Episode 13 The One Show - Best of Britain

Hello and welcome to The One Show, Best Of Britain with Lucy Siegle

and Matt Allwright and the chance to see our favourite The One Show

films. We're in the Cairngorms National

Park. Isn't it beautiful? I love it. It is the biggest National Park in

Britain. Twice the size of the lake district. Which is in itself very

big. Here you get some of the UK's most exciting species, otters,

ospreys, wildcats. Not to mention the Scottish cross bill. Don't

forget. If you look in the rivers and the lochs, you may catch a

glimpse of the superfish of the Highlands? Is it a bird or a plane?

No, it is just a fish! For just a few weeks every year, our Scottish

rivers play host to a wildlife story packed with drama and the

ultimate determination. Because, this is a great time of

the year to see Atlantic salmon making incredible leaps up weirs

and waterfalls. Believe me, they will have a crack at anything!

These salmon are trying to head home back up the very rivers that

they were born. It is the final chapter of a massive migration.

Most of the salmon you see leaping will have swum all the way to

Greenland and back, dodging the jaws of sharks, seals, humans and

all sorts of other predators. These are the lucky ones.

Salmons spend years feeding at sea, but when they return they are

focused on one thing, getting upriver to breed. That means battle

against these mighty pitfalls, it looks exhausting, but in true The

One Show spirit, I'm prepared to take the plunge. I'm going to

attempt the impossible, trying to swim the last leg of a salmon's

epic journey upstream. Wish me good luck! It's very, very cold! Argh!

And like me, the salmon don't mind this chilly water, in fact, they

use it as a tool to navigate their way home.

The way that salmon try to find the exact river in which they were born

is by using the chemical signature in each river, so basically, they

sniff their way home. It smells like the River Tay to me! Even in

this relatively calm stretch of water, the current is whipping

along at ten miles an hour and I'm struggling. The only way I'll make

it to the rapids is to cheat. But not even Michael Phelps could

cope with these currents. I did say it was impossible. I went

into the middle there where the stream was stronger. I must have

gone about 20 metres before I was exhausted.

I'm also very cold and salmon do that for hundreds of miles from the

sea right to their spawning grounds much higher up. How-do they do it?

OK. So maybe they are a little more streamlined than I am, but when

they get the chance they rest in deep pools like this one, monitored

by fisheries manager, David. Basically, the fish have swum up,

they will stay in a nice deep pool that is secure and secluded and

stay here basically until they are ready to spawn or ready to move

upstream. What is the maximum height that

they can jump over rapids? They have been recorded to jump up to 11

feet. I think that is the British record, but that is really

exceptional for a clear jump. Most of it is less than that.

Back upstream is this river's largest obstacle, the National

Trust for Scotland's Black Lynn waterfall. It is a five metre wall

of water. To reach the top here, salmon must

jump in stages, hoping to find small ledges along the way.

Wow! There we go! What a cracking leap.

Some of their largest leaps are equivalent to me jumping two

double-decker buses! Only one in 1,000 salmon will ever make it back

to breed, so seeing them leap is a real privilege.

Wow! There we go. It just jumped out of nowhere and

hit the rock and bounced straight back down. I tell you, having heard

I could have a go at it myself, I am now full of admiration for these

athletes in the fish world. I can't wait for the fish Olympics!

Madrid, 2013! Exciting, isn't it, Matt? Yes, what does this landscape

make you feel? Right now I want to dive into the water, but it is

freezing. It makes me feel like writing

poetry. Dark brown is the river, golden is the sand, it flows on

forever with trees on either hand. That's buert, Matt, did you write

that? -- that's beautiful, Matt, did you write it? No.

This landscape was a huge source of inspiration for painters like John

millet. But also many more.

Here is Gyles Brandreth. Pull the poor wretch from her lay

to muddy depths. Lines from Shakespeare's play, Ham let,

describing the last moments of ham let's love, Ophelia as she drowns.

As families are the words is a painting of Ophelia. It depicts the

Shakespeare character as she takes her life in a river in Denmark

after hearing that her lover, ham let has killed her father.

There is debate as to whether Ophelia is alive or dead in this

moment. My feeling is it is just that moment that the life has left

her. Some like to believe she is alive, some like to believe she is

just dead. There was a brother hood of

painters and together they wanted to return to a more natural form of

painting. One of the most interesting things

about the pre- rafallites is that they had this move towards nature

and painted outdoors. In the play, of course, Ophelia dies in Denmark,

but the setting for the painting is English.

I'm standing by the Hobbss Mill River in Surrey, where Miele spent

time spenting with his friend. Art experts believe that Mielle

painted the background to the painting here the Hobbs River, but

we decided to find out the exact location that Mielle had chosen.

This is the copy of the book that Milleas had written. Letters in the

book reveal the distance between the lodgings of the painter and the

riverbank where he was working on the painting. This provided

evidence to help Barbara narrow down her search.

What this told me was that Milleas could not have chosen his spot in

This area as it was too far' way. Then Barbara unearthed another

piece of the jigsaw. In the Surrey record office there

was a scrap book written by Chatwin Stapleton, who was the vicar here

at the time that the painters were here.

What did the vicar report? Now, the vicar reported that the willow in

the painting was the willow 100 yards above the bridge over the

Hobbs Mill leading to Surbiton, and that was the back ground of the

painting. So, Barbara had proved the experts

wrong. The exact spot where Mealle had worked was close to the river

of Old Surbiton. How did you feel when you made this

dits covery? Well, very surprised and really delighted that it

towelally had some conclusion to it. The painter spent 11 hours a day,

six days a week here in all weathers, but happily his model was

spared the river. Instead, Lizzie Siddell was allowed

to pose in a bath of water in his London studio.

The painter had this vision, he wanted to paint her properly

floating in water so he could see the effects of what the water did

to her hair and clothing. I think that she had the painting

equivalent of photo genia, he knew that she would look wonderful in

the water. She became ill as a result of

posing for him. Milleas was one of the most

captivating painters but what of poor Lizzie? She died, but lives on

as art lovers everywhere as the tragic Ophelia.

I genuinely love that painting, which I had as a poster on my wall

as a student. Why didn't you have a normal poster

as a student like Bob Marley. --? You are saying I'm not normal?

Maybe eccentric. This area gets a whaping 1.5

million visitor as year from all over the country, but this has not

been such a tourism hot spot, in fact it would not be if it were not

for the work of one wonderful woman. Gloria hundred ford?

Queen Victoria. She bought Balmoral.

I would imagine that the burgeoning and growing railway network of the

era meant that more people had the opportunity to mimic the Monarch?

Indeed, it became fashionable of going north of the border. We have

an interesting way of doing fashion on show show. We have Dan Snow and

Michael Douglas, he is a hair drers, but he deals with the hair. --

dresser. Virn England, a prosperous, hard-

working country it is often thought of as a peaceful period. The

Victorian era is referred of as being a packed Britannica, people

say that there were no major wars fought in it, but there was loads

of fighting. The Crimean War pitted Russia against Britain, France and

Turkey it was fought mainly in the modern-day Ukraine as the great

powers justled for influence in the Asia minor and the Balkans. It was

the military that led from the front. Pine years of a fashion for

male grooming in the form of fantastic extravagant moustaches,

obligatory for men. This is Bill, I have to create a

wonderful moustache on him. What is wonderful face to do it on, look at

that I can't wait. Bill, you have a book with images in it, tell us

what they are about? This is my great, great granddad, William and

his son. Who is this? That is a cousin.

I think we should go author that, that is rather nice.

That's a sporty moustache. Take a look... Oh, I say! Do you

like that? That is rather dashing that, ain't it? It suits you! I met

up with rosemary Mitchell, the director of a centre for Victorian

studies in Leeds. Why do people have beards in the army? They are

sort of man of action beards. Having lived out in the Empire, not

having time for shaving. The beard has this expression of strength.

Think of sampleson and deLila. The fashion for facial hair spread

out. Sometimes the beards are linked to

the Crimean War and a more positive assessment of the army and

supporting this is the new imperial idea of manhood. Beards expressed

the man who goes out there to explore the baundaries of the New

World. This is a about expressing po tensey, maturity and adventure

as well. For women, the influence was not the battlefield. The hair

style reflected their role. Maternal home makers.

So, flirtairbsness was out and prudishness was in.

Those Victorian values, moral rek tued and hard work were closely

linked to the growth of industry and the rejection of regency row

monthcism. The early Victorians were defieng

themselves against what they saw as degenerate era. So aiming to be

It is about projecting an image which says trust me with your money

for top facial hair had become symbolic with trustworthiness ant

standing. People like Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin followed

the trend which now included elaborate sideburns known as mutton

chops. The Prince Albert is largely some big sideburns, or mutton chops

or lamb chops, and we also keep a bit of a moustache as well. It

Here he is, transformed into a van -- a Victorian gent. Mutton chops.

They would suit you. They might make my it an almost chin that even

bigger! -- enormous chin. The legacy of the Victorians is still

with us to this day, not just the physical fabric of what they left

behind, but also the birth of things like social responsibility,

the beginnings of those struggles for a quality and rights that still

improve our lives to this day. I think you would look really good

with one of these Victorian bonnets. Really? The look I am going for is

a future Edwardian. Interesting. It is almost working. Four of the five

tallest peaks in Britain by in the Cairngorms, the tallest being Benn

looked eerie at 1309 metres. It has a ghost. By the big grey man who is

a bit like a yeti, but a man and a ghost. Maybe if we stand here long

enough we will meet him. Every possibility. The only better view

you could get than this one is of course if we were birds of prey, if

you were an eagle. I am glad you said that because there is a

falconer in Devon who thinks the Throughout history man has dreamt

of flying and our fascination stemmed from birds. There... It is

normally what I am looking for. But today I have come to Devon to meet

a man who can't keep his feet on the ground. He has taken his

passion for gliding one step further and he has learnt how to

soar with the birds. Jonathan Marshall is more than just an

adrenalin junkie. With his squadron of birds, he has used every trick

in the book to try to soar like Lynne Neagle. This is your

beautiful collection. He is a professional falconer and has

trained many birds of prey, but there is one bird in particular he

has formed a very special bond with. Who is this? This is Samson. He is

giving me the RI! He is a golden eagle. What a handsome bird he is.

How heavy is he? A very heavy. He is about 10 lbs at the moment. He

could get heavier than that in the winter. How did you become

acquainted with Samson? He was originally stolen from a zoo and

kept in a wardrobe for four months. Somebody found dumped about it and

the house was raided and they found the Eagle. He was brought down to

me for rehabilitation. I also had to befriend him, which a lot of

people think sounds corny, but you can't train a bird unless it trusts

you. I had to sit with him night after night and we used to watch

the telly, we watched the X Factor, the One Show. Eventually I got his

trust and he is now in great condition. What does it feel like

to fly with a golden eagle? You can't put it into words. You can't,

but it is like having the most amazing secret that you can't tell

anybody about because they will never understand it. When we fly

together, it is just me and Sampson in his world. I don't have a mobile

phone or any bills of people pestering. It is quiet and you are

sharing the air with the most beautiful bird in the world.

Sampson teaches me a lot about flying because he is born with a

knowledge of the air and thermals and how to use them. I follow him

and you can guarantee sooner or later he will find they left. Most

hang-glider pilots used electronic instruments. I used a golden eagle.

That is cool. Now it is my turn to see him in action. Time for his

That wasn't as we planned! thought -- I said he was raring to

go. We were supposed to have a little chat. Look at him go. If you

watch, he is hardly flapping. The crows are flapping like mad and he

is not beating the wing, he is just gliding. Obviously golden eagles

spend an enormous amount of time in the wild soaring around. They can't

afford to expend energy flapping. Those big wings hold him up without

any effort. Golden eagles were once persecuted almost to the brink of

extinction. But today, there are over 500 wild breeding pairs found

mainly in the Scottish Highlands. With a wingspan of well over two

metres, golden eagles can plummet down on to pray at speeds of up to

50 mph. They are incredibly sharp - their sharp eyesight can see a

rabbit from over a mile away so for Samson spotting a piece of meat in

my hand is a piece of cake. Here he comes. Cricket as tight as you can.

It is incredible. Can you feel the strength? Amazing. Like a

pterodactyl descending. He will take my hand off! I will have to

count all of my fingers later, but being so close to such a majestic

bird and seeing the bond Jonathan and Sampson share has been a truly

Well, there are not many people who can say they have flown with a

golden eagle. It is while doubt here, we are 250 yards at least

from the nearest cafe. -- it is wild. But people have made their

homes here for decades. It is a bit longer than that. One was 6,000

years ago. How do you find the stuff out? You have to look for the

evidence, it is everywhere. Only a few people can spot these clues.

The history of our land. It is a real skill. Thank goodness

Angellica Bell is one of them. Hadrian's Wall in Northumbria, the

boundary of the great Roman Empire which stretched all the way from

here to Syria. It divided the wild tribes of the north from the

citizens of Roman Britain. 90 miles to the south, a surprising new

piece of evidence has emerged about the identity of people living here

under Roman rule. Today York is better known for its Viking

heritage, -- Viking heritage, but it was founded by the heritage --

Romans in 71 A D. It quickly turned into a thriving town. Parts of

there 30 that Roman wall that surrounded the town still stand.

But it is underground that the most exciting discoveries about the

Romans in Britain have been made. This lady is a Roman specialist.

She has been re-examining remains from York dug up in the early 1900s

and has made a surprising new discovery. What have you got to

show us? And interesting find from the Roman York. It is the skull of

a young woman who lived in the fourth century. If we look at her

facial features, the width between her eyes and the shape of the nose

indicate black and so street and then the shape of the nasal spine

and the lower face indicate white ancestry. That suggests she was of

mixed race. Do you think she travelled hit or she was born in

this country? We asked the same question and we looked at her teeth.

Through the water you drink and the food you eat, certain elements are

deposited and this chemical fingerprinting technique tells us

she is almost certainly not from York, she has come from somewhere

slightly warmer, perhaps the Mediterranean. We assume this woman

was a slave. For the Association of Africans and slavery is modern. In

the Roman world, slaves came from other parts of the Empire, and also

has -- skeleton shows us she was living a good life. Her grave goods,

which were found in a stone coffin, tell us she was of very high status.

We have this very beautiful necklace made of blue glass. Also,

some bracelets. This is made of jet, which comes from nearby Whitby. It

shows she was shopping for jewellery in York and one of

elephant ivory. An African connection. Because of that, we

have nicknamed her the ivory bangles lady. What these goods are

saying is she was wealthy. We know the ivory bangles lady was 5 ft 1,

about average for the time. And that she died in her early twenties.

And now, thanks to facial reconstruction, we can reveal for

the first time what she might have looked like. So what was life like

for the ivory bangles lady in the fourth century? Surprisingly, she

was not the only foreign immigrant living in Roman York. The Roman

Empire was similar to the modern EU, with a free flow of people across

Europe. Much like today, Roman York and other British cities were

highly cosmopolitan and multicultural. This street was the

main Roman road in York, and it is amazing to think that even 1,700

years ago, there was a real mix of people. Either might have been a

long way from Rome, but it was not a sleepy suburb. It had great trade

networks and a large population. The ivory bangles lady would have

enjoyed all the trappings of Roman life, such as shopping in the busy

market forum and the favourite pastime of all Roman citizens. This

bath house dates back to the fourth century and was part of a military

fortress. Women would not have been allowed to be a thick, it would

have been full of sweaty soldiers. One of whom might have been the

ivory bangles Lady's husband. As the military hub for Britain's

defence, this was one of the most important towns of the Roman Empire.

It was so important, emperors came here. One of the most famous

imperial visits was in 306 when this chap, Constantine the Great,

was proclaimed Emperor right here in York. It is amazing to think the

ivory bangles lady was living here around the time this great emperor

A mixed-race woman living in York in the fourth century, I just

wasn't expecting that. But the biggest eye-opener for me is

discovering just how much people moved around during the Roman times

and just how multicultural it really was.

That is what the Romans did for us. Along with everything else. It has