0:00:00 > 0:00:04Hello and welcome to The One Show: Best Of Britain with Carrie Grant...
0:00:04 > 0:00:05..and Gyles Brandreth
0:00:05 > 0:00:09and another chance to see some of our very favourite One Show films.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13# One
0:00:13 > 0:00:15# One
0:00:15 > 0:00:17# One
0:00:18 > 0:00:21# One. #
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Today we're in the magnificent Brecon Beacons National Park
0:00:26 > 0:00:27in Wales, of course.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31Yes, home to the wonderful Black Mountains over there in the east.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Not to be confused with the Black Mountain Range
0:00:34 > 0:00:35over there in the west.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Now, later in tonight's show, Christine Walkden
0:00:37 > 0:00:42will be digging around for a story in the back garden of Max Clifford.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44I like tidying up which I suppose fits in
0:00:44 > 0:00:46with a lot of what I do anyway.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51And Joe Crowley is going back to the 1970s to a small Welsh town
0:00:51 > 0:00:53that saw an extraordinary drugs raid.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58In here, Kemp made 20 million doses of LSD.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02And I'm heading even further back in time and further north to Bangor
0:01:02 > 0:01:04to remember the day The Beatles came to town.
0:01:04 > 0:01:09But first, Miranda is climbing aboard a town centre tour bus.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13- Stay tuned, she has packed her wetsuit.- Mm-mm!
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Built in the mid-1800s, the Albert Dock
0:01:17 > 0:01:20was one of the biggest construction projects of its time
0:01:20 > 0:01:25and for a while it made Liverpool an epicentre for world trade.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28For decades, thousands of ships and boats have unloaded
0:01:28 > 0:01:32their cargo here but it wasn't just official goods they were bringing in.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35They had stowaways too.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39From around the world, creatures attached to hulls,
0:01:39 > 0:01:41caught in ballast tanks and swept in from the sea
0:01:41 > 0:01:46made this old, industrial heartland home.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50And the only way to get a really good look at this habitat
0:01:50 > 0:01:54is to get in the water and I'm not going in alone.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56CHEERING # I'd like to be
0:01:56 > 0:01:58# Under the sea
0:01:58 > 0:02:01# In an octopus's garden in the shade. #
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Here we are, ladies and gentlemen, in the middle of the Albert Dock
0:02:07 > 0:02:11in Liverpool. It's a world-famous heritage site.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14'Susan Gilbertson has lived in Liverpool for most of her life
0:02:14 > 0:02:18'and spends her days talking about the history of the Albert Dock.'
0:02:18 > 0:02:21That's where Richard and Judy used to film This Morning.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26Although she works on top of the water she's always been curious
0:02:26 > 0:02:30about what lies below especially as there's a piece of Liverpool folklore
0:02:30 > 0:02:33about a creature lurking in the depths.
0:02:33 > 0:02:39- There have been reports of a ginormous eel. A condor eel, is it? - Conger eel, yeah.- Yeah, a conger eel.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Basically there's a little funny story going around.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Everyone refers to it as "Dock Ness"!
0:02:44 > 0:02:47- Ha ha! This is your Dock Ness monster!- Yeah.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51- Wow, so a big conger eel?- Yeah. - Living in the docks here? - Living in the docks.- Wow.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56So with special permission, in we go.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02- Right, are you ready for this?- Yes. - Feeling warm?
0:03:02 > 0:03:03THEY LAUGH
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- I've been warmer! - It's going to be amazing.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13And it really is. Every structure
0:03:13 > 0:03:16under the water has become an artificial reef packed with life.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28I can't get over this rope. It's just covered in mussels, isn't it?
0:03:28 > 0:03:31- I know.- Smothered. It's about that fat at the bottom.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Just with all the mussel growth and all the sea squirts and everything.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36You'd think there'd be plenty of space for everything
0:03:36 > 0:03:38but they're all crowded on top of each other.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42It's not like they find a fresh piece of space, it's just,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44"Oh, there's one, we'll grow on top of that."
0:03:44 > 0:03:48The water here is incredibly clear, partly due to these mussels
0:03:48 > 0:03:52that filter bacteria, plankton and other organic material.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55And they also provide a hearty meal for other creatures.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02But there is one animal that Sue has seen year-on-year
0:04:02 > 0:04:04floating around the docks.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09- There were go, it's a jellyfish. - Oh, my God!
0:04:09 > 0:04:12It won't sting, it's a mini-jelly and they don't sting.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- And what do they do? - They're food for turtles!
0:04:15 > 0:04:17- Oh, is it? - THEY LAUGH
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Their dinner then! Hello, turtle dinner!
0:04:20 > 0:04:23As the waters warm up during the summer months,
0:04:23 > 0:04:26more and more jellyfish appear here in the docks.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33And I didn't think we'd see anything better
0:04:33 > 0:04:36when we got a glimpse of Susan's Dock Ness monsters.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Well, OK these conger eels are only about a metre and a half long
0:04:40 > 0:04:44but I never expected to see so many of them in a city.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48Those conger eels were beautiful, weren't they? Those two tails
0:04:48 > 0:04:50- hanging in that green weed. - They're gorgeous.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Almost twisted around each other and then suddenly
0:04:53 > 0:04:56one minute they're just off.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59- They were gorgeous. - Really beautiful.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Silky, weren't they? You want to touch them. Beautiful.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07Normally these eels live around the coast
0:05:07 > 0:05:09but this artificial reef has attracted them here
0:05:09 > 0:05:12providing great habitat and food.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- What do you think then? - It's amazing.
0:05:18 > 0:05:19THEY LAUGH
0:05:19 > 0:05:21I'm lost for words. It very rarely happens
0:05:21 > 0:05:23and it's absolutely fantastic.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26I could just stay and look at it for hours.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29I never expected to see
0:05:29 > 0:05:32so much variety of life in the heart of Liverpool.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Species from all around the world cohabiting
0:05:36 > 0:05:40successfully in their little hideaway beneath the waves.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47The National Park is famous for its caves
0:05:47 > 0:05:51and this one has the widest mouth in the whole of Wales.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53The widest mouth in the whole of Wales?
0:05:53 > 0:05:55No wonder I feel so at home here!
0:05:55 > 0:05:57The place actually is called Porth yr Ogof
0:05:57 > 0:06:00and I recognise the cave because it features
0:06:00 > 0:06:02in the BBC series Merlin which I've been watching.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05- How are you saying that again? - DRAMATICALLY: Porth yr Ogof!
0:06:05 > 0:06:07- SHE LAUGHS - You're right, my pronunciation is terrible.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Why do they send me to places with impossible names to pronounce
0:06:10 > 0:06:12when I could've been sent to Bangor?
0:06:12 > 0:06:17It's funny you should say that because that's where I'm headed in this next film about The Beatles.
0:06:18 > 0:06:211967 - Flower Power was gripping the nation
0:06:21 > 0:06:25and The Beatles were caught up in it like the rest of the country.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29The boys were becoming increasingly interested in spiritual matters
0:06:29 > 0:06:33and in August 1967, travelled away from London for a special weekend
0:06:33 > 0:06:35of meditation and soul-searching
0:06:35 > 0:06:38and what better place to come than here...
0:06:38 > 0:06:39in Bangor?
0:06:39 > 0:06:41SITAR PLAYS
0:06:41 > 0:06:44They came to North Wales to see the Maharishi,
0:06:44 > 0:06:48an Indian guru who promised enlightenment through meditation.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50George had dragged them to the Hilton Hotel, I think it was,
0:06:50 > 0:06:52to see a person called the Maharishi
0:06:52 > 0:06:54and they'd been so amazed
0:06:54 > 0:06:57and impressed by this person they decided to go off the next morning
0:06:57 > 0:06:59to Bangor for a course of some sort.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01So I went down to Euston
0:07:01 > 0:07:04the next morning, got on the train and the station was chocker.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08People had somehow found out. There was chaos on the platform.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10The Beatles' London send-off was chaotic
0:07:10 > 0:07:14and there were similar scenes when they arrived in Bangor.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18The conference was held at Normal College which is now a part of Bangor University.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21# Roll up Roll up for the mystery tour. #
0:07:21 > 0:07:24The Beatles actually stayed at the college and it was here
0:07:24 > 0:07:28that Mal Hughes and Roy Flynn, a couple of postal workers,
0:07:28 > 0:07:32were called on to deliver the most important telegram of their lives.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35I was in the sorting office and a telegram came down the chute.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39I picked it up and I says, "A telegram for The Beatles." So...
0:07:39 > 0:07:41So you just happened to be the man that was standing
0:07:41 > 0:07:45- at the bottom of that chute at that moment?- Yeah, waiting for it.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48- My particular job at the time was a telegram boy.- Aw!
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Obviously they don't have these kind of things now, it's all e-mails.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55The supervisor says, "You're not going with it."
0:07:55 > 0:07:57I says, "Yes, I am." He says "No, you're not."
0:07:57 > 0:08:01So I says, "Yes!" Anyway, we had a bit of an argument and he says, "Oh, all right."
0:08:01 > 0:08:06- So two of you in a van to deliver a piece of paper?- Yes!- Yes!
0:08:06 > 0:08:08# Got to get you into my life. #
0:08:10 > 0:08:13So you get here, you get out the van, what happens next?
0:08:13 > 0:08:17I went in through that door there and that's where they were in there.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20And I just says to John Lennon, "I have a telegram for you."
0:08:20 > 0:08:25- Were you shaking? "Here's-your tele-gram!"- I just handed it to him. "There you are."- We're used to it!
0:08:25 > 0:08:28- Cos you would have been, what, 16 at the time?- 16, yeah.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32- How did you feel, standing there with The Beatles?- Just amazing.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34It's only now when you think back
0:08:34 > 0:08:37that you can realise that it's never going to come again, is it?
0:08:37 > 0:08:41This was also a day that Colin Jones and Geoff Dacre would never forget.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45In 1967, they were 15-year-old music fans and they came to
0:08:45 > 0:08:49the college armed with cameras aiming to get some shots of The Beatles.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51So what was your plan?
0:08:51 > 0:08:53Colin suggested we say we're from the press
0:08:53 > 0:08:57because we both had a camera each and I thought there's no way
0:08:57 > 0:08:59they're going to believe that, we were only 15.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04Then they'll ask for identification which we hadn't got obviously
0:09:04 > 0:09:07so I thought all they can do is throw us back out again, you know.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10There was two, like, bouncers on the door
0:09:10 > 0:09:14- and I think we both said simultaneously...- Freelance press!
0:09:14 > 0:09:18- Freelance press, yes. - And they said, what?- In you go!- Yeah!
0:09:20 > 0:09:24- This is where you would have seen The Beatles?- Yes.- In you go.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26That's right, yeah, yeah.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28# Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream. #
0:09:28 > 0:09:32- What is it feel like coming back in here?- Strange.- Very strange.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37We felt so conspicuous and we sat at the side down that wall there.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40- Where were The Beatles? - On the stage here
0:09:40 > 0:09:43and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was sat there
0:09:43 > 0:09:47- doing his spouting. - And there was an audience presumably?
0:09:47 > 0:09:51- Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull. - It was actually... Jane Asher.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55- Have you still got the pictures? - I have, yes.- Let's have a look then.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59- There we are.- That's amazing.- That's the Yogi.- You were really close.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01And of course you got the mighty Mick Jagger.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04- He doesn't look very happy, does he? Is that Marianne...- Marianne.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08- That's Marianne Faithfull, isn't it? - Yes.- Have they just had an argument? - Yeah!
0:10:08 > 0:10:11So you've only got these two pictures left of everything
0:10:11 > 0:10:15- that happened that day for you guys? - Those were the only two we dared take!
0:10:15 > 0:10:18In the end, The Beatles cut short their weekend in Bangor.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23It was while they were here that they were told their manager and friend Brian Epstein had died.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Being here in Bangor, you can really feel the excitement
0:10:26 > 0:10:28the city must've felt having The Beatles amongst them.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32That's why years later, they're still talking about the weekend
0:10:32 > 0:10:33the Fab Four came to North Wales.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42- That must have been an amazing day for you.- It certainly was.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45This is turning out to be an amazing day for me, you know. Memorable.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Why's that?
0:10:47 > 0:10:51Because it's actually 50 years since I first came to the Brecon Beacons.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54- Half a century ago as a schoolboy. - You do not look old enough, Gyles.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57I know but still I was brought here on a school trip
0:10:57 > 0:11:00and I am quite a groupie for waterfalls.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Well, this is the Sgwd Clun Gwyn waterfall
0:11:03 > 0:11:08which if you translate from the Welsh means "waterfall of the white meadow."
0:11:08 > 0:11:10It's very fortunate that you do know the actual name
0:11:10 > 0:11:13because if you didn't, we wouldn't have got here because this is
0:11:13 > 0:11:17one of the few parts of the United Kingdom that does not have
0:11:17 > 0:11:20- a postcode.- So you don't get your post or your letters here.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23- No, but you get the most fabulous power shower!- You certainly do!
0:11:23 > 0:11:26- What are you up to next?- I'm going to climb that hill. Oh, yes.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28- I'd better set of now. - Bit of a cliff face.
0:11:28 > 0:11:29It is a bit of a cliff face.
0:11:29 > 0:11:34And I'm off to find out more about the National Park from the warden manager, Judith Harvey.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Judith, this place is called a Geopark. What does that mean?
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Well, it's an area with special rock formations and also an area
0:11:43 > 0:11:47where the cultural history of the area is linked to the geology.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50What kind of plants and vegetation might we find here?
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Well, this, we're within the waterfall's
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Special Area Of Conservation
0:11:55 > 0:11:58which is a really tremendously special area.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01We've got plants that only grow in these deep gorges.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03You can hear the water behind us
0:12:03 > 0:12:07and it tumbles over the waterfall, produces a lot of moisture.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09It's like you've got your own rainforest here, isn't it?
0:12:09 > 0:12:13It is actually. We are in the Celtic rainforest here!
0:12:13 > 0:12:17What a stunning location and how many waterfalls do you have in the park?
0:12:17 > 0:12:19There are seven named waterfalls in this area. Believe it or not,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22I have seen people kayaking over here.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24When the river's in flood, they go over and drop down.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27- Proper extreme sports.- It is, yeah.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Judith, what's the most important part about your work?
0:12:30 > 0:12:32To me, it's conservation of the environment
0:12:32 > 0:12:35and also introducing people TO the environment.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Allowing them and explaining the nature
0:12:38 > 0:12:41and natural history to them so they can enjoy it too.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44- What an amazing location to work in. Thank you so much. - OK, you're welcome.
0:12:44 > 0:12:49Back in the 1970s, an unsuspecting town in mid-Wales
0:12:49 > 0:12:54became the focus of the biggest police drugs investigation known to these parts.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Joe Crowley went to find out more.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Tregaron is a small market town in mid-Wales
0:12:59 > 0:13:02where not much ever happened.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Until 1977, that is, when locals here
0:13:05 > 0:13:08found themselves at the centre of
0:13:08 > 0:13:14one of the biggest undercover police operations Britain had ever seen.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17No-one in Tregaron had any clue at all
0:13:17 > 0:13:19that the crime of the century
0:13:19 > 0:13:23was being perpetrated under their very noses here.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25HEAVY ROCK MUSIC
0:13:25 > 0:13:29Back in the late '60s, Britain had embraced flower power
0:13:29 > 0:13:31and with it came LSD.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36LSD, one of the most powerful mind-affecting substances known to man.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38The drug has mind-blowing effects.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41In a few cases, it does, in fact, drive people mad.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45It can make them go and kill other people or themselves.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Despite being an illegal drug, reports suggest
0:13:48 > 0:13:53100,000 acid tabs were being taken in Britain every week.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56Police knew vast amounts were being manufactured somewhere
0:13:56 > 0:13:59but they hadn't got a clue where.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Leaf Fielding worked in one of the illegal acid factories.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06We thought we'd found a tool that could help us
0:14:06 > 0:14:07solve all the world's problems.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Don't forget, we're living in a world with the threat of the bomb
0:14:12 > 0:14:18and we thought that by taking LSD, we could live in peace and harmony.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23Leaf and his co-conspirators evaded capture for years but in 1975,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25police found ripped-up pieces of paper
0:14:25 > 0:14:27in a crashed car from Tregaron.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31Pieced together, they read hydrazeme hydrate,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34a chemical used in the manufacture of LSD.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Believing they'd stumbled on the acid ring,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39police hatched Operation Julie.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Undercover cops were put into Tregaron disguised as hippies.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Dai Rees was one of them.
0:14:44 > 0:14:50When I was undercover as a hippie, I had a very unkempt beard.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53I had very, very dishevelled hair.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56There were times when we had to literally sit side-by-side
0:14:56 > 0:14:58with some of the people that we were watching.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02We could very easily have blown the whole investigation
0:15:02 > 0:15:04to pieces and spoilt it all.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08The crashed car belonged to one Richard Kemp
0:15:08 > 0:15:12who lived near Tregaron with his girlfriend, Christine Bott.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Well, this is where Richard Kemp and Christine Bott lived.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18So the police would've been keeping an eye on this place.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Were they based around here?
0:15:20 > 0:15:23They used to watch from the top of the hill with binoculars.
0:15:23 > 0:15:28All the houses around here, they also became police houses.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33They even set up a fight between one of the hippies - hippie cops
0:15:33 > 0:15:36and the local policeman, in order to looked genuine.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Living as hippies for a year,
0:15:39 > 0:15:44police kept tabs on the suspected drugs ring. Breaking into a cellar,
0:15:44 > 0:15:47they finally found the proof they'd been looking for.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51In the cellar, they had to climb over a mountain of debris, walls filthy.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Suddenly they turned the corner and they find this.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59This cellar was the centre of a worldwide organisation.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04In here, Kemp made 20 million doses of LSD.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Certainly one of the major illicit LSD laboratories ever found.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15On 26th March 1977, the police made their move.
0:16:15 > 0:16:22800 officers raided 87 houses across the UK making 120 arrests.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24So where were you? You were staying at a house down the lane?
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Yes, just right at the bottom of this lane.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Is that where you were when the police swooped and arrested you?
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Yeah. At five o'clock in the morning,
0:16:33 > 0:16:37they burst in and I was hauled from the bed by six policemen.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40It's one of the worst moments in my life, actually.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42You recognise what you were doing was wrong?
0:16:42 > 0:16:45I recognise what I was doing was illegal.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Personally I didn't think it was morally wrong.
0:16:48 > 0:16:5215 of the ringleaders including Kemp and Leaf Fielding were found guilty
0:16:52 > 0:16:56and sentenced to a combined 120 years in prison.
0:16:56 > 0:17:02It was something which every one of us would take pride in for years afterwards -
0:17:02 > 0:17:08indeed, even now - that we were part of that particular investigation.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10I was sentenced to eight years in prison.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13My family were extremely shocked.
0:17:13 > 0:17:14Some of my relatives decided
0:17:14 > 0:17:17they didn't want anything to do with me ever again.
0:17:17 > 0:17:18Of course I had regrets.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22You know, my own actions had put me in prison for a long time.
0:17:22 > 0:17:23Who wouldn't regret that?
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Operation Julie was Britain's first really big drugs bust.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32What had started as an idealistic dream
0:17:32 > 0:17:36ended with the harsh reality of prison.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42This is the Monmouth Brecon Canal.
0:17:42 > 0:17:4535 miles long, 200 years old and when it was built,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48it was designed to transport coal and iron.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51These days it's used for much more leisurely pursuits.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55You could spend a couple of hours on a canal boat up here and see some of
0:17:55 > 0:17:57the most fantastic scenery in Britain.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59And it is truly heaven...
0:17:59 > 0:18:04- BUZZING - ..except for the midges! And here's our very own Mr Insect,
0:18:04 > 0:18:05it's George McGavin.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Bees are one of the most important insects on earth.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10They provide us with their honey
0:18:10 > 0:18:13and pollinate our fruit and vegetables and now,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16they're set to revolutionise our national security.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19# I'm a bee, I'm a bee I'm a, I'm a, I'm a bee
0:18:19 > 0:18:21# I'm a bee, I'm a bee I'm a, I'm a, I'm a bee. #
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Here in Hertfordshire, Freddy Cook and his team of scientists
0:18:24 > 0:18:26are working on a clever idea
0:18:26 > 0:18:29to harness the exceptional sense of smell
0:18:29 > 0:18:32of one of Britain's hardest-working insects.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40Now, listen. What's happening here? What are you doing?
0:18:40 > 0:18:44Well, we're training honeybees to detect chemicals in the air.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48In airports, for example, we need a quick and cost-effective
0:18:48 > 0:18:52and reliable way of finding when people are trying to smuggle
0:18:52 > 0:18:54drugs, explosives, that kind of thing.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56What's wrong with a nice, wet-nosed spaniel?
0:18:56 > 0:18:59You know, how is this an improvement?
0:18:59 > 0:19:00Well, we know dogs are very sensitive
0:19:00 > 0:19:04and we also know that bees are extraordinarily sensitive.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06So the idea is that we can train a bee
0:19:06 > 0:19:09in a matter of minutes to detect a chemical in the air
0:19:09 > 0:19:12whereas a dog, it takes several months to train.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15It all sounds a bit far-fetched at the moment
0:19:15 > 0:19:18so to prove his point, Freddy's going to show me
0:19:18 > 0:19:21how his sniffer bees are trained.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23So what happens now?
0:19:23 > 0:19:27So now we're going to take a bee out of this cartridge.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31And you're using very soft forceps?
0:19:31 > 0:19:33That's right, just forceps to gently hold her
0:19:33 > 0:19:38so then she goes in to the bee-holder like this. It's not hurting her
0:19:38 > 0:19:41and the spring at the front just holds her gently in place like that.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47Once in the capsule, it's over to the training area.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Here, a tiny trace of explosive has been mixed with air.
0:19:50 > 0:19:55The air will then be wafted over the bee so she can smell it.
0:19:55 > 0:19:56So I'll turn it on.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02We'll allow her a couple of seconds to recognise the smell.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05And then I will feed her.
0:20:06 > 0:20:11- Out with the tongue, and she has a feed.- And off.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14How many times would you have to do that, to train the bee?
0:20:14 > 0:20:18As you will see the next time, often they have already learnt it.
0:20:18 > 0:20:24- Wow!- If I try again, turn the switch... Look, she is responding.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28Out pops the tongue. That is just amazing.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32On just one trial, she has realised
0:20:32 > 0:20:35that the smell of this stuff means that she gets food.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37That's right.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41This incredible memory is what makes bees such experts at detecting food.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46When out foraging, if they like a flower's nectar
0:20:46 > 0:20:49they instantly remember its smell and location.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53Back at the hive they drop off their precious nectar
0:20:53 > 0:20:57and can then navigate their way back to the exact same flowers
0:20:57 > 0:20:59guided by their extraordinary memory.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10And it is this natural ability that is being harnessed here.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15Cohorts of trained bees are placed in a kind of smell-o-meter device.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20So, now is the time for the acid test.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Here we have six innocent-looking suitcases
0:21:25 > 0:21:30but two contain minute traces of explosives and drugs.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34The question is, can the bees find them?
0:21:34 > 0:21:35Number one.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38If a substance is detected, the bees extended tongue
0:21:38 > 0:21:42will trigger a sensor which shows up as a red light.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Bag number three.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Whoa! That is very, very clear.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Five of these bees have responded.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54These were the ones trained to the chemical found in explosives.
0:21:54 > 0:21:55So that bag contains explosives?
0:21:55 > 0:21:59That is right, we would want to have a closer look at that.
0:21:59 > 0:22:00Bag four.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Nothing there.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06Clear. And now my bag. Which should be absolutely fine.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11- Ah!- Woah!
0:22:11 > 0:22:13We have got quite a strong response here.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17From the bees who were trained for cocaine.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20You planted this in my bag!
0:22:20 > 0:22:24- Shall we have a look? - This is not my bag, officer, really!
0:22:24 > 0:22:28So, in this bottle, I placed the scent of cocaine
0:22:28 > 0:22:31and the bees have picked that up.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Having done their duty it is back to the hive for these girls.
0:22:36 > 0:22:37Hopefully, with more testing,
0:22:37 > 0:22:42we will soon see sniffer bees in airports all around the country.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Giles, why are we wearing these silly suits?
0:22:48 > 0:22:52Because I am a coward and I'm about to take you to meet some bees.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Welsh bees.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56I need to be protected. Here is the beekeeper.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00Now, Kenneth, I love bees because they give me honey.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04I have heard that the bee population is in steep decline.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Is that true and does it matter?
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Yes, bees are in decline, and yes, it really does matter.
0:23:10 > 0:23:1430% of the food produced in this country is pollinated by bees.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18Without them you will lose 30% of production.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23Things like tomatoes, apples, crops, peas, beans, they will not be there,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26because the number of pollinators will not be around.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31- Why are the bees declining? - Because of loss of habitat.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36Monoculture, growing throughout the country, oilseed rape,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39and disease, such as Varroa destructor,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42the little mite which has had a massive impact,
0:23:42 > 0:23:47and a significant loss of bees in the UK over the last ten years.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49So what are we going to do about it?
0:23:49 > 0:23:52We are trying to treat them using non-chemical treatments.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57The chemical treatments we used to use, they have become resistant to.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00- We can encourage them by growing flowers.- Absolutely.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03- Dandelions and stuff. - Dandelions are good.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06I can only say this once, dandelions are not weeds.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08They are what bees love, aren't they?
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Absolutely, if you want to help the bee population,
0:24:10 > 0:24:11don't spray your dandelions.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14I thought this was an urban myth, but is it true
0:24:14 > 0:24:18that if bees became extinct, human beings would die within four years?
0:24:19 > 0:24:23It is not a theory I would want to put to the test but I suspect
0:24:23 > 0:24:26that the loss of food production would have a severe impact, yes.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28We have Christine Walker next,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30she has been nosing around people's gardens again,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33- through the potting shed keyhole. - I love her.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Before you leave, you must come and have a look at my bees.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Yes. You do that!
0:24:41 > 0:24:43When it comes to digging and muck-raking
0:24:43 > 0:24:46there's usually one person in the middle of it all.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49He owns this garden and his name is Max Clifford.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55Max has made his name and fortune looking after people's reputations,
0:24:55 > 0:24:56and dealing with the press.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00He is always at the centre of things, so I suspect this garden
0:25:00 > 0:25:03has more to do with getting away from it all.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06An oasis of calm, and sweet-smelling roses.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09If I'm in the country, I tend to be the office a couple of days a week.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13So I'll be here two or three days, working in the garden.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15When I say that, I am not doing the gardening,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18I have a very good gardener who does that.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23One of the few things I actually do myself is a bit of trimming.
0:25:23 > 0:25:30I like tidying up. I suppose it fits in with a lot of what I do anyway.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Roses were my mum's favourite.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36I always think of my mum. Lilian, her name was.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39She giggled a lot. When she giggled, she shook. Which I loved to see.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43She was always someone that everyone came to with their problems.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46So I suppose I have inherited a lot of things from Mum.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Did she ever show you how to prune it? May I?
0:25:50 > 0:25:55- Please do.- Because you're making a right hash!- I am sure, yeah, go on.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58There is no bud there so that would die the way back down there.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02So when you're pruning you should always cut just above, there.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06- There?- That is fine. - How about that?- That is better.
0:26:07 > 0:26:12Max moved to this house with his second wife, Jo, a few years ago.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15It is in a gated estate in Walton-on-Thames,
0:26:15 > 0:26:19not too far from where Max grew up in south London.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22We didn't really have a garden. It was a tiny little postage stamp.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26My dad had runner beans and tomatoes, bits-and-pieces.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29- We didn't really have many flowers because there wasn't room.- Right.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36So what do you buy a man who has everything?
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Especially one like Max who doesn't drink or smoke.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42If you've got a couple of thousand to spare,
0:26:42 > 0:26:44what about a very large fish?
0:26:44 > 0:26:48- I know as much about koi carp as I do about gardens.- Right!
0:26:48 > 0:26:54- The big gold one was a gift from Simon.- Simon Cowell?- Yes.- Right.
0:26:54 > 0:26:59- The orange and black was a gift from Louis Walsh.- What about plants?
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Which of those are from the stars?
0:27:01 > 0:27:06This particular plant, a New Zealand cabbage tree,
0:27:06 > 0:27:08was a gift from Jade Goodie.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11That is something which brings back a lot of memories.
0:27:11 > 0:27:12Some memories, yeah.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16- What about this pool?- That was a gift from me to me.- Excellent.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18I swim virtually every day.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21- When there is snow on the ground I am still swimming.- Really?
0:27:21 > 0:27:25After a hard day's chatting, I reckon I deserve a splosh.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33- Do you consider yourself a lucky man?- Incredibly lucky.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Anybody that works for themselves and makes a very good living
0:27:36 > 0:27:39doing something you absolutely love, has got to be.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43But your life hasn't been totally without tragedy, has it?
0:27:43 > 0:27:45No. At the age of six, my daughter, Louise,
0:27:45 > 0:27:49was diagnosed with chronic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52We had 18 years of hospitals,
0:27:52 > 0:27:56Liz, my wife, and I, were there all the time.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Then Liz - we had been married 37 years -
0:27:58 > 0:28:03she died very suddenly of lung cancer.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07I suppose about two years after Liz died I met and got to know Jo,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10who was a volunteer bereavement counsellor
0:28:10 > 0:28:13at a Children's Hospice I was involved with.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16We got married just over a year ago, last Easter.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19So, you know, there have been some clouds,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21as there are for lots of people,
0:28:21 > 0:28:24but there has been an amazing lot of sunshine through my life
0:28:24 > 0:28:27and I consider myself incredibly lucky.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31That was a really touching film about Max Clifford, wasn't it?
0:28:31 > 0:28:34It has been quite a special day, this.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36I look forward to coming back to the Brecon Beacons.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39- Maybe in another 50 years. - And why not? I am up for it!
0:28:39 > 0:28:42- Bye now!- Bye-bye for now!