their roost. Matt Baker unearths the remarkable life buried deep in long-abandoned ponds and discovers which exotic creatures have a penchant for a certain type of oak. Charlotte investigates why the UK’s sugar beet farmers are facing an uncertain future, and it’s a visit to the vet for Adam’s trusty sheepdog Peg. Could her working days be numbered?
John Craven is at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire to help with an ambitious 20-year restoration project to breathe new life into fabulous features that reflect fashions across three centuries, from statues to cascades and an 18th-century bath house. And it’s the perfect place for John to dip into the Countryfile archives, revisiting the occasions when Ellie Harrison helped to spruce up the Cerne Abbas Giant, Anita Rani mucked in to clear a toxic scrapyard in Shropshire, and Matt Baker rolled up his sleeves to help restore a 12th-century church in Herefordshire.
Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith head to the High Weald, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the borders of Sussex and Kent, to discover the role of wood, iron and clay both historically and for the future. While Matt meets a visionary architect, Charlotte explores an ancient clay technique for fermenting wine and catches up with a father-and-daughter duo keeping alive the craft of blacksmithing. Tom Heap investigates what’s being done to ensure rural communities get the GP access they need, and Adam Henson is on the trail of British strawberries grown all year round.
Charlotte Smith and Tom Heap are on the River Severn to find out how living with the constant threat of floods is affecting rural communities and how climate change could make things worse.
To mark British Pie Week, Countryfile is in the birthplace of the pork pie – Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. Margherita Taylor visits the cathedral of pies, home of the British Pie Awards, to find out what makes for pie perfection. Matt Baker discovers Melton Mowbray’s other mouthwatering delight, stilton cheese, and Matt and Margherita both put their tastebuds to the test as they try the art of pairing food and beer. Adam is on the trail of Somerset strawberries grown all year round, and who will be top dog when comedians Tim Vine and Kiri Pritchard-McLean go head-to-head in a special Red Nose sheepdog trial for Comic Relief?
Like so many farmers across the UK, Adam Henson is facing a dilemma. In the face of pressure to go green, how can you change your farming habits and still pay the bills? Adam catches up with his neighbor, David Wilson, who is a regenerative farmer, to find out more about one of the big new trends in agriculture and to see what ideas might work on Adam's farm. Charlotte Smith checks out the soil on both farms and investigates 'greenwashing'. As big companies start buying up land for carbon off-setting, are they putting the UK's food production at risk?
Anita Rani and Sean Fletcher explore the beautiful south west corner of Wales as they celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Anita faces her fears as she abseils one hundred feet down a sea cliff to discover how best to protect the nesting spots of the thousands of sea birds that flock here. Sean meets the artist behind the coveted annual fish licence and heads to Angel Bay to discover how to farm oysters. Adam’s Exmoor ponies are in for a treat when a farrier gives them a pedicure and they meet a new stallion. And in a special investigation, BBC News’s rural affairs correspondent Claire Marshall meets the farmers with Parkinson’s Disease who fear their condition could be linked to years of using a toxic herbicide.
Countryfile's Plant Britain by the Sea special shines the spotlight on the incredible coastline of our island and how we can all do our bit to help combat climate change, revive the fortunes of our wildlife and boost our own mental wellbeing. Matt Baker launches Countryfile’s Coastal Clean Up initiative, while Ellie Harrison helps to sew meadows out at sea and discovers the miracle properties of seagrass. Charlotte Smith goes on the hunt for rare dune plants saved from the brink of extinction, John Craven finds out how helping our coast to be in the best of health is also remedying young people’s eco anxiety, and Tom Heap investigates the importance of protecting our sand dunes.
John Craven visits two villages in Herefordshire to find out about ancient rural Easter customs and traditions from field blessings to grave dressing and the pax biscuit, which, 500 years on, is still eaten at this time of year as a token of peace and good neighbourliness. Stained glass artist Tamsin Abbot creates a special piece to celebrate Easter and spring, inspired by the beautiful countryside around her. And John delves into the Easter archives for some treats, including the time Matt made a very special delivery to the Isles of Scilly and when Sean discovered the significance of wild daffodils.
It’s springtime in County Down, where Anita Rani and Joe Crowley meet the Mackies of Mahee Island during the first of four seasonal visits this year. Anita gets a tour of the family’s very own arboretum and is introduced to the art of a well-known friend, while Joe lends a hand on the farm as the cattle head to the fields for spring. He also hears from the family’s conservationist about how they created their own wetland – one of Northern Ireland’s wildlife treasures. Also, Tom Heap investigates how the war in Ukraine has sparked a surge in the cost of fertiliser which could affect the price of the food on our plates.
Nothing says spring quite like lambing, and Adam Henson is in his lambing shed getting ready for the last of his new arrivals. Anita Rani meets 15-year-old shepherd Katie on her family farm in Cumbria. Anita has never lambed before but soon finds herself at the sharp end of an emotional rollercoaster in the battle to save lives. Adam is also joined by Pip Jenkins, from top knitwear company John Smedley, and designer and Great British Sewing Bee judge Patrick Grant to decide the winner of Countryfile’s bobble competition for Children in Need. And with the cost of living on the rise, we rediscover forgotten cheap lamb cuts which are enjoying a revival.
Countryfile this week visits the breathtaking coastline of Mount’s Bay in Cornwall and explores the magical St Michael’s Mount. Matt Baker is in for some extreme gardening as he abseils on the island’s craggy cliffs, while Margherita Taylor takes to the water to meet the team of female gig boat rowers who are going for gold in the world championships. Charlotte Smith investigates how the UK’s shortage of farm vets is threatening not just animal health but also our own. Adam’s getting ready for the arrival of some very special calves. And, in the first of a series of five films, Adrian Chiles explores some of the fascinating customs from around the British Isles. Today, he’s just along the coast in Mousehole and discovers an intriguing Cornish tradition or two.
Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison explore the grounds of the beautiful Blenheim Palace estate, and Tom Heap investigates claims that by 2050 the UK could run out of water.
Joe Crowley and Anita Rani visit Ystradgynlais in south Wales, and Adam Henson catches up with a young Welsh farmer to find out what can be done to combat loneliness in agriculture
As cycling booms, Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison jump on their bikes to explore a new greenway in Warwickshire, and Tom Heap investigates the increase in cycling deaths on our rural roads.
Matt Baker discovers the fascinating history of Flat Holm, an island in the middle of the Bristol Channel. Joe Crowley investigates the water companies still dumping sewage into our rivers.
At Haweswater Reservoir, John Craven meets the people behind radical new thinking to boost biodiversity, enjoys a breakfast with red squirrels and launches the calendar photographic competition.
Sean Fletcher visits Whitby, the setting for the novel Dracula, published 125 years ago. He meets people protecting Whitby's coastline and introduces clips about coastal Britain from the archives.
Charlotte Smith visits the Cotswolds to see how Adam is getting on with his experiment in regenerative farming. Adam also meets a robot that could one day eliminate the need for pesticides.
Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith pay the first of two visits to Jersey. Matt mucks in on an organic farm, and Charlotte explores how the brutal landmarks of German occupation are being repurposed.
Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor visit the New Forest in Hampshire, where the community are coming together to help Ukrainian
Margherita Taylor makes the second of three visits to Mahee Island in County Down. Charlotte Smith investigates what the Northern Ireland protocol means for farmers.
Charlotte Smith and Matt Baker hear about the fight to save Jersey's puffins from extinction, Matt discovers the healing powers of surfing, and Tom Heap investigates another avian flu outbreak.
John Craven and Margherita Taylor are in Blairgowrie, in the east of Scotland, to celebrate the town’s passion for producing what are said to be among the finest raspberries in the world.
Matt and Charlotte visit the world-famous Hadrian’s Wall as it celebrates its astonishing 1,900th anniversary, while Adam learns how one farming family in Northumberland is turbo-charging birds.
Ellie Harrison is at Oxfordshire Wildlife Rescue to help care for injured creatures great and small, and to find out why the centre has been so busy that it had to temporarily close its doors.
To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams, violinist Pekka Kuusisto performs The Lark Ascending, and Charlotte Smith finds out how farmers could help to save the skylark.
Adam Henson and John Craven meet those affected by the recent heatwave, including farmers, firefighters, scientists, wildlife champions and winemakers.
As the BBC marks its centenary, Adam Henson and Margherita Taylor step back in time at Cogges Farm in Oxfordshire to look at farming 100 years ago.
Margherita Taylor is in the Quantock Hills to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Tom Heap examines the crisis facing pig farmers.
Joe Crowley visits Devon, finding out about a discovery that could revolutionise scallop fishing. Adam Henson meets the final contenders in One Man and His Dog.
We join Adam Henson on his farm to find out if he is being persuaded to give regenerative farming a go. Charlotte Smith finds out whether a giant grass could help to heat our homes in the future.
Anita Rani visits Blackburn with fashion designer Patrick Grant to find out about the growing field-to-fashion movement. She tries her hand at spinning and finds out about growing woad.
Four of the UK’s top handlers and their sheepdogs go head-to-head for this year’s One Man and His Dog trophy.
Matt Baker goes behind the scenes of an ambitious art installation celebrating access to and custodianship of the countryside.
John Craven and the team catch up with ramblers from all over the UK to find out their favourite haunts and hear how they are supporting Children in Need this year.
Margherita Taylor visits Mount Edgecumbe Country Park in Cornwall to mark Remembrance Sunday. Adam reveals who will be crowned Countryfile Young Countryside Champion of the Year.
John Craven and Ellie Harrison visit the Countryfile wood in Cheshire, and Charlotte Smith finds out how community gardens are changing lives.
Matt Baker rolls up his sleeves to help out on a remarkable smallholding in Bedfordshire, while Joe Crowley investigates if enough is being done to combat wildlife crime.
Anita Rani is at the world-famous Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Slimbridge to discover some wonderful winter sights, including the visiting Bewick's swans.
Ellie Harrison heads to Bethesda, in north west Wales, to see how the village has transformed itself into a growing community of energy self-sufficiency.
John Craven and Anita Rani get into the Christmas spirit at Rockingham Castle. Anita learns about Charles Dickens's visits to the castle, and John joins a wildlife survey.
Margherita Taylor is in Auchindrain, a fascinating and perfectly preserved example of a Scottish Highland farm township to discover the roots and traditions surrounding New Year and Burns Night.
2023
John Craven is at the National Hedgelaying Championships as competitors go chainsaw to chainsaw, billhook to billhook in a bid to claim the coveted title.
Charlotte explores the 12,500-acre Rhug Estate in north Wales to see what it means to be a traditional shooting estate in the modern world, and looks at how it contributes to local business.
John Craven and Charlotte Smith visit one of the finest Jacobean houses in the UK, where they roll up their sleeves and muck in with winter cleaning and maintenance.
Anita Rani and Joe Crowley are in Flash, the UK’s highest village, to hear about the Big Freeze of 1962/63, one of the coldest winters on record, when even the sea froze over.
Charlotte Smith and Steve Brown are visiting first-time farmers around the country to discover the trials and tribulations of trying to break into the industry.
Sean Fletcher visits Cornwall to unearth the legacy of the county’s renowned tin and copper mining industries. Tom Heap finds out if mining Cornish lithium could herald a new gold rush.
Joe Crowley and Steve Brown are on the North Yorkshire coast in the beautiful village of Staithes to find out how the traditional fishing community is adapting for the future.
Adam Henson and Charlotte Smith visit Bakewell Livestock Market in Derbyshire, and Joe Crowley finds out about opposition to a proposed new multibillion-pound power grid.
On the seventieth anniversary of the first summit of Mount Everest, Ellie Harrison is put through her paces at a materials research facility, including a cold chamber that reaches -40 Celsius.
John Craven and Matt Baker are on the east coast of England to find out how storms are devouring the coastline, and Adrian Chiles rolls up his sleeves to find out what it takes to be a hill farmer.
Charlotte Smith discovers how political parties are responding to the recent wild camping ruling on Dartmoor. Adam Henson visits a rehab centre for horses.
Like so many of our waterways, the River Wye is being suffocated by pollution. Matt Baker and Anita Rani meet the volunteers trying to save this spectacular river.
In Aberystwyth, Joe Crowley meets scientists behind some of the biggest new developments in farming and food security. And why is London's salad bowl in the Lea Valley on the brink of collapse?
Margherita Taylor and Joe Crowley visit Sherwood Forest to discover how much more there is to this nature reserve and site of special scientific interest than Robin Hood.
Sean Fletcher is in Hendy, south Wales, visiting Europe’s most productive leech farm, which supplies 70 per cent of medicinal leeches worldwide.
Picking up the baton from Sir David Attenborough’s Wild Isles, Countryfile launches 'Wild Britain', an ambitious initiative to galvanize us all to help and save our wildlife.
Charlotte Smith and Hamza Yassin travel to Dumfries House, a showcase for the King's passion for rural life.
It's lambing season, and Charlotte Smith visits the Outer Hebrides to meet teenage farmer Archie, while Paralympian Sammi Kinghorn is back home lambing on her family farm in the Scottish Borders.
Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor are back in the New Forest in Hampshire to catch up with the community and families who have come together to help Ukrainian refugees.
Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week, the team explores initiatives in different parts of the UK that are helping people to improve their mental wellbeing.
Sammi Kinghorn catches up with a 16-year-old farmer from Cumbria. Adam Henson looks into the dangers facing sheep and lambs from an increase in dog attacks this year.
Charlotte and Matt travel to Upper Teesdale to meet a remarkable woman who has made it her life’s work to look after one of the most important botanical sites in the UK.
Charlotte Smith and Matt Baker are at Lower Hampen Farm in the Cotswolds to meet Lydia and Clive Handy, who have turned back the clock to adopt a more traditional approach to farming.
There are 151 hope spots around the world – areas that have been identified as critical to the health of the oceans. Hamza Yassin visits the only one in the UK – the Argyll Coast and Islands.
John Craven meets the UK's first female European surfing champion in Porthcawl, and he joins Swansea's Surfers Against Sewage to help clean up the local beach.
A visit to Adam Henson's farm to celebrate 50 years of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, which was founded by Adam’s father Joe.
John Craven and Margherita Taylor are in Charsfield to celebrate one of the UK's most respected rural writers, Ronald Blythe, whose works were inspired by the Suffolk countryside.
The team visit Spalding, the historic hub of Britain's bulb and flower farming industry, to learn how a new generation of farmers is shaping the future of the UK's flower industry.
Joe Crowley joins a group of electric bike riders who have all recovered from heart attacks, and Sammi Kinghorn meets an organisation combating pollution in outdoor spaces.
In the aftermath of one of the biggest fires to ever engulf the UK countryside, Joe Crowley and John Craven explore the impact of increasing wildfires.
Charlotte Smith and Adam Henson discover what makes hay, one of our oldest crops, so special. And Tom Heap investigates how heatwaves are threatening the sea life that lives around our coastline.
Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith return to Dumfries House where the summer activities are in full swing.
In Renfrewshire, John and Hamza judge this year’s entries to the Countryfile photographic competition with the help of photography enthusiast and DJ Edith Bowman. The final 12 images will grace the 2024 Countryfile Calendar in aid of Children in Need. John also meets artist Martha Orbach to uncover the origins of nature photography and visits a Glaswegian community collective who are changing the way that we shop and eat. Hamza reveals a simple butterfly feeder to support wildlife this summer, and Adam has some tough decisions over what to grow after harvest as farmers face another possible year of volatile grain and fertiliser prices.
Every year, hundreds of farms across the UK diversify their income by opening their gates and hosting music festivals. Anita Rani heads to Somerset to meet sheep farmers Andy and Jen, and their sons, as they prepare to transform Fernhill Farm for an annual festival - something this farming family have been doing for 18 years. Anita helps festival organiser Kev make use of wool from the farm’s sheep to build giant sofas for the revellers, and later joins Andy and Jen’s 18-year-old son Kyle as he helps out in the farm café kitchen, where a mutton curry is being prepared for hundreds of campers. Back out in the fields, Anita visits the farm’s remarkable waste water cleaning system – a series of lakes which produce water so pure that it’s an official Ark habitat for endangered white claw crayfish. She also dips into the Countryfile archive to explore rural music, revisiting an outdoor violin performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Lark Ascending.
Sean Fletcher and Matt Baker find about the changes being made in the management of the national park of Bannau Brycheiniog, formerly referred to as the Brecon Beacons.
In a special episode, Dame Judi Dench reveals her love of the countryside – and Scotland in particular. From picnics to camping, saving the arts in rural communities and a lifelong passion for wildlife, the legend of stage and screen joins Charlotte Smith in the grounds of Inveraray Castle to reflect on the impact the countryside has had on her and her family. Dame Judi is a talented watercolourist, inspired by the Scottish landscape. So how will she take to oils? She’s joined by her grandson Sam to check in on a tartan that’s being created for her, in which every thread tells a personal story. Adam Henson meets Dame Judi’s partner David Mills, an award-winning farmer who gave up dairying to create the British Wildlife Centre on his Surrey farm. It was Judi’s love of otters that brought the two together. And wildlife film-maker Hamza Yassin takes her to a secret location in a bid to help Dame Judi fulfil a lifetime ambition – to see golden eagles in the wild.
Sammi Kinghorn returns to Cumbria to find out how young shepherdess Katie is doing now that she’s finished school for the year.
From the Goodwood Estate in West Sussex, four of the UK’s top sheepdog handlers go head-to-head, aiming to claim 2023's One Man and His Dog trophy. The challenging course at Goodwood leaves our competing teams nowhere to hide from the expert eye of judge Jane Drinkwater. Can Scotland veteran Willie Welsh and his dog Cap, or the youngest competitor, 21-year-old Shannon Conn and her dog Yellow Hill Chip outdo England’s Carol Mellin and her dog Pentrabet, or Wales’s Rob Ellis and his dog Todd? There’s everything to play for. We also meet 16-year-old Jack Howells from Wales, with his dog Cydros Boss. Encouraged by his father, Jack caught the trialling bug three years ago, and in a showcase round, demonstrates why he’s one to look out for in the future.
Adam Henson and Sean Fletcher join the Martin family on their Cambridgeshire arable farm at harvest, a time that can be financial 'make or break' for many UK farmers.
Adam Henson and Sean Fletcher are back in the ‘breadbasket’ of East Anglia as farmer Tom Martin learns if this year’s harvest has been a success.
Hamza Yassin fulfils a long-standing ambition by taking a trip to Royal Deeside to attend the Braemar Highland Gathering.
Joe Crowley and Charlotte Smith head to the Wash in Norfolk to see one of the greatest wildlife events in the UK, the Snettisham Spectacular.
Adam Henson and Charlotte Smith are in Cambridgeshire at Cheffins’ famous agricultural machinery auction, the ultimate trading floor for farm equipment.
It’s time for presenters Matt Baker, Charlotte Smith, Margherita Taylor, Joe Crowley and John Craven to pull on their bobble hats and get rambling in aid of Children in Need 2023. They join five remarkable young people who have battled and overcome adversity with the help of projects supported by the charity. This year’s rambles include a challenging crossing to Worms Head on the Gower Peninsula in Wales, a trek through the dramatic Nevis Gorge to the 120m high Steall Falls in Fort William, Scotland, a hike through the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee ancient woodland in Leicestershire, England, and a trip to Castlewellan Forest Park in County Down, Northern Ireland, with dramatic views of the Mourne Mountains and the Irish Sea.
As part of Countryfile's Wild Britain initiative, Ellie Harrison and Hamza Yassin visit Wytham Woods in Oxfordshire.
John Craven and Sammi Kinghorn visit the South Downs to see how the past is inspiring residents to preserve the future of this diverse landscape.
Countryfile returns to Dumfries House as autumn is in full swing and the first year of teaching gets underway at the new rural skills centre recently opened by the King.
Ellie Harrison and Anita Rani are at Poole Harbour for the conclusion of a three-year environmental study, and thety celebrate Ellie’s last Countryfile episode with a trip down memory lane. Ellie visits artificial rock pools and learns the results of a trial which uses 3D printed reef blocks on the sea floor, hoping to make sea defences more habitable for marine wildlife. Ellie also harvests an unusual cooking ingredient - sea spaghetti. Anita joins a crew fishing for Manila clams on one of the final catches of the season, and she explores bird haven RSPB Arne to see the work done to protect the land for nesting birds such as oystercatchers. Anita also tries paddleboarding for the first time, meeting a local water sports group to find out how structures like piers help to reduce the impact of water sports and walkers on the bird population. Adam Henson is busy on the farm checking in on his Cotswold ewes and seeing how the recent back-to-back storms have affected his wheat crop.
Charlotte Smith and Matt Baker head to Elan Valley, nestled in the heart of the Cambrian Mountains, where the Welsh natural world is getting ready for the onset of winter. The valley is a patchwork of habitats including Celtic rainforests, open moorland and raging rivers, all dominated by huge dams. These dams have changed the landscape forever, and Charlotte finds out how the rivers of Elan Valley have recently welcomed back migrating salmon. She also helps restore peatlands by getting behind the wheel of some earth moving machinery to rework the topography of the rugged peat landscape. Matt helps drive cattle down into forests on the valley floor to not only provide them with shelter for the winter, but to improve ancient Celtic rainforests. Charlotte looks at how some farmers have started a campaign protesting and blockading supermarket depots to demand fairer prices. Adam travels to the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells where the Winter Fair is in full swing.
The team meet with experts to learn about nature and the behaviour of wildlife in the winter, and what folk wisdom across the centuries can teach us about the season.
The team return to the Cumbrian fells to learn of 16-year-old shepherdess Katie and her family's Christmas traditions on their upland farm.
New Year's Day is traditionally a day when we get outside and go for a gentle stroll to blow off the cobwebs from the night before and welcome in the coming year. Margherita Taylor goes for a wintry walk alongside the River Lea. On her journey, Margherita meets historian Dr Jim Lewis, who describes its history from the ice ages to the present day. A stop at the UK's oldest angling club reveals what happens on the river out of season, and a short detour finds Margherita at Lee Valley Park, where she meets Cath Patrick, a conservation manager who tells her about some of the beautiful wildlife that calls this area home. Along the way, Margherita will plunge into the archives to look back at other wintry outings enjoyed by the team over the years.
2024
Anita Rani and Matt Baker head to Blakeney National Nature Reserve, a four-mile-long shingle spit that offers protection and provides a perfect habitat for grey seals to come ashore and breed.
Charlotte Smith and Sammi Kinghorn visit the Tamara Coast to Coast Way, connecting the north and south of Cornwall’s coastal paths for the very first time.
Sammi Kinghorn and Matt Baker witness one of nature's greatest displays – a starling murmuration – at the Newport Wetlands National Nature Reserve in south Wales.
Joe Crowley is in the Somerset Levels to experience the history, heritage and farming of this unique environment. In the Cotswolds, Adam Henson is restoring his ancient orchard.
Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith learn how Bodmin Moor, a windswept terrain scarred by its industrial past, is gearing up to welcome back wildlife.
Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith visit Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, the inspiration for Winnie-the-Pooh’s magical home, 100 Aker Wood, to learn more about this ancient woodland.
Joe Crowley and Anita Rani are at the Colesbourne estate in the Cotswolds, where its gardens at this time of year are home to millions of one hardy flower – the snowdrop.
Britain is home to over 4,000 castles. Charlotte Smith visits one of Wales’s finest, Powis Castle, to explore the impressive grounds and grand rooms of this former medieval fortress.
Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith head to the UK's longest and highest aqueduct, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in north Wales, and Joe Crowley investigates claims of threats to Britain's historic waterways.
As the RNLI celebrates its 200th anniversary, Matt Baker and Sammi Kinghorn meet some of its volunteers at the charity's station in Minehead, Somerset.
Charlotte Smith and Sean Fletcher explore Marlborough Downs, which is home to one of the UK’s newest nature reserves – Bay Meadows.
Anita Rani visits Hinton Ampner in Winchester, a medieval village and Georgian country estate that is also the site of both Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements and barrows.
Margherita Taylor and Matt Baker head to the Trent Valley, where over the past two centuries, industrialisation along the river Trent has taken its toll on the landscape.
Hamza Yassin and Charlotte Smith celebrate the arrival of spring at the majestic 600-acre National Arboretum at Westonbirt in Gloucestershire, home to a collection of 2,500 different tree species.
Buckle up as Anita Rani and Matt Baker are on a road trip along the Hardknott and Wrynose Passes in the heart of the Lake District.
From the blooming gardens of RHS Wisley in Surrey, Hamza Yassin and Sammi Kinghorn celebrate one of nature’s heroes – the not-so-humble bee!
Sean Fletcher and Margherita Taylor travel to Rutland, historically the smallest county in England. Despite its size, it is home to the largest man-made body of water in the country – Rutland Water.
To wrap up this year’s lambing season, we’re at Adam Henson’s farm in the Cotswolds to see what’s next for his new spring additions. As well as the mischievous lambs, Adam checks in with his Highland calves, Gloucester old spot piglets and a brand new Exmoor pony foal. With ewes and lambs to sell on, and one-year-old rams to shear, there’s plenty to be getting on with. Adam also takes a dive into the Countryfile archives to revisit some of our favourite lambing memories – from hardy breeds that lamb outdoors to exhilarating moments from the lambing shed.
Ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week, Sean Fletcher and Margherita Taylor travel to the Sharpham Trust, located in the beautiful wilds of south Devon.
Joe Crowley celebrates the 60th anniversary of the National Nature Reserve at Lindisfarne and joins the ranger team protecting nesting ringed plover on the shore.
Adam Henson and Charlotte Smith travel to north Cornwall to explore the history of the Camel Trail, encounter local wildlife and meet the people that live and work along its route.
Anita Rani and Charlotte Smith travel to Dorset, where 80 years ago, tens of thousands of troops amassed as the Allies’ combined forces prepared for D-Day.
Charlotte Smith and Joe Crowley head to south west Wales, where they help with a kelp harvest at Câr-y-Môr, Wales’s first regenerative ocean farm.
Sammi Kinghorn and Sean Fletcher explore the natural riches and hidden treasures of Wanlockhead – the highest village in Scotland.
Joe Crowley joins the teams at the Horning Sailing Club as they get ready for the Three Rivers Race.
From the towering cliffs of RSPB Bempton on the coast to shallow, crystal-clear streams further inland, Charlotte Smith explores England’s most northerly chalk outcrop.
Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor visits Montacute in Somerset, home to an impressive 400-year-old Elizabethan mansion and some of the rarest wildlife in the UK.
Charlotte Smith and Sean Fletcher are on Hengistbury Head in Dorset, where a large-scale engineering project is set to save huge swathes of this coastline from being lost to the sea.
Joe Crowley visits Chew Valley and learns about one of the UK's largest farming projects. He also discovers how the wider Chew Valley inspires those who work and live in the local area.
Anita and Matt are at the lowest point in the UK, the Fens, to explore the way wildlife and people coexist at and below sea level.
Joe Crowley is on the lookout for some of the UK’s most elusive animals at Thursley National Nature Reserve in Surrey, one of the largest remaining areas of heathland.
With over 7,000 livestock being shown, and an expected turnout of 250,000 people, Adam Henson and Charlotte Smith are at one of the largest agricultural shows in Europe – the Royal Welsh.
Sean Fletcher explores Borrowdale Oakwoods, England’s largest remaining temperate rainforest and one of the rarest habitats on earth.
Wakehurst, Kew’s botanic gardens in West Sussex, is the location for judging this year’s Countryfile photographic competition. John Craven and Charlotte Smith are joined by presenter, journalist, author and avid nature lover Vick Hope to pick the final 12 images that will grace the 2025 Countryfile calendar in aid of BBC Children in Need. Charlotte also explores Kew’s millennium seed bank at Wakehurst, looking at the work being done to support our native meadows. She meets the high-tech team using robots, drones and LiDar to unlock the mysteries of trees and plants. We also catch up with Wakehurst’s nature reserve warden as he repurposes an area felled due to ash dieback, as well as meeting a bee expert deciphering the DNA of pollen.
Fishing is one of the most popular outdoor pursuits in the UK, with three million anglers casting their lines each year. The UK’s coastlines and rivers offer incredible fishing opportunities, from bass swimming in our seas to trout meandering through our rivers. Some fish, however, are trickier to catch than others. Joe Crowley visits the Dorset coast to team up with a local fly fisherman as he takes on one of the UK’s most difficult fish to catch – the mullet. Joe learns about a very specific method, using unique flies created to hopefully entice one in. Along the way, we trawl the Countryfile archives in search of stories about our relationship with the fish that call our rivers and seas home.
Sean Fletcher and Anita Rani explore the rugged hills and valleys of west Exmoor, where landscape-scale change is occurring with the introduction of large animals to aid nature restoration.
The Ministry of Defence is not only responsible for the nation's security, but they are also one of the UK’s major landowners. Charlotte and Matt have security clearance to enter their largest site, Salisbury Plain, where they find out how the MoD maintain a balance between military training, farming and conservation. Matt dons his waders and meets a team looking after a threatened and vitally important chalk river, whilst Charlotte finds out how endangered flora and fauna survive under the wrath of heavy military vehicles. We also hear from a farmer managing his cattle around tight military training operations, and meet a passionate birder who has dedicated his life to bringing back one of the heaviest flying birds in the world to Salisbury Plain, the great bustard. And Adam is in Northern Ireland catching up with young farmer Emily McGowan to help with harvest.
Joe Crowley and Anita Rani continue Countryfile’s Wild Britain initiative, galvanising the nation into helping our beloved wildlife. This week, they’re exploring how communities are supporting nature on the wild island of Anglesey, off north west Wales. Joe takes to the seas looking for rare Risso's dolphins and finds out how a citizen science project is monitoring marine life around the UK’s coast. Joe also visits a community woodland to learn about the ongoing challenges facing red squirrels and meets the volunteers looking out for them. Anita catches up with the people championing choughs on Anglesey, and we visit the island's only hedgehog hospital. Adam Henson is in Cornwall, seeing how a change in farming practices has increased the population of dung beetles on one farm.
The Kelso Ram Sales on the Scottish Borders is one of the largest and oldest ram sales in Europe, with more than 3,500 rams expected to be sold on the day. Charlotte Smith joins local farmer Anne Mair-Chapman as she prepares her prized animals for the big event and meets the farmers buying the all-important ram that will help their flocks flourish over the next year. She also goes behind the scenes to see how this massive market is organised, including moving thousands of sheep around the sale in their very own taxis. Away from Kelso, Charlotte finds out about the official vets who keep key parts of our food supply chain running. Adam Henson is in Cumbria helping shepherdess Katy move her flock down from the fells, and we hear from an inspiring young person who will be joining us on this year’s ramble for BBC Children in Need.
Adam Henson and Charlotte Smith are in Biggar, South Lanarkshire, at the 2024 International Sheepdog Championship.
Joe Crowley is on the west coast of Scotland, celebrating a local delicacy – the oyster! Every year, people flock to the small coastal town of Stranraer to visit the Stranraer Oyster Festival, where people come together to celebrate these very special shellfish. Joe meets the people behind the festival and finds out why this event has put Stranraer back on the map. He sails out onto the sparkling waters of Loch Ryan to discover how the fisherman harvest oysters with sustainability at the forefront. Over a campfire, Joe is shown how to cook a simple oyster dish by chef Pam Brunton and meets the competitors of the weekend's biggest event - the shuck-off! Meanwhile, Adam Henson is in the Cotswolds, welcoming two new additions to the farm.
The cereal harvests of summer are finished, and now it’s the time to gather in our autumn crops, including one of our most popular - potatoes. Joe Crowley visits an Essex potato farm at the height of their harvest, only to discover that the recent rain isn’t making it easy to lift the crop. He finds out that it’s been a challenging time for potato farmers across the country, with the weather and higher production costs taking their toll on this staple crop. Joe follows the potatoes from field to factory, where he sees the farm's onsite production line making their very own crisps. Along the way, we dig into the Countryfile archives to unearth some treasures of autumn harvests gone by.
It’s harvest time, but not as we know it. Charlotte Smith meets pioneering farmer David Mwanaka, who grows crops from his native Zimbabwe.
Presenters Matt Baker, Anita Rani, Sean Fletcher, Margherita Taylor and John Craven are celebrating the tenth anniversary of Countryfile Rambles for BBC Children in Need.
John Craven visits Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, in Gloucestershire, to see it in all its autumnal glory. At this time of year, 2,500 different species of trees, from around the world, burst into a mosaic of colour. John finds out about the history of the arboretum’s autumn colour parties, which were celebrated in the Victorian period, and discovers why leaves change colour at this time of year. He meets the team saving the arboretum's older trees from the winter storms and plants a rare native Sorbus tree to help preserve the species for the future. In celebration of the season, we also delve into the Countryfile archives to revisit autumn stories from around the UK.
Sean Fletcher and Sammi Kinghorn are in the Yorkshire Dales with its craggy hills, plunging valleys and expansive moors - but the landscape hasn’t always looked like this. Sean discovers the Dales were once covered in trees as he joins one of the biggest native tree planting projects in England, helping to restore woodland to the area. He also meets a young farmer embracing the local tradition of making cheese from a small herd of cattle. Sammi learns the story of Yorkshire wool, from the cottage industry of knitting shepherds, to the water-powered textiles mills of the 18th century. We also meet the man who has spent 35 years filming the underwater world of one of the Yorkshire Dales’ many rivers, and join a printmaker who takes inspiration from her daily fell runs. And Tom is looking at the government’s plans for a big increase in house building and what that will mean for the countryside.
Hamza Yassin and Charlotte Smith are on the beautiful Northumberland Coast. Hamza travels to Coquet Island with the RSPB’s site manager, warden and volunteers to help restore a nesting platform for the very rare roseate tern, repairing the damage caused to it by burrowing puffins. Hamza also embarks on a wildlife safari at Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve as he attempts to spot some of the magnificent birds that flock to the area over the winter months. Charlotte meets Kuki the biosecurity dog, who is tasked with seeking out pests that could have a devastating effect on precious seabird colonies. We also meet community volunteers from the coastal village of Alnmouth who are restoring their three-acre pond into a haven for wildlife. In the Cotswolds, Adam harvests apples to make into juice.
John Craven and Margherita Taylor explore Woodoaks Farm in Hertfordshire, where efforts are under way to restore nature’s balance and reconnect people with farming. John discovers the rural heritage of the farm, which was donated to the Soil Association in 2020, and learns about the vision for its future. He also meets a historian who has unearthed the lost diary of a local farmer, written over 150 years ago, and hears about the wisdom within its pages that still holds true for farming today. Margherita meets the community of people that are part of daily life on the farm, from the volunteers that make up the compost club to the local bird enthusiasts who follow the feathered fortunes of some of the farm’s wildlife. Away from Woodoaks, Adam reveals the Countryfile Young Countryside Champion finalists.
Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor are visiting Romney Marsh in Kent, known for its sweeping skies, marshland and shingle beaches, and at this time of year, home to tens of thousands of wintering birds.
Sammi Kinghorn and Matt Baker explore the Peak District, the first national park created by the transformative National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949.
It's Christmas, and Countryfile has received a very special invitation to visit Highgrove Gardens, which surround the private residence of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Matt Baker, Margherita Taylor and Adam Henson meet staff from His Majesty’s charity The King’s Foundation, who manage Highgrove and transform it into a festive wonderland each Christmas, all while staying true to His Majesty’s passion for nature and sustainability. Matt joins Highgrove’s garden team to harvest the King's brussels sprouts and meets students taking part in The King’s Foundation education programmes using British timber, and Adam joins a local farmer shepherding his Shropshire sheep onto the estate's wildflower meadow for grazing. To finish the episode, there's a taste of a Highgrove Christmas, as the royal chef prepares a delicious feast of turkey and brussels sprouts.
After the indulgences of the festive season, one way to blow away the cobwebs is getting outside for a winter walk. Charlotte heads out on one of Britain's most famous trails, the South West Coast Path, to get a breath of fresh air and discover the power of walking. She meets inspiring people taking to the footpath for their health and wellbeing, looks out for wildlife from the clifftops, and joins an artist for whom this coastline is his muse. Along the way, we explore the Countryfile archives for adventures of winters past.
2025
John Craven visits Farmoor Reservoir in Oxfordshire, where many bird species find sanctuary in the cold winter months. John joins up with a local bird spotter to hear about the vast array of species that call this place home during winter. He also meets a biologist who has created a series of ponds on the reserve, which are some of the most monitored in Europe. John discovers these wetland habitats are important for all sorts of life in winter - above and below the surface. As the sun sets, John witnesses the spectacle of birds coming into roost and learns the importance of one of the UK’s least revered bird species – gulls. Throughout, we open the Countryfile archives to revisit winter wildlife stories from around the UK.
Sammi Kinghorn and Matt Baker are exploring the waterways of the Shropshire Hills, where the critically endangered Atlantic salmon makes its ancient journey upstream to its spawning grounds. Sammi and Matt meet the people of Shropshire, from ecologists reshaping rivers to farmers maintaining clean waterways, as well as an artist crafting steel fish. Together, they work to raise awareness about the importance of preserving these rivers for the salmon and the many species that depend on them. Meanwhile, in the Cotswolds, Adam reflects on a challenging year on his farm and plans for the year ahead.
Countryfile is in Dartmoor, famous for its rugged landscape, vast moorland and ponies. Anita Rani assists a team from the Devon Wildlife Trust, armed with radio scanners and trail cameras, as they try to locate one of the 15 pine martens released into the wilds of Dartmoor earlier in the year, part of an exciting attempt to re-establish this native creature back into these woodlands. Joe Crowley visits Fingle Woods to explore a large-scale restoration project, joining the foresters to remove conifers and bring back native trees and wildlife. A few miles away, Joe puts the milled wood to use, constructing one of a series of blocks forming part of a vital peatland restoration project. In the Cotswolds, Adam is shepherding with his dog Gwen and looks back at the time he visited the International Supreme Championship to see how the best handlers from the British Isles use whistles to command their dogs.
Adam Henson and Sean Fletcher explore the rich landscapes of the New Forest, where the animals that roam the heath and woodlands play an essential role in shaping the landscape. Adam joins the head agister on his rounds, overseeing the commoners' livestock, and meets the people who have the right to graze their animals in this ancient landscape. Sean helps to restore Europe's largest remaining area of lowland heath and visits a community woodland where Shire horses are helping with coppicing. He also goes in search of the elusive hawfinch and meets a woman building a successful soap-making business from goat's milk. Beyond the New Forest, Adam travels to Shropshire to meet a young pig farmer who is passionate about both agriculture and preserving the countryside.
Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith head to Welney Wetland Centre in Norfolk for World Wetlands Day, uncovering the vital role these habitats play in supporting a host of bird species, including the whooper swan and black-tailed godwit. Along the way, they meet the dedicated individuals working tirelessly to safeguard these precious environments. Matt is captivated by a breathtaking display by whooper swans while assisting with crucial winter counts, and Charlotte joins volunteers building a new hide, offering visitors a closer look at the magical wildlife that calls this stunning location home. Meanwhile, Joe Crowley investigates concerns over new border checks and the impact they could have on farmers and our food.
Tucked away in the south east corner of Northern Ireland are the Mournes – a mountain range which stretches all the way down to the coast. Matt Baker and Charlotte Smith uncover the threats the area faces, from raging wildfires to destructive storms, and they meet the people who are protecting the mountain range, from the summits to the sea. Matt helps rebuild essential pathways up the mountain, joins rangers installing dams to restore peat bogs, and meets the people bringing barn owls back to the area. Charlotte restores a precious patch of ancient woodland and helps to stabilise a fragile dune system. In the Cotswolds, Adam Henson scans his ewes ahead of lambing season.
2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the reintroduction of white-tailed eagles to the UK, following their release in Scotland. Hamza Yassin takes us on a sea eagle safari across the Sound of Mull to Tobermory, checking in on the thriving population of these majestic birds. He also recounts his involvement in the daring rescue of one of Mull’s famous sea eagles. Charlotte Smith visits the banks of Loch Sunart to meet the passionate team working to protect an ancient Atlantic rainforest, a haven for native plants and wildlife. Meanwhile, Tom Heap reflects on two decades since the fox-hunting ban was enacted, investigating the ongoing battle against illegal hunting in today’s landscape.
Adam Henson and Charlotte Smith are at the Stirling Bull Sales, one of the most prestigious events in the farming calendar. Over two action-packed days, approximately 300 pedigree bulls are showcased and sold, attracting thousands of buyers, sellers and enthusiasts, eager to see and bid on the country's finest livestock. Adam teams up with local farmer Graeme Fraser as he prepares his prized Aberdeen Angus bulls for the sale, following their journey throughout the event. But will they attract the high bids Graeme is hoping for? Meanwhile, Charlotte immerses herself in the buying process as she discovers how bidders catch the auctioneer’s eye and secure a top-quality bull for their herds. We also meet the woman behind the lens, capturing the stunning images of these prize bulls, and take a closer look at the dedicated caterers, vets and auctioneers who keep the event running smoothly.
Matt, Anita and Adam discover the wonders of the Humber Estuary, a region famed for its bustling port and industry that is also home to diverse wildlife. Matt visits Far Ings Nature Reserve, where he helps manage a habitat for the rare bittern bird. Adam meets a farmer and butcher working in harmony with nature, while Anita heads to Blacktoft Sands to assist with a bird count and encounters a herd of wild konik ponies grazing in the reeds. Away from the Humber, Adam travels to Derbyshire to meet a young farmer transforming a traditional family dairy farm into a modern, thriving business.
Matt Baker welcomes new presenter Vick Hope to Countryfile. Together, they explore England’s largest forest – Kielder in Northumberland – where they meet the people protecting its ecosystems and preserving its future. Matt joins a landscape-scale project looking to diversify the woodland’s make-up by collecting the seeds of the country’s rarest native trees. He also helps a team construct one of England’s longest mountain bike trails and sees how they are being made accessible to adaptive cyclists. Vick helps with a project aiming to restore critically endangered freshwater pearl mussels to Kielder’s waterways, and in the Cotswolds, Adam Henson looks at using woodland on his farm to graze livestock and benefit wildlife.
Matt Baker and Joe Crowley explore the slate landscape of north west Wales, a Unesco World Heritage site, which is being prepared for a new role in rural tourism after securing a grant. Joe visits Dinorwig Quarry to uncover the rich history of slate mining in the area and the dangerous lives of those who worked tirelessly to extract it. He meets individuals dedicated to preserving the Penrhyn Quarry Hospital and takes part in Wales's first ever raptor count. Meanwhile, Matt visits a family that is keeping the tradition of slate fencing alive, before getting up close to their semi-feral Welsh Carneddau ponies. In Staffordshire, Adam meets a dairy farmer who, after being diagnosed with ADHD later in life, is raising awareness about the impact of neurodiversity in farming.
It’s ten years since the start of the River Otter Beaver Project – England’s first official beaver reintroduction. John Craven is back in Devon to see how these industrious creatures have been faring. This is the perfect time of year to be looking for evidence of beaver activity – they’re particularly active now, gnawing trees and shifting vegetation to create dams. John joins the Devon Wildlife Trust team looking for tracks and trails, seeing first-hand their impact on the landscape. But beavers go – and gnaw – where they please, and some steering is needed to stop them from settling where they’re not wanted, so John meets the volunteers with clever techniques to keep them on track. Along the way, John reflects on some of Countryfile’s most memorable reintroduction films from years gone by.
Matt Baker and Margherita Taylor commemorate 200 years since the birth of the railways with a journey on the Watercress Line in Alresford, Hampshire. They explore how the advent of steam engines connected rural England to cities, providing farmers with the vital link needed to distribute their fresh produce across the UK. Matt visits watercress growers gearing up for this year’s crop and helps prepare their gravel beds ready for seeding, and he learns about the role of river invertebrates in modern farming practices. Margherita meets the people keeping the heritage line alive, helps volunteers clear a disused railway to create a new wildlife corridor, and she meets a local who has set up a community farm shop which sits in the middle of what put this area on the map – watercress beds! Meanwhile, Tom Heap investigates the system designed to protect farmers selling to big supermarkets and asks how well it’s really working.
Adam Henson and Charlotte Smith are in the Cairngorms National Park, home to a quarter of the UK’s rare and endangered species.
Charlotte Smith and John Craven explore the Stroudwater canal in Gloucestershire, where a major restoration project is bringing this historic waterway back to life.
John Craven and Vick Hope celebrate new life on the Wembury Coast, from high up on the clifftop to the bed of its natural harbour.
Margherita Taylor and Joe Crowley are in the Forest of Bowland for a sensory spring feast – soaking up the sights, sounds and flavours of the season.
Lambing season is the crux of the UK’s sheep-farming calendar – a high-stakes, hands-on period that defines rural livelihoods, demands round-the-clock care and shapes the year’s success from pasture to plate. As three of the programme's presenters know only too well... Adam Henson, Sammi Kinghorn and Matt Baker are busy on their own farms at the height of lambing season. Each has a different system and different goals. Sammi and her dad lamb large flock numbers indoors and are looking to breed the ‘best mothers’. Matt and his mum recently changed from intensive numbers to a small flock of hardy sheep outside, while Adam continues to develop ways to breed more efficiency into his flock.
John Craven and Sean Fletcher are in Mid Wales around the Dyfi river, exploring the hidden stories of wildlife that flock to the area at this time of year - and the people ready to welcome them.
Charlotte Smith and Matt Baker are in Shropshire, where landscapes are being brought back to life - floodplains are being rewilded, meadows restored and ancient woodlands reimagined.
Vick Hope and Joe Crowley are in West Sussex to celebrate the revival of the white stork.
As the BBC celebrates this year’s UK City of Culture, Countryfile explores how the countryside around Bradford shaped the city and its creative legacy. A story of grit and wool.
