Countryfile Season 26, Episode 51: Christmas Special

1

Horses and Dogs

A look through the archives to see how horses and dogs are an integral part of rural life.

60 min

2

Hertfordshire

Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury head to the Hertfordshire countryside.

60 min

3

Exmoor

Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury head to Exmoor, where Julia learns about Alfred Vowles.

60 min

4

South Wales

Matt Baker and John Craven head to South Wales.

60 min

5

Yorkshire Dales

John Craven explores the historic ruins of Jervaulx Abbey, once home to Cistercian monks.

60 min

6

Cornwall Coast

Countryfile heads to the north Cornwall coast. Matt Baker explores its glens and ruins.

60 min

7

Cotswolds

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.

60 min

8

Bristol

Matt Baker and Julia Bradbury are in Bristol, a city with the countryside on its doorstep.

60 min

9

Northumberland

Countryfile heads to the wild, rugged and dramatic landscape of Northumberland.

60 min

10

A Royal Appointment

The Countryfile team pay a special visit to Prince Charles on his Gloucestershire farm.

60 min

11

Lyme Bay

Countryfile is in Lyme Bay, where the rugged west Dorset and east Devon coastlines meet.

60 min

12

Golden Valley

Matt Baker is with the farmers trying to make a living from sheep in the Golden Valley.

60 min

13

Spring Compilation

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.

60 min

14

Northamptonshire

Matt Baker explores the Grand Union Canal and Julia Bradbury discovers hidden heritage.

60 min

15

Suffolk

Matt explores Suffolk's boating heritage as he puts the finishing touches to a boat.

60 min

16

Luddenden

In Calderdale, West Yorkshire, Ellie Harrison follows in the footsteps of Whitely Turner.

60 min

17

Country Architecture Compilation

Ellie Harrison visits the historic Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire.

60 min

18

Cambridgeshire

Ellie Harrison takes a peek behind the scenes at Newmarket, the home of horse racing.

60 min

19

Hampshire

Matt Baker explores the maritime history of Hampshire.

60 min

20

Henley-on-Thames

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.

60 min

21

The Humber

Countryfile travels to Yorkshire and the Humber, with Matt out on the Humber estuary.

60 min

22

Fife

Countryfile is in the historic kingdom of Fife. Matt Baker explores Tentsmuir forest.

60 min

23

Teign Valley

The Countryfile team launch their annual photographic competition.

60 min

24

North Wales Woodfest

Ellie Harrison and Matt Baker head to North Wales, and Matt heads to the Woodfest.

60 min

25

Kent

The Countryfile team are on the coastal flatlands of Kent.

60 min

26

Transport Compilation

John Craven visits the Lake District and looks back at transport-related stories.

60 min

27

Cambrian Mountains

The Countryfile team explore the Cambrian mountains, one of Wales' best-kept secrets.

60 min

28

Shetland

Ellie Harrison and Adam Henson head for the Shetlands, where Ellie meets seaweed farmers.

60 min

29

Peak District

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.

60 min

30

Cheshire

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.

60 min

31

Christmas Special

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.

60 min

32

Compilation - Wildlife Winners and Losers

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.

60 min

33

Padstow

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.

60 min

34

Out and About

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.

60 min

35

Gower

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.

60 min

36

Staithes

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.

60 min

37

Dorset

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.

60 min

38

Devon

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.

60 min

39

Shropshire

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.

60 min

40

Abergavenny

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.

60 min

41

Compilation - Wild Harvest

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.

60 min

42

Yorkshire Dales

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.

60 min

43

One Man and His Dog

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.

60 min

44

Hertfordshire

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.

60 min

45

Cannock Chase

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!

60 min

46

Suffolk

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.

60 min

47

Compilation - Our Living Laboratory

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.

60 min

48

Peak District

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.

60 min

49

Cheshire

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.

60 min

50

Padstow

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.

60 min

51

Christmas Special

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

60 min

52

Compilation - Wildlife Winners and Losers

Ellie Harrison explores the plight of some of Britain's most endangered animals and looks back at some classic Countryfile moments.

60 min