Episode 8 The One Show - Best of Britain

Hello and welcome to the One Show. The Best of Britain. With Angellica

Bell and Phil Tufnell. With another chance to see some of our favourite

We are at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, one of the largest

houses in Britain and birthplace of one of the greatest leaders the

country has ever seen, Sir Winston Churchill. Blenheim Palace was

completed in 1733. It was a gift for Queen and John Churchill,

following the famous victories during the wars Spanish succession.

Sir Winston Churchill was a descendant and did not come along

until much later. He was born in this room but it was slightly

unexpected. His parents were only staying as gifts of the family when

little Winston took everyone by surprise and a right two weeks

early. Churchill grew up to be a man both respected and feared so it

might surprise you to clear he was involved in a fairy-tale romance

that unfolded under this very roof. It jewel of the Cotteswold. The

magnificent of Blenheim Palace is matched only by its 2100 acres of

sweeping parkland and romantic gardens -- the jaw of the Cotswolds.

100 years ago, a young man shows these gardens as the location to

pop the question to his sweetheart, Clementine Hozier. Her fiance was

none other than Winston Churchill. In summer 1904, a 29-year-old

Winston had been smitten by the beautiful 19-year-old Clementine

when he spotted her at a society ball but it would be another four

years before he finally asked for her hand, in 19 a weight. On a

rainy August afternoon, they tipped Clementine accepted his proposal.

Over the next few days, the couple exchanged love letters. This

remarkable correspondence would span nearly 60 years. Today, the

thousands of letters, telegrams and no space sent each other are kept

at the Churchill Archives Centre. They have lent a selection to the

Blenheim Palace's archivist. This is the very first letter to

Clementine. I will read a bit: What a pressure it was to meet a girl

with their much intellectual quality and such strong reserves

and noble sentiment. I hope we shall meet again and come to know

each other better. From such formal beginnings, how does the

relationship developed in the letters? From the first letter,

when he signs himself "your sincerely, Winston Churchill",

within four months, he moves to Darling and dearest, and signing

himself eventually wins done. September they were married.

Winston. After the honeymoon, Winston plunged himself into

politics. Sometimes in the letters, you see he's huge confidence, one

of his feet is the leadership, for example: He writes at the beginning

of the first order war and he says "everything tends towards

catastrophe and collapse. I am interested, geared up and happy. Is

it not horrible to be built like that?". His questioning his

appetite about the war. Conversely, we have one from Clementine, where

you see their playfulness. They had pet names. He caught her Kitten and

she caught him Peak and when she is writing, she adds little

illustrations. The nature of the tale is her excitement, her thrill

at been in touch with him. Surely he would have been mortified if

this had fallen into public hands! It is interesting, he stored them

and they are in the archives for everyone to see. Churchill was

appointed First Lord of the at malty and within a year, he had

moved to Number Ten. -- First Lord of the Admiralty. How does

Clementine react when he becomes Prime Minister? There are occasions

when she speaks to him very firmly. "I hope you will forgive me if I

tell you something I feel you should know". This is June, 1914.

"one of the men in your entourage has been to me and told me there is

a danger of you being generally disliked by your colleagues because

of your wrath and sarcastic and overbearing manner". A direct

criticism of him there. It speaks volumes the fact that one of the

men in her entourage, they have been to her, there is almost

telling of tales. Yes and that is a measure. This person, out of

concern for Churchill, maybe for the country, has come up to warn

Lady Churchill about what is happening. The correspondence

continued into their old age and only stopped with Winston's death,

at 90, in 1965. We all know Churchill the great operator, the

wartime leader, the iconic statesman, but his letters to his

wife let us see a completely different side. The family man,

full of tenderness, warmth and love, and unquestioning devotion to his

What a beautiful story! Just goes to show that love can sweep you off

your feet. Angellica, did you know Blenheim Palace is not of the

birthplace of Winston Churchill, it is also a playground for ghosts?

didn't know that. This house is supposed to be haunted. Dean

Griffiths was the chaplain of the first Duke of the palace. The wife

of the 9th Duke wrote in her memoirs about being woken up by a

ghastly man standing over the edge of the bed. It is supposed to be

the ghost of Griffiths. I don't like ghost stories. Another Dutch

is used to walk around the palace that night slamming doors. BANGING.

This is not funny. It reminds me of the time the One Show has sent me

ghost hunting one Hallowe'en. If I have been persuaded to spend

the night in one of Britain's strangest, spookiest and scariest

place for that. Woodchester Manor in deepest Gloucestershire has a

long history of strange and unexplained events. We want to see

how spending time in this place affects me and give the ghosts are

all in my head. Woodchester Manor could be from

central casting for a horror movie. Abandoned in the 1870s because its

owner could not afford to complete it, it has remained in this estate

It is the perfect setting for our experiment. To find out whether the

fear of ghosts is out there or all in the mind. After all, why should

I be afraid of something I have never had any experience of or even

senior? I have always grown up believing there are forces, good

verses evil, but coming here knowing I was filming, I was

nervous, I will be honest. The thought that I am going to be in

this mansion when it will be really dark makes me feel quite vulnerable.

I can't believe I am actually saying that because I like to think

Woodchester Manor stands on the foundations of a much older

building, spring Park, which the owner did wallop -- demolished to

make way for the new house. Dr Peter Forster is senior lecturer of

psychology at the University of Gloucestershire. How do places like

this bring about fear if you don't know that ghosts exist? If that is

an interesting question. If you don't know, if you don't believe in

ghosts, it is probably not going to evoke much fear that if you believe

in ghosts, then you will feel really quite afraid because this

plays have the reputation of being haunted, there are people who take

that very, very seriously and believe there are ghostly presences

here. Some people's beliefs about ghosts are not benign. They could

harm us. That can evoke real genuine fear. If I am not sure if I

believe in ghosts but I am coming to a place, like you said, where

people have felt a presence, so it is never in what those people think

going to make me scared? -- so is knowing what they think? If you

take them seriously, yes. Do you believe in ghosts? Probably not.

Even Dr Vorster cannot be certain that there is nothing here that I

should be scared of. The Gloucestershire paranormal research

group has been visiting the mansion for the last four years and some of

the events they have sailed raised more questions than answers. --

they have filmed. What are you doing? We have put up some

recording equipment on the Archway. And some cameras? Yes. We caught a

strange light in this part before. What do you mean, a strange light

anomaly? Well... It was on a camera. It looks like the outline of a

hooded figure that walks across that doorway. We tried to recreate

it. We thought it was a straight torchlight coming into the windows.

But we could not get anywhere near it. So you saw a hooded figure?

What looks like a hooded figure. Absolutely. I am not sure who to

believe. Dr Forster and assignments or experiences recorded by Dave and

Chris and most of all, I don't know how I am going to feel being here,

alone at night. It is 6:30pm. The sun is setting

and it is getting quite dark. It is getting a bit chilly. The eeriness

of the mansion is becoming more apparent. Also there are bats

flying around. There is something about them that makes me think of

ghosts, a -- of vampires and spooky things. Not good?

Are we ready? Before a change my mind?

We are going to attempt to draw out any paranormal activity at what

Chris calls hot spots, areas of the house where he has recorded

mysterious events. Sorry, it is the bats.

I had something in there? Are you OK? -- I heard something in there!

It was rustling. It could be mice. I feel like I am going crazy! I

think something is here with the me. It has rarely unsettled me but I am

determined that some rustling is not going to stop me.

There is only one thing for it. I am going to have to go up into the

attic, known for strange things getting on, alone, without the

camera crew. Dan there is pitch black. -- Dalol

there is pitch black and it is pitch black down there. And really,

I don't want to go any further... I am a little bit scared of ghosts.

Right, I am up here and I am bricking it! Have I gone the right

way? I have gone a long wait... Great... I have gone down that long

corridor! I think they are down Oh my God! I went down the wrong

corridor! I did it!! APPLAUSE. That was so scary!

This is better! Blenheim's gardens are open to the public and are

absolutely magnificent. What gave you! There are over 2000 acres of

landscaped parkland, including lawns, gardens and a lake, all

described as being one of England's greatest gardens. Christine Walkden

tip to the skies to marvel at another of his grand designs.

At Croom Court in Worcestershire, you can see one of the most

influential gardens in Britain. It was here in the mid- 18th century

that the traditional formal garden was transformed into a flowing

landscape that imitated nature on a grand scale.

In these gardens, you would be putting in some roses and a pond.

At Croom Court, it meant building an artificial lake and even Hills,

and this great landscape revolution was down to one man: Capability

Brown. Born in 1716, lots are not Capability Brown started his career

as a simple gardener's boy and became Britain's most famous

landscape architect. His radical approach was pioneered here, at

Croom Court, where the old geometric garden was ripped up in

favour of grassy meadows, leading right up to the front door. Clumps

of trees were cunningly positioned to tease the eye, hearth revealing

classical scholars. This lady has been researching the garden at

Croom Court for 25 years. What do you enjoy so much? What did

you enjoy working here? Look at it. The only things allowed in the line

of sight were these idyllic buildings arranged in exactly the

right position. To get those perfect sightlines, Capability

Brown had a medieval church knocked down. Be built a new one because we

are standing in it. The trees hid unsightly farmland beyond. But

after World War II, much of the landscape was nearly lost when the

gardens were ploughed over for agriculture. In fact, in 1996,

there was a rape -- a rapeseed field here. Ten years ago I found

aboard with what looked like a map on it and this match was very

important because it shows Brown's planting and it is the map the

National Trust are using today to reinstate the park because it even

tallies with a GPS survey today. Phenomenal! This so the surveying

techniques in 1796 were amazing! The best way to see how he changed

the groom court landscape is higher up in The One Show balloon. With me,

is Michael Smith, the estate manager. It is the first time I

have ever seen it from the air, and we can get an appreciation of the

scale of the landscape work here. We can see it as he imagined it.

Yes, yet they could never have imagined seeing it from here.

love Capability Brown's greatest achievements was to turn this boggy

land into a long meandering plot of land in the shape of the serpent.

Look how the island forms the RI of the serpent's head. What is the

story of the serpent? They planted some trees to create a micro-

climate for Lebanese Cedars and we put them exactly where Capability

Brown had them in the 18th century. They obviously worked. From up here,

you can see how the 700 acre landscape contrast strongly with

the fields beyond. It is the enormity of the estate. Where are

the boundaries? There are boundaries of the design landscape

is the dark brown that circles this valley. They tease mind-boggling to

think just how many people must have been involved in shaping and

maintaining this giant garden. have one built in the archives

which describes 67 people employed just to take care of the lawn as a.

Any idea how much that cost? today's money, about �40 million.

It is thanks to this financial investment there 250 years later we

are still able to marvel at this extraordinary landscape today.

would Capability Brown had given to be up here in this balloon?!

The years before Capability Brown got his hands on the garden of

learn them and before the palace was even build, this used to be a

deer park and was known as the Manor of Woodstock locally. There

were about 1000 deer back then. When Thomas Jefferson visited in

1786, he recorded over 2000 fallow deer roaming in the expansive

parkland, but 100 years on a smaller species has now become a

shy but familiar sight throughout the fields and woods. This animal

has travelled a long way. These words in the heart of bed --

Bedfordshire... An ancient beast lives here. In the 19th century,

John Reeves, A T inspector and a keen naturalist, visited China and

brought back some specimens of their native deer as a gift for the

Duke of Bedford. They are called muntjac deer and to his estimated

that there are about 40,000 of them in southern Britain. They are the

oldest species of deer in the world and so is estimated they originated

some 35 million years ago. This has made them incredibly resilient, and

despite being thousands of miles away from south-east Asia, in just

80 years they have adapted to life in the UK. Martin Webber is a

wildlife ranger with the Forestry Commission. He told me more about

why these deer are so successful. The females are almost permanently

pregnant. They have a seven-month breeding cycle and within 36 hours

of giving birth they are able to conceive again. And they are

spreading wider across the country, aren't they? It was worked out a

few years ago that the range can extend by about one kilometre or a

year. Martin is able to estimate both the population numbers and how

far the muntjac deer are spreading by looking out for tell-tale signs

in the wards. Given the large numbers, we should be able to spot

one of them. It was not long before we came across a sure sign of one.

This is a rum leading across here. Yes, they have worn down the

vegetation. Let's see what they have done on the other side. This

is Hazel. As you can see, it has tried to grow. This is new growth.

Yes, it has tried to grow but you can see the end have been ripped

off. We knew the deer were closed but after another two hours of

trekking, we still have -- hadn't seen this elusive animal so I

decided to try something else. At dawn the next day, I made my way to

I sat there perfectly still and Finally, my patience paid off. I

can't believe I have finally seen one, I have been waiting so long

and they have been so elusive. Finally, my first muntjac deer! So

there you have it, an encounter with an oriental beast right in the

middle of an English woodland. But there is a twist in the Taylor this

story. In their native countries of south-east Asia, muntjac deer are a

delicacy. Not only are they being hunted, their habitat is also being

destroyed so numbers are on the decline. By contrast, their

population in the UK is now one of the largest and most successful. So,

the muntjac deer here may find themselves one day back on a slow

boat to China to be the saviour of their species.

Luckily they no longer turn Diez heads into truth is here, they have

found a much grander way of adorning the walls. Inside the

palace you can get an idea of how people lived. Christopher Wren was

responsible for much of the into -- interior design. Around every

corner there is opulence and grandiose. These rooms are filled

with treasures collected over 300 years. There are amazing tapestries

to commemorate victories of the first Duke. There is even some Van

Dyke paintings. It is all very nice, but how one decorates one's house

is a very personal thing. As I discovered, the 70s inspired wall

hanging is soaring in popularity once again. In the late 1930s,

anyone aspiring to set themselves apart from their neighbours would

proudly displayed desirable object like these flying ducks in their

homes. By the time Coronation Street's Hilda Ogden hung a set of

marks on her Muriel, they were considered by some to be the height

of good taste. The history of decorative dogs goes back further

than you think. Ivory carvings found in a German cave are thought

to be the oldest figurines ever found, proving their popularity

goes back to the cavemen. So why do they have such timeless appeal? I

have come to meet Antiques Roadshow's 20th century expert

William Farmer. Tell me about who designed them? Lots of firms made

them, but these bears which ones are considered the classics. They

were designed by a man called Mr Watkin. And it was not just

restricted to docks, was it? pheasants, partridges, and even a

flamingo. You will always find, as a new generation comes up to stamp

its identity, they will look back and say it is awful, bad taste,

let's throw them out. They were thrown out. If these were put in a

living room with your lava lamp and shag-pile carpet, they suddenly

look very wrong. Their vivid colours and animated style has

earned them a firm place in popular culture, and they have been copied

and parodied by designers and advertisers alike. Guinness had

their flying toucans, even Wallace and Gromit have a set. They now

enjoy pride Of place on the walls of retro enthusiasts and can fetch

thousands at auction. Carolyn is one of Britain's most dedicated

collectors. How did the fascination start? It started with my love of

the 50s. These are on iconic symbol of the 50s. How many do you have?

We lost count at about 300 and they are not all here. Some casualties

are in a box downstairs with broken wings because they used to fall off

the wall all the time. There are so many different varieties, aren't

they? Yes, there are some very rare birds including the blue tits, and

the hummingbirds especially can't really rare. What do you think the

appeal of the flying ducks is today? May appeal to people for

different reasons. There are serious collectors, and then people

who just see them R's are fantastic kitsch icon, as I think they should

be, and then there are people who just love wildlife and think having

them on your wall brings the outdoors indoors. Whether you

consider these little flying ducks the height of bad taste or the

epitome of style, there is no denying their appeal has endured

longer than any other mass-market masterpiece. For that alone, they