Dermot O'Leary Into the Wild with Gordon Buchanan


Dermot O'Leary

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Transcript


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I'm Gordon Buchanan.

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I've filmed the most amazing creatures on the planet.

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Wow. These are animals that have killed people.

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But for me, some of the best wildlife

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is right here on our doorstep...

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..and I'd like some of our best-loved household names

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to experience it as I do.

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-It's just awe-inspiring.

-That was unbelievable.

-Yeah.

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-Beautiful.

-Oh, what an experience.

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I can spend weeks or even months

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tracking down these elusive creatures.

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This time, I have just three days.

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This could be the biggest challenge of my career.

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I'm in the Western Isles of Scotland

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with someone I'm more used to seeing in a suit.

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Dermot O'Leary - Mr Saturday Night...

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..radio presenter and all-round good bloke.

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He started his career on local radio.

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Now he has his own show on Radio 2.

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I can wake up whistling a tune in my head

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and go down to my CD collection and go, "I'm going to play that today."

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And what you might not know about him

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is that he's crazy about fishing and the great outdoors.

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We live in this extraordinary country

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that's got this great wildlife

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and beautiful environment on our doorstep.

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Yeah, it just seems a waste if you're not out there enjoying it.

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I think what we've seen just sort of landscape-wise from the car,

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and we haven't even got our feet wet...

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-Yet.

-Yet.

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For the next three days, we're going to be in and around Skye,

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an island off the northwest coast of Scotland.

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It's the largest in the Inner Hebrides -

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639 square miles and home to 10,000 people.

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But it's in the rich coastal waters around Skye

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that I'm hoping to show Dermot some spectacular marine life.

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On day one, we'll look for seals and the iconic golden eagle.

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Then, we'll head off to Rum and its thriving deer population.

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But it's dolphins,

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whales and basking sharks

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that I really want us to see.

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Just keep your eyes open,

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and if you see anything, point it out to me...

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-Yeah.

-..cos I might not necessarily have seen it myself.

-Really? OK.

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We're heading towards Skye on the ferry.

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It works via a manual turntable and it's the only one of its kind

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left in the world.

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It motors across the Kyle Rhea or the narrows.

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At 500m, it's the shortest crossing between the mainland and the island.

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Lucky for us, it's calm.

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When it comes to wildlife,

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the one thing that will impact on it is a lot of wind,

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especially, you know, if we're looking for wildlife in the water.

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If you've got waves that are that size,

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-trying to see even an otter or something like that...

-Yeah.

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..it's really difficult because the waves kind of break it up.

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But this is good.

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Nice to be away from the midges as well. God, they were...

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Yeah, it's only going to last five minutes.

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Five, four, three, two, one, welcome to Skye.

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-Hey, thanks!

-We're just about to...

-You're my welcoming party.

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Tourism is one of the main industries on the island

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and it's not hard to work out why.

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The West Coast of Scotland, it has become a bit of a wildlife mecca.

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People are here to see, you know, not just the island itself,

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but to have a look out for the wildlife.

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And that's kind of... I love that.

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The Isle of Skye is famously rugged.

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You've got some of these really beautiful, cosy little glens

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that are covered in trees,

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some beautiful, big beaches and all these sea lochs.

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What are the Skye big five?

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-Golden eagles.

-Done. I'm in.

-OK.

-Tick.

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-Sea eagles.

-Yeah, beautiful.

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-One of the animals I might come back as...

-Would be what?

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-Maybe a sea eagle.

-A sea eagle?

-Yeah.

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I like the idea of eating fish - one of my favourite things -

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and, you know, being an apex predator.

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Many of the UK's birds of prey are incredibly rare,

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but there's a chance we may see one or two here.

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I'd be disappointed if I couldn't show you a golden eagle.

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-Are you serious?

-I really would.

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I didn't think, like, we'd have a cat in hell's chance.

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The real unknown for our kind of adventure together

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is what we're going to see when we take to the sea.

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Hopefully, dolphins.

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-Oh, right, yeah.

-Minke whales.

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-Seriously?

-Yeah.

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But the big thing I'd really love to show you - a basking shark.

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-I'd love to see a basking shark.

-Back down there in the narrows,

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when the tide changes - grey seals, common seals...

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-Wonderful.

-..and hopefully...

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-This is the real...

-Otter?

-An otter.

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-We just have to get out there...

-Yeah.

-..and start looking.

-Let's go.

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-So, that's...

-Good plan.

-..where we're going to start.

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So, I have just three days to find seals, otters,

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golden eagles, dolphins and basking sharks.

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Yep, this is going to be tough.

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I just wonder how well Dermot's going to cope

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waiting patiently for these animals to show.

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After all, this is a man who thrives on the adrenaline rush of live TV.

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I love doing live telly more than anything else.

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I mean, it's everything. It's just...it's the theatre of it.

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It's the team aspect. I've always been a big team sport player.

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You want everyone to have a good night.

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It's something I'm quite passionate about.

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-It's equal thirds down to luck, talent and hard work.

-Oh, really?

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Yeah. Or luck, competence and hard work, you know.

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It's sort of, you know, not really up to us to say

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whether we're talented or not, but in your heart, like any job,

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-you know you're competent at it if you keep doing it.

-Yeah.

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Kyle Rhea, where the ferry crosses,

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is one of the fastest tidal streams in the UK.

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The incoming tide brings supper for all sorts of predators,

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and there's a chance we'll see otters, seals

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or even a sea eagle.

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-Millions of gallons of water every second...

-Yeah.

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..getting pushed through, and with that water, nutrients.

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-All the kind of small stuff...

-Yeah.

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..that you can barely detect that enriches, you know,

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the marine environments.

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The fish are pushed to the surface

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by the seals that live and hunt here at this time of year.

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I'm really hoping that we see them, but as I know from experience,

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just because this is a good place, it doesn't mean they'll appear.

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Hey, there he is!

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There are only two species of seal in the UK,

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and the grey is one of them.

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It's got a long, kind of horse-shaped face.

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-Yeah.

-Like a big Roman nose.

-Mm-hm.

-That's...

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-Those are the grey seals. Like that one there.

-Yeah.

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If it's got a kind of cute,

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slightly kind of puppyish look about it,

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-that's the common seals.

-Right.

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Common seals are cuter, effectively.

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That grey seal just took umbrage to what you just said

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and he just went, "Pssh" and then submerged.

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Seals spend most of their time at sea

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and can swim hundreds of miles in search of food.

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What's incredible is how far up they come.

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They are competing with each other,

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so if they kind of bob right out of the water,

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they've got that kind of split second

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to maybe spot where the other seals are

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and think, "Well, OK, I'm not going over there

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"cos there's four seals there already."

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There must be a shoal of fish there.

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-Oh! See that? Wow.

-That's fantastic.

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And it may well be that the seals are kind of...

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They're not just treading water with their mouths open,

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but they're going against the tide,

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so any fish that are coming in that direction...

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They're going so fast that they're going straight in, are they?

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-Pretty much. Well...having to work less hard for it.

-Yeah.

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So, there's a lot of gulls at the moment -

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kind of lesser black-backed gulls - but watch them and enjoy them.

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I see a lot of seagulls back home. Are the gulls after any scraps?

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He's definitely kind of... Look, fish-catching strategy.

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You'll get, you know, surface feeders, like the gulls,

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who will just sort of snatch what they can get.

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They don't go under the water.

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But then you've got things like shags and razorbills

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and guillemots and puffins that can actually pursue fish underwater.

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-Yes.

-So, they're effectively flying underwater.

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This is a good start, Dermot, cos you've seen some seals,

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and you did say that if this was all you saw, you could go home happy.

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-Well, I did, but now...

-So, I can definitely improve on this.

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-DERMOT LAUGHS

-No, do you know what?

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Already, I'm happy. You're right.

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It just kind of whets your appetite for more.

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I'd quite like to cuddle an eagle.

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-DERMOT CHUCKLES

-I want an eagle...

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I want an eagle to perch here and I can...he can talk to me.

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I will do my very best.

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At least you're not saying, "Well, I've seen enough."

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DERMOT LAUGHS "This isn't for me,

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-"this wildlife-watching malarkey."

-Just look.

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This locale and the vista here

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and the animals we're seeing - wonderful.

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-Thank you, seals.

-Yeah, you've done good.

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What an amazing start.

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I'm so glad I was able to show Dermot a seal.

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But the next animal I'm hoping to find

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is going to be much more of a challenge.

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-This is very exciting.

-It is. I am really excited.

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I tell you, the excitement just comes

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from not knowing exactly what we're going to see.

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Golden eagles were once found all over the UK...

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..but their numbers began to decline in the 18th and 19th century

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after years and years of persecution.

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Now they're confined almost entirely to the uplands of Scotland,

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where over 400 pairs breed every year.

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An easier way to spot them

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is just to kind of try and get them

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when they're against the sky cos you will see...

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You can watch a golden eagle circling against the sky like that.

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So, imagine, like those birds up there...

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We've just got some gulls.

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They stand out really well against the sky.

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You could've told me they were golden eagles and I'd be happy.

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No, not with the binoculars.

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You would have got that. DERMOT LAUGHS

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But if they were to drop down below the horizon...

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-Yeah, of course.

-..they suddenly become much more difficult to see.

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And that's a consideration when you're actually watching wildlife.

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So, if you're trying to sneak up on deer

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and you're on the skyline,

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-you stick out like a sore thumb.

-Sure.

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Birds in Scotland, golden eagle - that is the Holy Grail.

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That's kind of, you know...

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If I can show you one of them,

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-my job with the feathered creatures is done and that's...

-Yeah.

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Let's go. Exciting. So exciting.

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One particularly good spot for eagle watching

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is the heart of the Cuillin mountains

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here in the southwest of the island.

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I have a huge amount of admiration for golden eagles in Scotland

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because they have, despite the odds,

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managed to cling on.

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As a species, they're incredibly successful

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and they can adapt to, you know, just a huge range of climates

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and different landscapes.

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They are incredibly majestic.

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-Majestic and elusive.

-THEY LAUGH

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And that's cool. I'm, you know...

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-It shouldn't be served up on a platter...

-Yeah.

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..but it could be in the kitchen waiting for us.

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There.

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There you go. Well done, Dermot O'Leary.

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Chief golden eagle spotter.

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-I'll just go home now, Dermot.

-Look at you.

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That's great.

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Oh!

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Oh, wow.

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They have a wingspan of around 2m.

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After the white-tailed eagle,

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they're the UK's biggest bird of prey.

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Oh, there you go. You got it, Dermot.

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-And I was...

-Oh.

-DERMOT LAUGHS

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There you go.

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Look at you, beautiful.

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-That sheep's getting a bit nervous.

-GORDON LAUGHS

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Yeah, he's got nothing to worry about.

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I mean, to get a sense of scale, you know,

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we're not far off a mile away from that bird and I think...

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-Can you get the sort of size of it?

-Absolutely. It looks huge.

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We lose sight of the eagle for the next 45 minutes

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and think it's gone for good.

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Then, suddenly, it's there again

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with what looks like a rabbit for its dinner.

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If a bird's plucking feathers,

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the feathers kind of are more likely to float off a little bit further,

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whereas fluff will tend to just sort of drop sooner.

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They'll do what we do. It's like after your Sunday lunch.

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They will just go and find somewhere to relax and digest it.

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It'll pick away on the rabbit.

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A couple of hours before it gets dark,

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it'll just find somewhere to roost for the night.

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You've got, potentially, grouse up on the hills,

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ptarmigan in the high tops, hare, rabbit, sea birds coming in.

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Pretty much everything with the golden eagle is fair game.

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Another thing that they'll do is keep an eye out

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for ravens and crows because it's sort of, you know...

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If you were to spot ravens and crows up on a hillside,

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you are almost guaranteed that there is something dead up there.

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To see a golden eagle,

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you have to travel to these far-flung,

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kind of romantic...

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Come to Skye. Come to Skye.

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Never in any doubt.

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-That was fab.

-I knew. I knew. I always had faith.

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-Now, show me some sharks.

-THEY LAUGH

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I've set the bar high.

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Brilliant. Let's go drink some whiskey.

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It's the second day of our big adventure

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and we're on our way to Elgol on Skye's southwest coast.

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Then, we'll be heading out into the Atlantic Ocean

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because Dermot is a self-confessed fishing nut.

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How often do you come home without a fish?

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-Well, do you know, it's rarely happened.

-Oh, really?

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And that's not because we're good fishermen.

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It's just because the fishing's pretty good

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and, you know, I'm quite moral about it.

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You take what you want to eat and maybe, you know,

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you can gift a couple to friends and neighbours,

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and the rest, you kind of put back. So, you try not to be too greedy.

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But the wind is picking up, and that's not what you want

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when you're on the lookout for marine critters.

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-Permission to come aboard.

-Oh, crack on.

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-DERMOT LAUGHS

-Yeah, crack on.

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-I'll put that there.

-That old seafaring term.

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Crack on and get on board.

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Our skipper is Gavin Martin,

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and I'm hoping he'll be able to help us find dolphins,

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minke whales and even a basking shark.

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But, as always with wildlife, there is never a guarantee.

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It's not just the animals you've got to find.

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The weather conditions are sort of the big consideration.

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So, it's not raining at the moment, but it is pretty choppy, so...

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-Bit lumpy out there, isn't it?

-It is.

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You know, Dermot, this will be what it'll be,

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and it will be lumpy and bumpy.

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And the conditions don't improve as we head out into the ocean.

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The only chance you've got of seeing anything

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is to get out and start looking.

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Keep an eye on the waves.

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You're talking about kind of 3ft,

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so even something as big as a fully-grown minke whale,

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the part of its body that actually comes out of the water...

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-Yeah, you could...

-..is really small.

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And if it comes out when it's in the trough of a wave,

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-you stand very little chance of seeing it.

-Sure.

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In an ideal world, if you're out looking for wildlife,

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it would be flat, flat calm.

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And this is a million miles from flat calm.

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-Are you not cold, by the way?

-No. I've not got a vest or anything.

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Thanks. I need someone to look out for me, but I'll be OK.

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If you see me shivering, a hug...

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-A hug and a blanket.

-That, that I can do.

-A hot drink.

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-I'm a huggy guy.

-I heard.

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That was pretty much the only thing I knew of you.

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That's why you brought me, right?

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-Dermot O'Leary gives THE best hugs.

-Well, yeah.

0:20:050:20:08

-That's it. That's an eight out of ten.

-It's not bad.

0:20:090:20:13

Nothing wrong with a little bromance.

0:20:130:20:15

The waves are making it impossible to spot anything out here.

0:20:210:20:25

Hey, that's a big, old wave.

0:20:260:20:28

We're never going to be able to spot the sea life I know is here...

0:20:290:20:33

..so we head round to a sheltered cove off Canna,

0:20:340:20:37

an island southwest of Skye, where it's calm enough to kayak.

0:20:370:20:41

-The water's really clear.

-It is. It looks really clear,

0:20:430:20:46

but once you stick your head under there,

0:20:460:20:48

you realise, actually, that there's a lot of murk,

0:20:480:20:51

and that murk is life.

0:20:510:20:52

It's plankton. At this time of year, it's plankton soup.

0:20:520:20:56

And plankton is the staple diet of a basking shark.

0:20:560:21:00

And if we're lucky, we'll see one.

0:21:000:21:03

But if not, there's wildlife everywhere.

0:21:030:21:05

-How are the old waterproof trousers?

-They're good.

0:21:070:21:11

-Those are my polar bear trousers.

-Have these been mauled?

0:21:110:21:16

They've been, well, not mauled, but they've been...nearly soiled.

0:21:160:21:20

THEY LAUGH

0:21:200:21:22

Dermot's never been kayaking before...

0:21:270:21:29

-This is the real deal, isn't it, Gordo?

-Yeah, I know.

0:21:310:21:33

..but I love it and am hoping to convert him.

0:21:330:21:38

I'm very excited about this.

0:21:380:21:41

I think, um... Yeah, I love kayaking.

0:21:410:21:43

It's kind of just doing something under your own steam.

0:21:430:21:48

Wildlife - it lets you get that little bit closer.

0:21:480:21:51

Um, and you're kind of closer to the water,

0:21:510:21:53

so you're kind of more part of it.

0:21:530:21:56

It's great using a big boat to kind of cover big distances,

0:21:560:21:59

but, you know, just to have a nice, quiet experience,

0:21:590:22:03

you have to do that with muscle power rather than horsepower.

0:22:030:22:06

You'll find that keeping your weight in the middle...

0:22:070:22:10

..that's what will keep you dry.

0:22:120:22:15

And, I mean, they're not the most manoeuvrable of vessels.

0:22:150:22:18

You'll find turning them is...

0:22:180:22:20

-So, if you flip...

-Like that?

-That's it.

0:22:210:22:24

Perfect. Avoid the ship.

0:22:240:22:27

You're learning on the job, Dermot. It's the best thing.

0:22:400:22:43

-So you say.

-GORDON CHUCKLES

0:22:430:22:46

And you'll find, if you're getting waves at the side...

0:22:550:22:58

..it's a little less stable,

0:22:590:23:02

but if you're facing into the waves, it cuts through.

0:23:020:23:04

Oh, I see. So, now is pretty unstable.

0:23:040:23:07

Yeah, but it does...

0:23:070:23:11

To reassure you, it takes a lot to flip these.

0:23:110:23:15

Canna has a thriving

0:23:170:23:19

sea bird colony,

0:23:190:23:21

but research has discovered that the island's brown rats

0:23:210:23:24

were decimating the local populations

0:23:240:23:26

by feeding on their chicks and eggs.

0:23:260:23:28

Shags were one species that were badly hit.

0:23:310:23:34

Their numbers decreased by 40%.

0:23:340:23:37

In 2005,

0:23:380:23:39

specially designed bait boxes with poison

0:23:390:23:42

were spread across the island.

0:23:420:23:44

Within a few months, all the rats were dead.

0:23:440:23:47

Now the number of shags is once again on the increase,

0:23:490:23:52

and sea cliffs like these are

0:23:520:23:54

perfect breeding grounds for them.

0:23:540:23:57

So, can those adolescents fly yet?

0:23:570:23:59

Yeah, they'll be able to fly

0:23:590:24:01

and they'll probably be able to catch fish.

0:24:010:24:03

-They're all off.

-There you go.

0:24:050:24:08

Oh, that's fantastic.

0:24:080:24:10

See the way that they use their feet?

0:24:100:24:12

Start beating their wings and use their webbed feet

0:24:120:24:15

to kind of run along the surface of the water.

0:24:150:24:18

And when you see them in the water kind of like this,

0:24:180:24:21

you think, "They're just hanging about doing nothing,"

0:24:210:24:24

but rather than going searching for food,

0:24:240:24:26

they'll wait for fish to come their way

0:24:260:24:29

-and then that's when they'll switch into hunting mode.

-Right.

0:24:290:24:33

Shags are amazing birds.

0:24:400:24:42

They can stay underwater for nearly a minute, diving to 45m.

0:24:420:24:47

You'll see them dipping their head underwater.

0:24:490:24:51

-They're just having a little peek.

-The more you find out about nature,

0:24:510:24:54

-the more you realise it's just rest, food, rest, food.

-Yeah.

0:24:540:24:59

-So few other species just have fun.

-Dolphins have fun.

0:25:010:25:07

But there are no dolphins here. Just these lovely shags.

0:25:080:25:12

It's fantastic, isn't it? Wonderful sight.

0:25:140:25:17

-So much more heightened by the fact that we're down where we are.

-Yeah.

0:25:170:25:20

All these sea birds, they're only all here in such diversity

0:25:280:25:33

because they do things slightly differently.

0:25:330:25:36

They catch their food in different ways.

0:25:360:25:38

So, there's not competition between them?

0:25:380:25:40

Yeah, no, it's all kind of... It's a sort of democracy.

0:25:400:25:43

It's been sorted out over, you know, millions of years.

0:25:430:25:48

Just being this close to the water makes a complete difference

0:25:500:25:53

as to how close you get to the wildlife,

0:25:530:25:56

-how close you can get to the scenery.

-Yeah.

0:25:560:26:00

Even the smells and the texture of it is different from being in a...

0:26:000:26:03

Yeah, even the boat we were on over there.

0:26:030:26:05

The smells and texture's different

0:26:050:26:07

when you're properly at the coalface.

0:26:070:26:09

There's a bit of a fear factor to it as well.

0:26:090:26:11

-There's no getting away from that.

-I wasn't going to mention that.

0:26:110:26:13

-I'd blocked that out, but, yeah.

-And the fact that I might tip

0:26:130:26:16

at any point. You know, I do...I do love it.

0:26:160:26:19

But we can't hang around on the water all afternoon.

0:26:220:26:25

I'd like Dermot to show me just how good a fisherman he really is

0:26:250:26:28

by helping me catch dinner.

0:26:280:26:30

Dermot O'Leary, master fisherman. HE LAUGHS

0:26:390:26:41

I don't know about master fisherman.

0:26:410:26:43

Before I've even got my line in the water...

0:26:430:26:46

-Ooh, you're a keeper as well.

-..has caught his first fish.

0:26:460:26:49

What a beauty. Look at that.

0:26:490:26:52

-Come on, little one.

-It is just one, though, Dermot. Just one.

0:26:520:26:55

That is a beautiful-sized mackerel, isn't it?

0:26:550:26:58

I'm sorry I've got to do this.

0:26:580:27:00

Oh! It's a real leveller, fishing.

0:27:070:27:12

I really enjoy it, but it never gives me a thrill to kill a fish.

0:27:120:27:17

We'd do all right, Dermot. We would survive.

0:27:240:27:27

We've got that kind of hunter-gatherer

0:27:290:27:31

thing about us. DERMOT LAUGHS

0:27:310:27:33

-I think one more drop...

-Yeah.

0:27:370:27:41

..and we're going to have ourselves a fine old dinner.

0:27:420:27:45

It's great to catch your own dinner.

0:27:470:27:48

There's something quite primeval about that.

0:27:480:27:51

Or just back to... You feel properly back to nature.

0:27:510:27:53

I think, for you, as the kind of person...

0:27:530:27:55

That is quite some contrast between, you know, from...

0:27:550:27:59

-You know, kind of...

-Big studio.

0:28:010:28:03

In a big studio, you're kind of holding all that together,

0:28:030:28:07

you know, on live TV and all the pressures that come with that.

0:28:070:28:10

There's probably a lot of people that are as recognisable as you

0:28:100:28:14

that the way they'd like to spend their time

0:28:140:28:16

is on the deck of a luxury yacht in the South of France

0:28:160:28:19

and it's kind of...

0:28:190:28:20

That doesn't seem to be your bag.

0:28:200:28:22

-"This is your version of that."

-HE LAUGHS

0:28:220:28:24

I don't know. Look, there's nothing nicer

0:28:240:28:28

than staying in a nice hotel sometimes and getting pampered,

0:28:280:28:31

but it's just I love the...

0:28:310:28:33

-I do love getting back to nature.

-Mm.

0:28:330:28:36

We have two, four...

0:28:360:28:39

..six... Hang on. Six, seven, eight. We've got eight mackerel there.

0:28:410:28:45

-Is that enough?

-I reckon so, yeah.

0:28:450:28:48

-Don't want to be greedy.

-Thank you, mackerel.

0:28:480:28:50

We're going to be spending the night on Rum,

0:28:560:28:59

an island southwest of Skye.

0:28:590:29:01

The whole island is a national nature reserve.

0:29:010:29:04

It's also one of Scotland's least populated islands.

0:29:040:29:08

Only 22 people live here.

0:29:080:29:10

Hey, hey, hey, hey!

0:29:110:29:14

-There we go. Welcome to Rum.

-Welcome to Rum.

0:29:160:29:19

Landed on Rum.

0:29:190:29:21

We have, um...we've got tents, we've got sleeping bags,

0:29:250:29:29

we've got some mackerel.

0:29:290:29:31

When it's like this, I kind of get really proud of Scotland.

0:29:380:29:42

-Oh, you should be.

-This is where I'm from.

0:29:420:29:44

Yeah, absolutely. I get it. I totally get it.

0:29:440:29:46

You know, I'm not so proud of it

0:29:470:29:49

when people are getting eaten alive with midges

0:29:490:29:51

and they're getting kind of, like,

0:29:510:29:53

throwing up over the side of a boat or...

0:29:530:29:55

DERMOT LAUGHS ..they're cold, wet and miserable,

0:29:550:29:58

but when it is like this, just...it's glorious.

0:29:580:30:02

Right, I think we should just head up there.

0:30:060:30:08

Dermot O'Leary, you are a very lucky man.

0:30:240:30:26

-What, what, what?

-There's an otter out there.

0:30:260:30:28

-Shut up.

-No, no, no, no, no. There is an otter. Come with me.

0:30:280:30:33

I just caught a glimpse of it and I thought it was a seal.

0:30:340:30:38

There it is. OK, just further out.

0:30:380:30:41

About maybe 100m out, so at your kind of 12 o'clock.

0:30:410:30:45

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-You got it?

0:30:450:30:46

-So, keep an eye on that.

-Oh, hello, you.

0:30:460:30:48

It will kind of dive down,

0:30:500:30:52

maybe kind of spend 30 seconds under the water

0:30:520:30:54

and it'll pop back up again.

0:30:540:30:56

This time underwater is spent looking for crabs, small fish.

0:30:570:31:01

I've even seen an otter with a huge conger eel.

0:31:010:31:04

Oh, it's up again.

0:31:060:31:07

You can confuse them with seals at a kind of distance,

0:31:080:31:11

but when they dive,

0:31:110:31:13

-when they go down...

-Yeah, yeah.

-..you see their tail.

0:31:130:31:15

The big, long tail sort of flaps and you don't get that with seals.

0:31:150:31:19

Seals kind of have this tiny, little, stubby tail.

0:31:190:31:22

This is really wonderful.

0:31:240:31:26

Otters are so elusive, so we're really lucky to see one.

0:31:260:31:29

-Yeah, I've seen him.

-There you go.

0:31:310:31:32

And as sightings go, that's far away for an otter.

0:31:340:31:39

-DERMOT LAUGHS

-He's great.

0:31:410:31:45

-He is beautiful, isn't he?

-Yeah, they are great.

0:31:460:31:48

Come on. Where are you?

0:31:530:31:55

I think he was, or it was, swimming to the left.

0:31:550:31:59

-It may well have just disappeared round...

-Yeah.

0:31:590:32:03

But that is...

0:32:040:32:06

That's a lovely little...

0:32:070:32:09

-What a lovely way to end the day.

-Yeah.

0:32:090:32:11

-Oh, that's fantastic.

-It ain't over yet.

0:32:110:32:13

We still haven't pitched our tents.

0:32:130:32:15

You can go wild camping on most unenclosed land in Scotland,

0:32:160:32:20

so long as you leave it as you found it.

0:32:200:32:22

-Pop that down in there.

-When you were a kid...

0:32:320:32:34

-Did you ever go camping when you were a kid?

-Yeah.

0:32:340:32:37

I'd shove that all the way through.

0:32:370:32:39

-Um, well, we kind of camped out in the garden.

-Yeah.

0:32:390:32:43

Kind of sticking our heads out, looking up at the stars.

0:32:430:32:47

-Which way are you happy facing?

-I mean, that is quite small.

-It is.

0:32:470:32:50

There's room for your toes. HE LAUGHS

0:32:500:32:52

Could you chuck us a couple of pegs?

0:32:520:32:56

Are you happy with that as a kind of...?

0:32:570:32:59

Yeah, it's a good sort of...

0:32:590:33:01

-Pegs will be...

-Which way is the nicest way to face?

0:33:010:33:04

When I do it, I'm like, "Right, OK, I'm sleeping here."

0:33:040:33:08

-I'm there?

-"That's good."

0:33:080:33:09

That's what I love about camping is you can...

0:33:090:33:11

One backpack and just sling everything in that you need

0:33:110:33:15

and away you go.

0:33:150:33:16

With the tents up, all that's left for us to do

0:33:200:33:22

is sample the mackerel we caught earlier.

0:33:220:33:25

Yeah, they're looking good.

0:33:270:33:29

The great thing about mackerel is you can't overcook it

0:33:350:33:37

-cos it's so oily...

-Yeah.

0:33:370:33:38

..that it just keeps that body and keeps that kind of structure to it.

0:33:380:33:42

I've got some couscous. Some Moroccan couscous.

0:33:420:33:45

Shall I cook that up?

0:33:450:33:46

-What, here?

-Yeah. Well, it's in a packet, but it's...

0:33:460:33:49

-You've been keeping that quiet.

-HE CHUCKLES

0:33:490:33:51

I wasn't giving my Moroccan couscous away on the first day, Dermot.

0:33:510:33:55

Shall I get the wine? Are the glasses and stuff up there?

0:33:570:34:00

Um, well, we'll be kind of busking it with the glasses.

0:34:000:34:03

I've got...I've got cups.

0:34:030:34:07

I haven't got any goblets, like... DERMOT LAUGHS

0:34:070:34:11

You ideally want to get to the place that you're camping

0:34:110:34:16

a couple of hours before sunset, so the fact that we're kind of at...

0:34:160:34:20

Let me see.

0:34:200:34:22

..20 to 11 at night

0:34:220:34:24

and we're settling down for dinner...you know, OK.

0:34:240:34:28

It would have been nicer if it was earlier.

0:34:280:34:30

You know, this is not everyone's cup of tea.

0:34:330:34:35

Well, everyone should come

0:34:350:34:37

-and experience something like this once in their lives...

-Yeah.

0:34:370:34:40

..without a shadow of a doubt. It's just...it's a leveller.

0:34:400:34:43

Gets you back to nature.

0:34:430:34:46

There's kind of something just very raw and real about it,

0:34:460:34:51

and it's all the better for it.

0:34:510:34:53

-Yeah.

-We've got a great country here, man.

0:34:550:34:58

-My compliments.

-Well...

0:34:580:35:00

-We should be very proud of it.

-..it is our country.

0:35:000:35:03

The referendum sorted that one out. THEY LAUGH

0:35:040:35:09

But, you know, it's a great time to be Scottish, I think.

0:35:090:35:12

My compliments. It's a terrific place to be from.

0:35:120:35:14

And we'll say slainte to that with some Chilean wine.

0:35:140:35:18

THEY LAUGH Cheers, Dermot.

0:35:180:35:20

Yeah, your wine industry needs a lot of work.

0:35:200:35:23

It's my final day with Dermot and we're heading back out to sea.

0:35:490:35:53

Without a doubt,

0:35:550:35:56

this is one of the most beautiful places I've ever camped.

0:35:560:36:00

See, that heartens me so much, the fact that I'm part of that

0:36:000:36:04

and, you know, that I've experienced that with you.

0:36:040:36:07

But before we leave Rum for good,

0:36:090:36:11

there's one more animal I'd like to show him here,

0:36:110:36:14

and it's one of Scotland's most iconic.

0:36:140:36:17

-After breakfast...

-Yeah.

-..we can have a little wander and see...

0:36:170:36:21

I'd like to show you a stag. That would be kind of nice to see

0:36:210:36:24

because they'll have antlers at the moment.

0:36:240:36:27

Red deer are Britain's largest land mammal,

0:36:270:36:30

and there are around 900 of them on Rum.

0:36:300:36:32

Are they valuable to the ecosystem?

0:36:340:36:37

I mean, yeah, in the absence of a big predator,

0:36:370:36:40

deer do a lot of damage to the ecosystem.

0:36:400:36:43

So, if you think, you know, somewhere like Rum,

0:36:430:36:46

there's very few trees

0:36:460:36:49

and that's because deer will browse and nibble

0:36:490:36:53

kind of any little tree that pops up above the grass or the heather.

0:36:530:36:57

So, you know, if deer weren't here,

0:36:570:37:01

this place would sort of look very different over time.

0:37:010:37:04

Then, just as we're packing up...

0:37:080:37:11

Oh, Dermot. Look.

0:37:140:37:17

-DERMOT GASPS

-Staggy stag.

0:37:180:37:20

-Have you got your binoculars?

-Yeah.

0:37:200:37:22

Oh, look at you.

0:37:270:37:28

That saved us a walk up the glen. DERMOT LAUGHS

0:37:290:37:32

For over 60 years,

0:37:350:37:37

researchers have been studying the deer population on the island.

0:37:370:37:40

It's why this stag is collared.

0:37:400:37:42

He's a beaut.

0:37:460:37:47

You see, he's still got the velvet on his antlers.

0:37:480:37:51

Yeah. What does that tell you?

0:37:510:37:53

They lose their antlers after the rut

0:37:530:37:56

and they start growing again.

0:37:560:37:57

The rut is mating season when stags compete with each other for females.

0:38:000:38:05

So, the antler itself is covered in velvet.

0:38:050:38:09

And inside that velvet, it's just kind of full of blood vessels.

0:38:090:38:13

And they grow at an amazing rate.

0:38:130:38:15

If you look at a deer at the end of the summer,

0:38:150:38:18

it's got this really impressive, big kind of rack of antlers.

0:38:180:38:22

This time of year,

0:38:220:38:24

a stag like that is just going to feed and feed and feed and feed.

0:38:240:38:28

Now, we could watch him for half an hour

0:38:280:38:31

-and he will hardly lift his head...

-Yes.

0:38:310:38:33

..because what he's doing at the moment

0:38:330:38:35

is just trying to put on as much weight

0:38:350:38:38

while you've got good grazing

0:38:380:38:40

just so that when he gets to the rut - sort of into October -

0:38:400:38:42

that he is as strong and as healthy as possible.

0:38:420:38:46

And then they work out who's in charge?

0:38:460:38:49

The dynamic of that moves all the time.

0:38:490:38:51

So, one day, you might have a stag like this fella that's sort of...

0:38:510:38:55

You know, maybe he has a couple of big fights one day...

0:38:550:38:57

-Yeah.

-..and come the next day, he's thinking,

0:38:570:39:00

"OK, I've got kind of 12 hinds here. I'm happy."

0:39:000:39:02

And then over the hill comes some, you know, handsome...

0:39:020:39:05

THEY LAUGH ..handsome fella

0:39:050:39:08

and he might not be...he might think,

0:39:080:39:10

-"OK, I'm going to chase him off."

-Yeah.

0:39:100:39:12

"He might just see me,

0:39:120:39:13

"look at the size of me, look at my antlers."

0:39:130:39:16

And they run about and they bellow,

0:39:160:39:17

so during the rut, it's like this visual feast,

0:39:170:39:21

but you can hear stags bellowing through the glens.

0:39:210:39:26

They're just basically shouting out to other stags,

0:39:260:39:30

"I'm here. I'm sort of up for it."

0:39:300:39:32

-He is a beaut, isn't he?

-He is.

0:39:340:39:36

If we got close to him, is there any chance he would charge us or...?

0:39:370:39:41

At this time of year, no,

0:39:410:39:43

but during the rut, when he's all kind of pumped up...

0:39:430:39:46

-Yeah.

-..yeah, you wouldn't want to get too close to a...

-Back off!

0:39:460:39:49

..to a red deer.

0:39:490:39:51

And do the females find a large antler attractive?

0:39:510:39:55

-Yeah, definitely.

-Yeah.

-So, a big, strong male -

0:39:550:39:59

that's who they'll want to mate with.

0:39:590:40:01

The calves are born in the summer.

0:40:050:40:08

Most of them will die in the winter.

0:40:080:40:12

-Would those carcasses support...?

-Yeah, yeah.

0:40:120:40:15

Well, if you didn't have the deer here

0:40:150:40:17

and if deer didn't perish in the winter,

0:40:170:40:20

the golden eagles, the buzzards, the ravens, the sea eagles,

0:40:200:40:24

you know, would suffer,

0:40:240:40:25

so it's all part of this, you know, kind of big,

0:40:250:40:30

ecological jigsaw puzzle, that all those bits fit together.

0:40:300:40:34

It all makes sense.

0:40:340:40:36

-(Look how close we are.)

-I know. This is great.

0:40:370:40:40

-Off he goes.

-That was terrific.

-That was great.

0:40:410:40:44

I mean, he was literally on our doorstep there.

0:40:440:40:46

I kind of do like wildlife that comes to you.

0:40:460:40:48

-DERMOT LAUGHS

-Yes.

0:40:480:40:51

-It's...

-It's like the greatest wildlife takeaway of all time.

0:40:510:40:54

Hello, can I order a red deer, please, for delivery for 9.30?

0:40:540:40:59

If we can serve you up a basking shark

0:40:590:41:01

before the end of the day, that would be...

0:41:010:41:03

I think we could all go home happy.

0:41:030:41:04

I don't really want to leave Rum, in many ways.

0:41:080:41:12

You could spend days and days just exploring this stretch of coastline,

0:41:120:41:17

but, you know, it's Dermot's last day.

0:41:170:41:19

I would love to be able to show him a basking shark

0:41:190:41:22

and I think the only way we have of doing that

0:41:220:41:25

is getting out to sea and start looking.

0:41:250:41:28

But that kind of in itself comes with...there's risks

0:41:280:41:31

because the wind's picking up,

0:41:310:41:33

so it's not kind of ideal conditions.

0:41:330:41:36

Basking sharks feed on plankton

0:41:380:41:41

and in the summer months, plankton blooms close to the shore.

0:41:410:41:44

I've often seen them round here and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

0:41:450:41:49

There's a couple of strategies with finding basking sharks.

0:41:500:41:54

You can just motor around looking for them,

0:41:540:41:57

but I think, with the conditions today,

0:41:570:41:58

it's so choppy, you know, that's going to be tough.

0:41:580:42:01

And the other thing is to ask around.

0:42:010:42:05

One of the best ways of finding wildlife at sea

0:42:070:42:10

is by asking fishermen or local tour guides.

0:42:100:42:13

Otherwise, it's like looking for a needle in a very large haystack.

0:42:130:42:17

Have you been out today at all?

0:42:180:42:20

OK. And you didn't happen to see any basking sharks?

0:42:220:42:26

Really?

0:42:260:42:27

Whereabouts?

0:42:300:42:31

Oh, cool. OK.

0:42:330:42:34

Righty-ho. I owe you. Cheers. Yeah, bye. See you soon. Bye.

0:42:350:42:41

One basking shark spotted off the Cairns of Coll this morning,

0:42:440:42:48

but then lots...

0:42:480:42:50

I didn't ask him to define what lots were.

0:42:500:42:53

..just off of Mull.

0:42:530:42:54

The good thing about basking sharks is that

0:42:560:42:59

if they find a good area with lots of plankton, they will hang around.

0:42:590:43:02

The world's second largest fish are very impressive.

0:43:040:43:08

Lots of them is even more impressive.

0:43:080:43:10

How long do you reckon it's going to take us if we went straight to Mull?

0:43:140:43:17

-Kind of north end of Mull?

-Probably about 15 minutes from here.

0:43:170:43:21

Great. I think, as a plan, just heading straight there...

0:43:210:43:25

We change course and sail south.

0:43:280:43:30

We're going completely off plan,

0:43:300:43:32

but if we see one, it will be worth it.

0:43:320:43:35

Definitely, this does feel like last chance saloon.

0:43:420:43:45

You know, Dermot has had a great time.

0:43:450:43:49

If I do manage to find some basking sharks for him,

0:43:490:43:52

his enthusiasm is going to go off the scale.

0:43:520:43:58

I'm from Mull, so this is home territory for me.

0:44:060:44:10

I've got a good feeling about this.

0:44:100:44:12

There's a very good chance that it will just be beneath the surface,

0:44:300:44:34

-so just keep your eyes peeled.

-So, they don't go...?

0:44:340:44:37

HE GASPS There. Right there. Look at that.

0:44:370:44:40

Look at that.

0:44:400:44:42

-They're so slow.

-Second largest fish on the planet.

0:44:420:44:46

They are absolutely enormous. Only whale sharks are larger.

0:44:480:44:54

-And they don't mind the fact we're here? They don't...?

-No.

0:44:580:45:01

-They're just...they're feeding. Do you want to grab them?

-Thank you.

0:45:010:45:05

They're just feeding on plankton.

0:45:050:45:06

-Are they aware of us?

-They'll be aware of us.

0:45:060:45:08

See, he's turned, so he's coming straight towards us now.

0:45:110:45:15

Oh, brilliant. Look at that. So...

0:45:150:45:17

-..you can see his dorsal fin...

-Yeah.

0:45:200:45:22

..and the tail fin,

0:45:220:45:24

and when they're really kind of feeding

0:45:240:45:26

and that big mouth is kind of gaping wide open,

0:45:260:45:28

you'll see their snout, the tip of their nose.

0:45:280:45:31

So, you'll see three parts of this enormous fish

0:45:310:45:35

-breaking the water at the same time.

-Any idea how long that one would be?

0:45:350:45:39

Easily 6m long.

0:45:390:45:42

Now basking sharks are a protected species,

0:45:420:45:45

but they were fished commercially right up until the mid-1990s.

0:45:450:45:50

They were hunted for their fins, their meat,

0:45:500:45:54

-but most importantly, their liver.

-For the oil?

-Yeah, for the oil.

0:45:540:45:58

-And it was used as a kind of industrial lubricant.

-Oh, my God.

0:45:580:46:01

-He's so close to us.

-Look, he's right there.

0:46:010:46:04

-That's amazing.

-Look at that. Look at that.

0:46:040:46:08

DERMOT LAUGHS Belter.

0:46:080:46:10

-Look at him.

-GORDON LAUGHS

0:46:100:46:12

-There's definitely a majesty to it.

-Yeah.

0:46:140:46:16

But it's also just quite...

0:46:160:46:18

-It's very docile.

-Yeah. They're just quietly feeding.

0:46:180:46:22

You know, just that big, huge animal is filtering...

0:46:220:46:26

-Just getting on with its life.

-..gallons and gallons of water...

0:46:260:46:29

-Oh, man, look how close it is.

-..every second.

0:46:290:46:32

Oh, my goodness. Look at that. Look at that.

0:46:330:46:38

Amazing. Do you see the tail fin there?

0:46:380:46:41

Hey, you.

0:46:440:46:45

Lovely, the way that the sun's just kind of glinting off of its fin.

0:46:510:46:56

The way the tail fin goes,

0:46:560:46:57

it's almost like they're two different fish that are far apart.

0:46:570:47:00

It is intimidating, I think, having such a huge fish

0:47:000:47:04

with such an enormous mouth, that you look at it and you think,

0:47:040:47:08

-"I could fit in there easily."

-Yeah. Could you?

0:47:080:47:10

Oh, yeah, you really could.

0:47:100:47:12

That basking shark will be filtering

0:47:130:47:16

two and a half million litres of water every single hour.

0:47:160:47:20

It blows me away that such an enormous animal

0:47:200:47:24

thrives on these kind of microscopic life forms.

0:47:240:47:29

And that's the same with so many of those big, ocean-going,

0:47:290:47:34

you know, proper migratory beasts, whether it's whales or fish.

0:47:340:47:39

You know, they eat such tiny, minute things for the size they are.

0:47:390:47:43

It's almost like they shouldn't really work.

0:47:430:47:46

Oh, Gordy, I tell you - you promise and you deliver, my friend.

0:47:460:47:50

Well, I don't think I quite promised,

0:47:500:47:53

-but I do think I delivered.

-Tell you what,

0:47:530:47:55

-you allude and then you deliver.

-HE LAUGHS

0:47:550:47:58

Well, it's a risky carrot to dangle in front of a man who loves fish,

0:47:580:48:03

is that, "OK, I would really like to show you a basking shark."

0:48:030:48:08

Yeah, but for the last couple of days, you've said...

0:48:080:48:11

When we sat down, you said, "Look, chances are,

0:48:110:48:14

"if the gods are in our favour - otter, eagle, basking shark, whale."

0:48:140:48:20

That's three out of four, man.

0:48:200:48:22

That was incredible.

0:48:230:48:25

I really had wanted to show Dermot a basking shark.

0:48:250:48:29

You know, more than ever, with sea creatures, it's about luck

0:48:290:48:34

cos you've got to be at the right place at the right time

0:48:340:48:37

and looking at that little spot at the right time.

0:48:370:48:40

-That's what makes it more rewarding, I suppose.

-Yeah.

0:48:400:48:43

But these are such rich waters, you never know what you might see.

0:48:460:48:50

Oh, wow. Holy Moley!

0:49:060:49:09

That's great.

0:49:100:49:12

Oh, look, look, look, look.

0:49:140:49:15

-Oh, wow.

-Wow.

0:49:360:49:38

Oh, look at this. DERMOT LAUGHS

0:49:390:49:42

These are common dolphins,

0:50:010:50:03

drawn to the waters off the Hebrides by the abundant food supply.

0:50:030:50:07

-So, Dermot, you wanted to know who eats the mackerel.

-These guys?

0:50:130:50:17

-These guys.

-These are the mackerel eaters.

0:50:170:50:19

Mackerel, herring, they'll eat squid.

0:50:190:50:21

Look at this. Oh!

0:50:210:50:24

Oh, beautiful. HE LAUGHS

0:50:240:50:26

Beautiful, beautiful.

0:50:260:50:27

They're inquisitive and social animals

0:50:290:50:32

and fast swimmers, capable of speeds of up to 25mph.

0:50:320:50:37

Just extraordinary.

0:50:380:50:40

It's the kind of thing you'd see, like, on television.

0:50:400:50:44

And they're everywhere as well.

0:50:440:50:46

They must know we've got cameras cos they're playing around with us.

0:50:460:50:49

Oh, look. Wow. HE LAUGHS

0:50:520:50:55

That was...that's spectacular, isn't it?

0:50:570:51:00

HE LAUGHS

0:51:000:51:02

Is that just for fun?

0:51:080:51:09

That is just for fun. No other reason.

0:51:090:51:12

DERMOT LAUGHS

0:51:150:51:18

It's just awe-inspiring. It really is.

0:51:180:51:20

They're such beautiful creatures.

0:51:200:51:21

You can't help but just adore them when you're this close to them,

0:51:230:51:27

and admire them. They're just so fast, so sleek.

0:51:270:51:30

Everything about them.

0:51:300:51:32

Oh!

0:51:340:51:36

-That's not something you could ever, ever tire of.

-I know.

0:51:360:51:38

Oh, look at them.

0:51:400:51:42

-We love you too!

-Maybe count 20, 30 there.

0:51:420:51:45

-It's so rare to see an animal at play, right...

-Yeah.

0:51:460:51:49

..that's not a juvenile?

0:51:490:51:50

But dolphins are kind of renowned for it.

0:51:500:51:53

And we can only guess at how intelligent these dolphins are.

0:51:530:51:57

You know, they're definitely the most intelligent sea creatures.

0:51:570:52:01

Orca, common dolphin, bottlenose dolphins -

0:52:010:52:03

all of them, they're immensely intelligent.

0:52:030:52:06

They just...they seem to love life.

0:52:060:52:08

That's what I kind of love about dolphins.

0:52:080:52:11

-This is my best encounter.

-Really?

0:52:140:52:16

So, yeah, I'm having my best ever common dolphin experience.

0:52:160:52:20

We head back towards Skye,

0:52:350:52:37

but wildlife is nothing if not unpredictable.

0:52:370:52:41

It's another basking shark,

0:52:440:52:47

and this time, I want to show Dermot just how big its mouth really is.

0:52:470:52:52

If it's swimming on the surface, we could get suited up

0:52:530:52:56

-and see if we can get into the water with him.

-Let's do it.

0:52:560:52:58

I just saw the basking shark sort of coming straight towards the boat

0:53:000:53:04

with its mouth wide open.

0:53:040:53:07

You just saw this kind of funnel of white underneath the sea.

0:53:070:53:12

But you could see it crystal clear. It was beautiful.

0:53:120:53:15

Just going about its business.

0:53:150:53:17

You have to sort of consider that they're feeding,

0:53:170:53:19

so we don't want to interrupt their behaviour at all.

0:53:190:53:22

But the fact that they're feeding on the surface,

0:53:220:53:25

we might have a chance that we could sort of get into the water

0:53:250:53:27

and try and figure out where they're going

0:53:270:53:29

and let them come to us.

0:53:290:53:32

It's, um...it's that kind of moving the goalposts constantly.

0:53:330:53:39

It's, "I'd love to show Dermot a basking shark."

0:53:390:53:41

We see basking sharks.

0:53:410:53:42

"Well, can I show him one underwater?"

0:53:420:53:44

That's when you really do get, you know,

0:53:440:53:46

a sense of how enormous this fish is.

0:53:460:53:49

Let's not, um...

0:53:490:53:51

Let's not get split up.

0:53:520:53:55

-We'll stay...

-Yeah! Let's not get... You didn't need to say that.

0:53:550:53:59

Do they find yellow attractive?

0:54:020:54:04

I think they're so focused in on feeding at the moment,

0:54:050:54:11

I think, you know, it's about not interrupting them.

0:54:110:54:14

It's about just hopefully getting ourselves into position

0:54:140:54:17

-where they'll cruise by.

-Sure.

0:54:170:54:19

Even though it's summer,

0:54:240:54:26

the water is still going to be really cold.

0:54:260:54:29

And basking sharks aren't the only sea creature in the water.

0:54:320:54:35

This big stinging jellyfish has poisonous tentacles

0:54:440:54:48

that trail behind it in the water,

0:54:480:54:50

which probably explains why Dermot's keeping his hands

0:54:500:54:53

so close to his chest.

0:54:530:54:54

Basking sharks' mouths are over 1m wide -

0:55:350:55:39

big enough to swim into.

0:55:390:55:41

It is unbelievable.

0:55:490:55:51

The size. The size of them is just...beyond belief.

0:55:510:55:55

They look big when you're looking at them from the boat,

0:55:550:56:00

but when you're in the water with them, it's...it's staggering.

0:56:000:56:03

An underwater encounter with a basking shark

0:56:050:56:08

is a truly magical experience.

0:56:080:56:11

-Are you all right there?

-Fab. DERMOT LAUGHS

0:56:160:56:21

Oh!

0:56:210:56:23

Very, very, very happy.

0:56:260:56:28

Another satisfied customer. DERMOT LAUGHS

0:56:290:56:32

That was something else.

0:56:420:56:44

And you've just got this incredible, prehistoric creature

0:56:440:56:47

who's sort of, um...

0:56:470:56:49

You know, kind of like you said, that's one of ours.

0:56:490:56:52

It belongs to these islands

0:56:520:56:53

-and it's given me an appreciation of what's on our doorstep.

-Yeah.

0:56:530:56:56

And if you just make a bit of an effort, what you can see...

0:56:560:56:59

I count myself, you know, incredibly lucky

0:56:590:57:02

every time I see these things, to do the job that I do.

0:57:020:57:06

I could never be, you know, complacent about it.

0:57:060:57:10

It's a celebration of, you know, the world

0:57:100:57:15

and of the wild creatures that live here,

0:57:150:57:17

and I think that's sort of, you know, it kind of...

0:57:170:57:20

That's what makes my heart sing -

0:57:210:57:23

to see, you know, a creature like that.

0:57:230:57:26

Yesterday morning, when we boarded this boat,

0:57:310:57:35

I thought, "We are not going to see a single thing."

0:57:350:57:38

-I really was...

-Kept that to yourself.

0:57:380:57:40

Well, I didn't want to go,

0:57:400:57:42

"Tell you the truth, Dermot, I don't think this is worth it."

0:57:420:57:45

But, you know, nature's always got something up its sleeve

0:57:450:57:48

and you have to kind of roll with the punches

0:57:480:57:50

and make hay while the sun shines.

0:57:500:57:52

-And, you know, I think we have done that.

-Right.

0:57:520:57:56

-Amen.

-Amen. There endeth the lesson.

0:57:560:58:00

What a lesson. Thank you, my friend.

0:58:000:58:02

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