Episode 14 The One Show - Best of Britain

Hello and welcome to the One Show, best of Britain. With legendary

street barber, Michael Douglas. wildlife adventurer Miranda

Krestovnikoff. This is another chance to see some of our favourite

films. Now Michael, I brought you to one

of my very favourite places. This is 800 acres of wildlife

conservation in Gloucestershire. We're at Slimbridge part of the

Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, home to 200 species of bird. Making all the

noise. That will be the flamingos. They normally find flamingos in

places like the Caribbean and South America. These are found in Africa.

In parts of the wild their habitats are under threat. Slimbridge is

really important in their conservation and breeding. They

look good, but smell pretty bad. The smell is unbelievable here.

They do look pretty, that lovely colour comes naturally in the wild

from the food that they eat. Here they have to supplement their diet

to keep the pink feathers pink. These things are nests r, they?

That's right. You can see an egg on one of the front ones there. In the

wild the ground would be too hot for them to lay the eggs on. They

build up the nests so it's in a cooler environment. Here they often

take the aeing way, incubate it and give it back just in time to hatch.

They don't know it's gone though, do they? No, they replace it with a

wooden egg. Here are some more animals, not pirching, but prickly.

The hedgehog, one of the most iconic characters in our

countryside. But this prickly creature snufling about at the

bottom of gardens is now on red alert. Numbers are plummeting so

fast that without our help, hedgehogs in Britain may well be

gone forever. I'm at a wildlife sanctuary in Somerset. I've come to

see some of the sick and injured >

> hedgehogs that are brought here

> >

> >

This is BBC News, the headlines at This is BBC News, the headlines at

This is BBC News, the headlines at every year. Pauline, who runs the

This is BBC News, the headlines at 7.00. Guilty of contempt,

sanctuary, has

This is BBC News, the headlines at 7.00. Guilty of contempt, two

sanctuary, has taken

sanctuary, has taken in

7.00. Guilty of contempt, two tabloids,

7.00. Guilty of contempt, two tabloids, the

sanctuary, has taken in two

sanctuary, has taken in two new

7.00. Guilty of contempt, two tabloids, the Sun and

7.00. Guilty of contempt, two tabloids, the Sun and Mirror,

sanctuary, has taken in two new baby

tabloids, the Sun and Mirror, are

baby hedgehogs.

baby hedgehogs. These

tabloids, the Sun and Mirror, are fined

baby hedgehogs. These are

tabloids, the Sun and Mirror, are fined for

baby hedgehogs. These are only

baby hedgehogs. These are only about

tabloids, the Sun and Mirror, are fined for their

about five

tabloids, the Sun and Mirror, are fined for their coverage of

about five or

about five or six

about five or six weeks

tabloids, the Sun and Mirror, about five or six weeks old.

are fined for their coverage of the murder

They're really,

are fined for their coverage of the murder of

are fined for their coverage of the murder of Joanna Yeates.

They're really, really

They're really, really tiny.

are fined for their coverage of the murder of Joanna Yeates.

They're really, really tiny. They're

are fined for their coverage of the murder of Joanna Yeates.

They're beautiful.

murder of Joanna Yeates. two

murder of Joanna Yeates. two newspapers

They're beautiful. Can

They're beautiful. Can I

murder of Joanna Yeates. two newspapers completely

They're beautiful. Can I hold

They're beautiful. Can I hold one?

murder of Joanna Yeates. two newspapers completely lost

murder of Joanna Yeates. two newspapers completely lost the

two newspapers completely lost the plot,

two newspapers completely lost the plot, they

They're beautiful. Can I hold one? They're

two newspapers completely lost the plot, they engaged

They're doing

two newspapers completely lost the plot, they engaged in a

two newspapers completely lost the plot, they engaged in a feeding

They're doing so

They're doing so well,

plot, they engaged in a feeding frenzy

They're doing so well, aren't

They're doing so well, aren't they?

plot, they engaged in a feeding frenzy over the

They're doing so well, aren't they? That's

That's great.

plot, they engaged in a feeding frenzy over the new

plot, they engaged in a feeding frenzy over the new year

plot, they engaged in a feeding frenzy over the new year

frenzy over the new year period. Christopher Jefferies, the former

landlord of Joanna Yeates, is awarded substantial damages and

a public apology from eight newspapers. The first funerals

are held for the victims of last week's gun and bomb attacks in

Norway in which 77 people were killed. Time is running out

Capitol Hill, President Obama appeals to both parties to work

together to prevent a US debt default. Also coming up in the next

hour, new GGG

That's great. In fact, during the last 50 years, we've ripped out

enough hedge rows in the UK to fit twice round the circumference of

the planet. The effect on wildlife has been devastating, but

thankfully hedge rows are now being protected. Shall we pop these back

in? It's in a ball! Look at that. dock today. The Daily Mirror and The

dock today. The Daily Mirror and The Pauline's aim is to release as many

dock today. The Daily Mirror and The Sun were both

hedgehogs as

hedgehogs as possible

hedgehogs as possible back

hedgehogs as possible back to where dock today. The Daily Mirror and The

dock today. The Daily Mirror and The Sun were both fined for contempt of

Sun were both fined for contempt of Sun were both fined for contempt of

Sun were both fined for contempt of court for their coverage of the

still too

still too young,

court for their coverage of the arrest

still too young, she's

court for their coverage of the arrest of

still too young, she's got

court for their coverage of the arrest of Christopher Jefferies

still too young, she's got three

still too young, she's got three other

court for their coverage of the arrest of Christopher Jefferies in

other that's

arrest of Christopher Jefferies in December

other that's are

other that's are ready

arrest of Christopher Jefferies in December last

other that's are ready to

other that's are ready to go.

arrest of Christopher Jefferies in December last year.

arrest of Christopher Jefferies in December last

arrest of Christopher Jefferies in December last year.

arrest of Christopher Jefferies in December last year. Mr

That's great. In fact, during December last year. Mr Jefferies was

They're They're huge. Great big

arrested during the hunt for the They're huge. Great big balls there.

arrested during the hunt for the killer of

A few

A few months

arrested during the hunt for the killer of the

A few months ago

arrested during the hunt for the killer of the Bristol

A few months ago these

A few months ago these hedgehogs

A few months ago these hedgehogs were

arrested during the hunt for the killer of the Bristol landscape

were suffering

killer of the Bristol landscape architect

killer of the Bristol landscape architect oath.

were suffering from

killer of the Bristol landscape architect oath. But

were suffering from injuries

were suffering from injuries from

killer of the Bristol landscape architect oath. But later

were suffering from injuries from dog

dog bites

dog bites to

architect oath. But later exonerated.

architect oath. But later exonerated. Today

dog bites to slug

dog bites to slug pellet

architect oath. But later exonerated. Today he

dog bites to slug pellet poisoning.

architect oath. But later exonerated. Today he accepted

exonerated. Today he accepted substantial

exonerated. Today he accepted substantial damages.

exonerated. Today he accepted substantial damages. Today,

A substantial damages. Today, it was

said he was the victim of a hunt.

He was the innocent man taken apart by the tabloids,

Jefferies was vilified by The Sun and

These and the Daily

These hedgehogs are and the Daily Mirror,

These hedgehogs are going to and the Daily Mirror, that was

released released here?

and the Daily Mirror, that was the damning judgment from the Lord Chief

released here? To Justice

gardens Justice today.

gardens of barring Justice today. He

gardens of barring ton Justice today. He said

gardens of barring ton court in Christopher

Justice today. He said if Christopher Jefferies had

Justice today. He said if Christopher Jefferies had faced

Christopher Jefferies had faced trial,

Christopher Jefferies had faced trial, these

Christopher Jefferies had faced trial, these articles would

Somerset. trial, these articles would have

created substantial risks to course

For For the past couple

course of For the past couple of

course of justice. The articles were For the past couple of years

published as Christopher Jefferies Barrington

was under Barrington has rescued

was under arrest, and

was under arrest, suspected and given them

was under arrest, suspected of and given them free range of their

was under arrest, suspected of was under arrest, suspected of

was under arrest, suspected of murding Joanna Yeates. While he was

kitchen gardens. murding Joanna Yeates. While he was

murding Joanna Yeates. While he was murding Joanna Yeates. While he was

murding Joanna Yeates. While he was There we go little ones, you are

murding Joanna Yeates. While he was in custody, his past was dissected,

in custody, his past was dissected, in custody, his past was dissected,

his behaviour questioned. The Daily his behaviour questioned. The Daily

and given them free range of Mirror linked him to an earlier

murder and paedophile offences. So great was the concern over these

articles that it was the They're not just

government's They're not just here

government's chief They're not just here to

government's chief law officer who themselves,

prosecuted themselves, come

prosecuted the papers. themselves, come the night

prosecuted the papers. got

prosecuted the papers. When Mr prosecuted the papers. When Mr

got to earn their Jefferies was arrested, these two

newspapers completely lost the plot, they just went on a sort of

extraordinary frolic of villification of Mr Jefferies,

way that was frankly outrageous. Joanna Yeates' disappearance

dominated the headlines for over Christmas and new year.

neighbour of hers, Vincent Tabak, has admitted killing her, and he is

due to face court in the autumn. Today, at the High Court, the Sun

was fined �18,000, the Daily Mirror �50,000, and for both the financial

penalties did not end there. In separate hearing, they were

It's separate hearing, they were among

It's a eight

It's a real eight newspapers

It's a real safe haven eight newspapers who agreed to

It's a real safe haven for them eight newspapers who agreed to pay

eight newspapers who agreed to pay out

eight newspapers who agreed to pay out substantial

here N

here N our

here N our urban

eight newspapers who agreed to pay out substantial libel

here N our urban gardens

eight newspapers who agreed to pay out substantial libel damages

here N our urban gardens they're

out substantial libel damages to Christopher

here N our urban gardens they're not

not doing

out substantial libel damages to Christopher Jefferies,

not doing too

out substantial libel damages to Christopher Jefferies, the

not doing too well.

out substantial libel damages to Christopher Jefferies, the actual

not doing too well. We

Christopher Jefferies, the actual amount

Christopher Jefferies, the actual amount remains

not doing too well. We have

not doing too well. We have manicured

Christopher Jefferies, the actual amount remains private,

manicured gardens

manicured gardens with

amount remains private, all the papers

manicured gardens with not

manicured gardens with not enough

amount remains private, all the papers apologised

manicured gardens with not enough rough

amount remains private, all the papers apologised to Mr

rough bits

amount remains private, all the papers apologised to Mr

rough bits that

amount remains private, all the papers apologised to Mr Jefferies

rough bits that the

papers apologised to Mr Jefferies who

rough bits that the hedgehogs

rough bits that the hedgehogs like

rough bits that the hedgehogs like to

papers apologised to Mr Jefferies who wasn't

to thrive

to thrive N

papers apologised to Mr Jefferies who wasn't in

to thrive N That's

papers apologised to Mr Jefferies who wasn't in court.

to thrive N That's key.

papers apologised to Mr Jefferies who wasn't in court. His

to thrive N That's key. Here

who wasn't in court. His lawyer spoke

to thrive N That's key. Here there's

there's a

there's a bit

who wasn't in court. His lawyer spoke for

who wasn't in court. His lawyer spoke for him.

there's a bit of

there's a bit of wilderness.

who wasn't in court. His lawyer spoke for him.

there's a bit of wilderness. There's

spoke for him. Christopher Jefferies

spoke for him. Christopher Jefferies is

There's the

There's the orchards,

spoke for him. Christopher Jefferies is the

There's the orchards, the

There's the orchards, the rough

spoke for him. Christopher Jefferies is the latest

There's the orchards, the rough areas.

spoke for him. Christopher Jefferies is the latest victim of

areas. Nice

areas. Nice build

Jefferies is the latest victim of the

areas. Nice build thagz

Jefferies is the latest victim of the regular

areas. Nice build thagz they

areas. Nice build thagz they can

areas. Nice build thagz they can perhaps

perhaps go

Jefferies is the latest victim of the regular witch-hunts

perhaps go to

perhaps go to in

Jefferies is the latest victim of the regular witch-hunts and

perhaps go to in the

perhaps go to in the winter

the regular witch-hunts and character

the regular witch-hunts and character assassinations

perhaps go to in the winter to

perhaps go to in the winter to hibernate.

the regular witch-hunts and character assassinations conducted

character assassinations conducted by

hibernate. It's

character assassinations conducted by the

hibernate. It's really

character assassinations conducted by the worst

hibernate. It's really a

hibernate. It's really a perfect

character assassinations conducted by the worst elements

hibernate. It's really a perfect plate

character assassinations conducted by the worst elements of

plate for

character assassinations conducted by the worst elements of the

plate for them.

character assassinations conducted by the worst elements of the British

plate for them. This

plate for them. This is

by the worst elements of the British tabloid

plate for them. This is hedgehog

plate for them. This is hedgehog heaven.

heaven. I

heaven. I think

by the worst elements of the British tabloid media,

heaven. I think it

heaven. I think it is,

heaven. I think it is, yeah!

by the worst elements of the British tabloid media, many of

by the worst elements of the British tabloid media, many of the stories

tabloid media, many of the stories published

tabloid media, many of the stories published in

tabloid media, many of the stories published in these

here published in these newspapers

designed to monster the heaven. I think it is, yeah! I

designed to monster the individual. hedgehogs

hedgehogs because they're The

flamboyant, The coverage

quiet, nocturnal and discreet. It's great that hedgehog friendly

they're not lost to Britain forever. Great news for the hedgehogs then!

Absolutely. I didn't realise that's why they're called hedgehogs.

are the hoggers of the hedge. A bit of steering going on. We're hogging

the hedge. Why have you brought me out on the boat? I thought we would

take a bit of Time Out and do tranquil little paddle across the

river and get close to wildlife. It's very relaxing. Can I go

fishing in here? You could, you'd probably get told off. All the

wildlife here is protected. We're here to look, but not to disturb.

Speaking of looking, if you look very, very carefully and listen

carefully, you might see a particular favourite of mine, which

is the water vole. Very cute, furry little mammal, but one of the

fastest declining mammals in the UK. Favourite food for the American

mink that were released from fur farms. But they are doing well here.

They've managed this area to make it very attractive for water voles.

Will I have seen a water vole before? Did you have wind in the

willows read to you as a child? did. The water rat was in fact a

water role. Ratty was Voley? Yes, indeed. Can't believe I've been

lied to for all these years. "He felt the boat sway lightly

under him. It's the only thing said the water rat solemnly. Believe me,

my young friend, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, so much worth

doing as simply messing about in boats. "I love this book. It's full

of wonderful characters, ratty, Mole, Badger and Mr Toad and some

of the most evocative lines in all of children's literature. It is the

wind in the willows. Kenneth Grahame was inspired by his

childhood around the banks of the River Thames in the village of

Cookham. The book started out as bedtime

stories told by Grahame to his son in this very house. Today is serves

as a school. I've come here to find out more from an expert.

Cookham is at the heart of wind in the willows. It is. It was a place

very important to Kenneth Grahame, who came here as a very young child,

age five. He seems to have immersed himself in nature and ran wild in

the gardens and countryside and absolutely comes to love Cookham

and the area and the river. river bank is near here. Is the

Wild Wood near as well? There's quarry wood here near mar low. I

think that definitely was an inspiration to Grahame. The wild

wood is a scary place for him. The river bank is a place of

tranquillity. In the Wild Wood there are weezels. And stoats and

it's fearsome. It's a place where he doesn't feel at all secure. "The

Wild Wood lay before him, low and threatening. Trees crouched nearer

and nicher. They thought he saw a face, a little evil, wedge shaped

face. When he turned and confronted it, the thing had vanished."

Grahame's locations and characters were made all the more real by his

collaboration with illustrator EH Shepherd, giving the now famous

likenesses of Mole, Ratty and the rest and the river bank's grandest

address Toad Hall. When Shepherd wanted a model for his illustration

of Toad Hall Grahame directed him to the banks of the river.

And waiting for him here was Maple Durham house a small trip up river.

Like Toad Hall, this 17th century mansion is a red brick house with a

white portico. Even today you can find the spot where once real life

friends would arrive here by boat. "Rounding a bend in the river, they

came inside of a handsome dignified old house of mellowed red brick w,

well kept lawns reaching down to the water's edge. There's Toad Hall

set the rat, one of the nicest houses in these parts, though we

never admit as much to Toad." Of course, if this is Toad Hall,

there's someone missing. Mr Toad is my favourite character. He is the

one everybody remembers, Lord of the manor, larger than life,

lovable, but impossible, always getting into scrapes, a creature

completely obsessed with his motor car.

"The old passion seized on Toad and completely mattered him body and

soul. He increased his pace, and as the car devoured the street, he was

only conscious that he was Toad once more."

In Cookham today cars are common place. It was in Kenneth Grahame's

time that the first car came to the village. It was owned by a great-

uncle of local man David Ric ra do. -- Ricardo. So your forebearer

could be the original Mr Toad? That's true, because local folk

lower say that he definitely was. He had a very bright yellow Rolls

Royce. A bright yellow Rolls Royce? Yes. I believe it was the only car

in the village. Could this be the vehicle we're talking about? Yeah,

I think that's a good idea of what the actual car was like. It caused

great excitement in the village. The point is that the Colonel was a

great character known to Kenneth Grahame. Yes. He was an extrovert

character, a bit over the top, but at the end of the day, they really

rather loved him. I think what we're saying is that we've found

the original Mr Toad. I hope so, yes. Poop, poop.

Amazing to think those characters were actually inspired by real

people. Yes, amazing. This place itself is really inspiring. It's

beautiful. I think so, yeah. It was set up Sir Peter Scott in the 40s,

with the aim to inspire people about wildlife. It worked for me. I

was here as a student. There are centres like this all over the

country. You could take your kids. My kids would love messing about in

a boat around all these birds. Where is the closest one to London?

There's one in London in Barnes. How do I get there? You could hop

on a double-decker bus. Really? Typical, isn't it, you wait and

wait, then four come along at once. It wasn't always that way. In the

early Twentieth Century you'd be more likely to see a bus pulled by

a horse. But operators were looking for something new to boost profits

N1910 it arrived the B-Type double- decker. The B-Type looked like a

horse-drawn bus. It was the same sort of design, but with the engine

plonked down the front. And unlike a tram, it could go anywhere across

the town and country at a speed of up to 16mph. 900 B-Types were

modified and used during the first world waur to transport troops and

as make-shift ambulances. (First World War)

The driver's lot was not much changed from the days of horse

buses. He was open to everything the weather could throw at him. The

best he had was a canvas cover, which he could pull round his neck

if the weather was really bad. of course, the people on the open

deck above, they're also open to the elements. Yes more than half

the capacity of the bus had to travel up top on hard wooden seats,

out in the rain and snow and the hail. Again, some of the companies

would give them a little protection, by means of canvas that they could

draw up around themselves. To win the battle with the trolleybus and

electric trams, they had to up their game. The 1930s demanded

luxury, and soon the double-decker became a vehicle of glamour for the

This is called are tea type one, and is the first of nearly 7000

similar buses that dominated the streets after the Second World War.

What were the changes that excited people, in terms of design? There

was a lot of attention paid to passenger comfort. It had larger

windows, comfortable seats, and the driver was not forgotten either. He

had better visibility. We used to remember jumping on the bus and

swinging. The British love to their open platform buses but the

conductors would not have been happy. The new purpose-built works

was working to full capacity, and mass-production line techniques

delivered the buses that the country required. A job to be done

and a man to do it. The double- decker survived the Second World

War, just. But in peacetime there was demand for a new, one size fits

all, bus. Enter the Routemaster, the icon of modern bus design.

Lighter, more efficient, practical. On the outside, much the same, but

in some of the Engineering, radically different. They are very

easy to drive. Once you have got into the whip and the length of the

bus and you knew it in your mind, you could drive it anywhere.

could lean them over at an incredible angle. The skidpan was

probably the best example, where they take you round on a bus and

then the instructor puts the bus into a skid, so it is actually

going round in circles. relationship with double-decker

buses was soon firmly established. People did not just like them, they

loved them. For John and Jill McLennan, who did their courting on

the top deck, it was ding-dong. double-decker buses, it was a great

way to meet people. Where would use it? This is our seat. Why was it

important to sit in the back? Because you could look down and see

the conduct are coming up. When he wasn't coming, you could have a

cuddle. The double-decker is not quite what it was. You will be

lucky to find a conductor. The law has gone away with the platform at

the back. Yet enthusiasts remain keen as ever. Hold tight, please.

Of the double-decker has survived. The British love double-deckers so

they are being built in increasingly large numbers. They

will go on forever? It is a British passion. We enjoy riding on the top

and the view that you get from the top deck, so I think the double-

decker will last forever. You might not think this is a sensible way to

end this story, but if you were me, Never mind those boys with toys,

look at the girls. These are up Flo and Ha Ha. Aren't they beautiful.

They are hungry. That is feeding time. I have never been this close

to wildlife. These are North American otters and they are on

show because they are quite showy. British otters, you would not see

them for dust, because they are shy and retiring. The British, shy and

retiring! It is rare to see otters. Numbers declined massively after

the Second World War. They are susceptible to pollution and we

used lots of pesticides on our farm land. Now that we have cleaned-up

act, they are more of a common sight. Have you ever heard Dan Snow

and talking about war? He goes on and on about battles.

These days, the Cumbrian port of Whitehaven is a sleepy coastal town.

Hard to believe that at one time it was second only to London as the

busiest port in Britain. It is also the place where, 230 years ago, the

United States of America launched a surprise attack on Britain. On the

morning of April 23rd, 1778, there were 200 ships safely moored in

this harbour. But heading straight for them was a square rigger from

the US Navy, the Ranger. The American War of Independence was

ranging, and the ship's captain, John Paul Jones, had been sent to

Britain on a special mission. He was to show the British that the

Americans were a force to be reckoned with. The plan was to burn

every ship in Whitehaven Harbour and strike fear into the hearts of

the British people. Carrying a couple of lanterns to set fire to

the ships, Jones and 30 of his men climbed into longboats and wrote

two miles to shore. This is a good speed, guys. As soon as they came

ashore, the sailors are ready to set fire to the ships, while Jones

led a small group that way, to where the cannons were. He wanted

to spike them and put them out of action. But setting fire to the

ships did not go so well. The lanterns went out on some of the

CRU even went and got drunk. They seem like quite a mutinous bunch.

The people he recruited thought they were going to go and catch a

lots of ships and get lots of loot. They were not expecting to invade

the country. So half the crew seemed to be in the pub and the

other half were having trouble setting fire to the ship. That

about sums it up, except for one factor. One of the crew had also

nipped into the town, while nobody was looking, and alerted the folk

of Whitehaven. So Jones decided, prudently, to make a retreat.

Basically, they ran for it. So far it was not exactly the success

Jones had been hoping for. But he was not the kind of guy to give up

easily. It was time for Plan B. Later that same morning, he sailed

round the coast to Dumfriesshire. He knew the area because he had

actually been born and raised here. He anchored the Ranger out there

and he and about a dozen men rode in and landed on this beach, which

people still called John Paul Jones day. His stately home was owned by

one of the most important men in the area and his plans to capture

him and hold him to ransom. The stately home has long since gone.

But living just a stone's throw away, Sir David Dunbar, the great

great great great grandson of the Earl. This is the man himself.

the plan to kidnap the earl was about to fall apart, too. The earl

was away when John Paul Jones and his troops arrived in the garden.

He was taking the waters in Buxton. His wife was there and she came to

an arrangement with Jones using the family silver. The deal was struck

when she would hand over the family silver in exchange for the pirates

going away and taking nothing else. They cut their losses and ran. The

raid seemed a complete disaster. But when the papers got hold of the

story, they gave it a tabloid spin that left the British public

terrifying of an American invasion. Jones had achieved what he had set

out to do after all. But the stolen silver troubled him and a few years

later he gave it back. This teapot is the one that has been returned

and has been in the family ever since. How funny growing up with

such an heirloom. Do you remember it being out in common usage?

it used to sit on the sideboard in my grandfather's house and it was

used for tea every afternoon. It makes a very good cup of tea, too.

Over here, Jones and his adventures are largely forgotten, but in

America it is a different story. There, he is revered as an all-

American hero. What are these? I have to introduce

you to another of my firm favourites. These are Hawaiian

geese, and they are part of a flagship successful breeding

programme here at Slimbridge. In the 1950s there were only 30 of

these left in the wild and Slimbridge got involved in breeding

projects. Since then, they have released hundreds into the wild.

They are so tame. They do not look like they are from Hawaii. What is

a Hawaiian geese supposed to look like? More flamboyant. Are you

saying they look boring? A bit boring. Places like this are great

to come and feed the birds. Kids can do it, too. What are we feeding

them? Just a bit of corn. What a coincidence.

Tourists arriving at a beauty spot in Wiltshire is hardly a strange

phenomenon, but they had come to Britain to see an unusual summer

spectacle - the crop circle. Personally, I believe they are

created by people with too much time on their hands, but others

have a rather more supernatural explanation. There is no doubt in

my mind that we are being sent a message. Hit his mother earth

speaking to us. It is not us, it can only be extra-terrestrial.

year, nearly 140 crop circles were reported around the globe, and of

them, 70 were right here in Wiltshire. And the only way to

really appreciate these wonderful creations is to take to the skies.

Hello. Good to see you. Joining me, an old friend, Ian Simmons, an

expert in all things paranormal. You are not very comfortable in the

air, are you? It is not my favourite place. I have dragged to

appear to look at crop circles. What are the various explanations

for them? There are a bunch of ideas put forward. Initially people

said it was a Iain's writing in the fields in strange languages. And

then people suggest that it might be earth energies, the earth crying

out and sending messages by bending the crops. Fabulous! This is very

complicated. What is the story of the history of these things?

earliest go back to 1688. Were they crop circles? They are

misinterpreted. The pictures of things cutting down and flattening

crops have been drawn in a circle. We have no photographs before the

1980s. What do you think? evidence is pretty much in favour

of people making the things. sceptic inside me feels an

experiment coming on. With something as simple as a bit of

string, a few Poles, a really long tape measure and a basic

understanding of geometry, it is remarkably simple to draw out lines

and angles incredibly accurately. Let me show you. We are going to

start with our circle, a basic circle. I can create a smaller

circle in the middle, say. But also, if I change the anchor 0.2 up here,

like this, well, you can create a circle of here. In fact, with a

combination of different sized circles and places, the different

shapes you can make are limitless. So, easy enough on a board, but how

do you do it on 20 acres in the middle of the night? You never see

a crop circle that is half finished. I cannot fathom myself doing it.

don't think a person or a group of people can do it under those

conditions. But John knows exactly how. His circles are with the

permission of the farmer because otherwise it is a criminal offence.

We are an art collective and I started making circles 20 years ago.

We kept getting phone-calls from commercial clients saying, could

you make a logo in a field for us? It happened almost by accident.

do you flatten the corner? We would use this, which we call a Stomper.

This is used to flatten the crop. If you look at a lot of crop

circles, you see a lot of lines and rings that tart four ft wide. That

is because it is the basic unit of a circle maker, at four feet. We

used scale diagrams that we take into the field. On here is all the

information you need to make the circle. It has all of the Centre

points and everything. So, are all crop circles made by humans?

depends who you talk to. But I love the fact that people do believe

they are not made by people. As a scientist looking for an

explanation, I feel it is perfectly possible for them to have been made

by human beings. Yet others remain to be convinced. What we can say

with all certainty is that as long as the tour's keep coming, the

circles will keep appearing. We have gone full circle as well.