Countryfile

2009-05-10

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January 24, 2010 • 1h

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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.

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January 31, 2010

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January 31, 2010 • 1h

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We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

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January 31, 2010

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January 31, 2010 • 1h

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4th January 2012

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January 4, 2012 • 1h

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We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

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8th January 2012

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January 8, 2012 • 1h

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15th January 2012

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January 15, 2012 • 1h

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Exmoor

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August 25, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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September 29, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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Abergavenny

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October 6, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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Compilation - Wild Harvest

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October 13, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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Yorkshire Dales

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October 20, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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One Man and His Dog

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October 27, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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Hertfordshire

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November 3, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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Cannock Chase

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November 10, 2013 • 1h

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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!

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Suffolk

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November 17, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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Compilation - Our Living Laboratory

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November 24, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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Peak District

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December 1, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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Peak District

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December 1, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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Cheshire

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December 8, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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Cheshire

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December 8, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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Padstow

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December 15, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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Padstow

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December 15, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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Christmas Special

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December 22, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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Christmas Special

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December 22, 2013 • 1h

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The Countryfile team celebrate the festive season with a woodland Christmas at Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire as they switch on the holiday illuminations.

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Compilation - Wildlife Winners and Losers

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December 29, 2013 • 1h

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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.

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Compilation - Wildlife Winners and Losers

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Pembrokeshire

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March 18, 2018 • 1h

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Cottage Industries

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January 5, 2020 • 1h

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Countryfile celebrates cottage industries, with Ellie Harrison meeting a woman who sells hand-crafted products all revolving around fire.

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Welney Marshes

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January 12, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Ballycastle

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January 19, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Hope Valley

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January 26, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Dungeness

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February 2, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Auchlyne

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February 9, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Farm Diversification

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February 16, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Shaftesbury

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February 23, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Gwent Levels

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March 1, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Holnicote Estate

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March 8, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Looe Harbour

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March 15, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Lake Vyrnwy

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March 22, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Signs of Spring

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March 29, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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24 Hours in the Lambing Shed

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April 5, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Presenter Favourites

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April 12, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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June 21, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Charlecote Park

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June 28, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Grand Union Canal

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July 5, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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The Blean

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September 20, 2020 • 1h

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November 29, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Black Mountains

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December 6, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Stour Estuary

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December 13, 2020 • 1h

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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 .

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Christmas Special

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December 20, 2020 • 1h

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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.

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Wildlife Compilation

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February 7, 2021 • 1h

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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.

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Winter Heroes

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February 14, 2021 • 1h

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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.

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Nene Valley

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February 21, 2021 • 1h

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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.

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Hidden Treasures

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February 28, 2021 • 1h

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April 11, 2021 • 1h

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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.

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Hambleden Valley

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April 18, 2021 • 1h

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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.

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Nidderdale

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April 25, 2021 • 1h

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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.

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Wimbledon Common

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Manifold Valley Agricultural Show

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August 29, 2021 • 1h

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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.

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September 26, 2021 • 1h

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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.

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Cumbria

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October 3, 2021 • 1h

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Christmas Traditions

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Season Finale

December 26, 2021 • 1h

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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.

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Countryfile (1988)

Matt Baker as Self - Host

Episodes 588