0:00:02 > 0:00:04Welcome to The One Show Best of Britain with Giles Brandreth.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06And Lucy Siegle. And another chance
0:00:06 > 0:00:09to see some of our favourite One Show films.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Today, we're at Beaulieu in Hampshire.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26The home of Lord Montagu of Beaulieu.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29- Is he a personal friend? - As chance would have it, yes.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Home, too, to Beaulieu Abbey, Palace House
0:00:32 > 0:00:34and a village where the animals roam free.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38And home also to the National Motor Museum,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41which showcases some of the earliest cars and motorbikes.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43The ideal location for a film from Marty Jopson,
0:00:43 > 0:00:47in which he looks at the life of the bright spark who invented the match.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49There we go.
0:00:49 > 0:00:54And a film from George McGavin, who encounters the creepiest of insects.
0:00:54 > 0:00:55I don't think I've seen
0:00:55 > 0:00:58so many caterpillars in one place in my life.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Not only that, we've gathered together
0:01:00 > 0:01:03the largest collection of James Bond cars
0:01:03 > 0:01:05ever brought to one place. Voo-voo-voom!
0:01:05 > 0:01:10But first, our resident wildlife photographer Jamie Crawford
0:01:10 > 0:01:13goes on the trail of a very elusive creature.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16- And they've got a teashop here, too. - Ooh, a teashop!- Come on.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25Today, I'm after a shot of bats in the belfry
0:01:25 > 0:01:27and here in Tattershall, Lincolnshire,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29the bats have made this church their home.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Surrounded by lakes, trees and grasslands
0:01:32 > 0:01:35and with insects galore, it's a perfect habitat for bats.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39There's so many bats here that caretaker Dave Mullinger
0:01:39 > 0:01:42and a team of people have to cover everything in the church
0:01:42 > 0:01:46to protect it from rather corrosive bat pee and, well, poo.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Dave, that's an enormous amount of poo.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51How many bats have you got in this church?
0:01:51 > 0:01:55- Somewhere between 600 and 1,000. - And lots of different species?
0:01:55 > 0:01:58Four different species. Soprano pipistrelle, common pipistrelle,
0:01:58 > 0:02:00long-eared and Daubentons.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03- Whose poo's that, then? - That's a mixture.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Good answer, good answer.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10- So where exactly are they? - Somewhere above the roof timbers.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Not an ideal photographic position, particularly given how high it is.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17You're looking at about 60 feet.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21'Ah, that'll need a Plan B then, and luckily, according to David,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23'the bats leave the church a little nearer the ground.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27'Each of the ancient doors has tiny gaps around the edges,
0:02:27 > 0:02:31'ideal for bat exits, but that brings its own problems.'
0:02:31 > 0:02:35I've got quite a lot of kit, but even so, taking photographs of bats
0:02:35 > 0:02:38that are that big and fly up to six metres a second
0:02:38 > 0:02:41isn't going to be easy, so this time around
0:02:41 > 0:02:43I've enlisted the help of a specialist.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46There's a lot of kit here, Sam.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48'This is Kim Taylor, a specialist photographer
0:02:48 > 0:02:53'responsible for some simply breathtaking high-speed photography.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55'To get his amazing shots,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57'Kim builds most of his own equipment from scratch,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01'and he's prepared to let a rookie like me loose with it.'
0:03:01 > 0:03:03This is a very important part of the apparatus.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06This is an infrared sender and receiver
0:03:06 > 0:03:10and this is what reflects the infrared beam.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11'The bats are so fast,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14'my finger will never be quick enough on the shutter,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16'so this beam runs from top to bottom of the door,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19'and if the bats fly through, they'll trigger the flash.'
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Yeah.
0:03:21 > 0:03:22So this is the big flash?
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Yeah, that's going to light the bat from the front.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29'This flash ensures we'll see the bat but, being Kim,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32'he's got three to light it beautifully.'
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Hold onto your hats.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Bang! It works.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Focus on it.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44'Then it's the small business of trying to guess
0:03:44 > 0:03:46'how high the bat will be and get it in focus.'
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Now zoom back to about 200.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Our set-up's ready, then.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53The bats will break through the beam,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56the beam will trigger the flash, but what's going to trigger the camera?
0:03:56 > 0:03:57Well, it's actually you, Jamie,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00that's going to trigger the camera with a cable release.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04'What I need to do is close the shutter the minute I see a flash.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09'So, now we just need to wait for the dark and the bats.'
0:04:14 > 0:04:17'Bats can eat up to 3,000 insects a night
0:04:17 > 0:04:20'and usually hunt from dusk till dawn.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23'But I can't see a thing.'
0:04:23 > 0:04:27- One just came out.- Did it? - One just dropped, yes.- Oh.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31This is quite exciting.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Ooh!
0:04:36 > 0:04:39That one came just a foot in the wrong direction.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42'The problem is, the beam's very narrow
0:04:42 > 0:04:46'and the door is very wide so only some bats will trigger the flash.'
0:04:46 > 0:04:49All these bats coming out and none of them going through the beam,
0:04:49 > 0:04:52just goes to show you, you can have all the kit in the world,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54but you still need a bit of luck for it to come off.
0:04:58 > 0:04:59- Yes.- Yes!
0:04:59 > 0:05:03There he is. Look at that.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06'Our first bat, a soprano pipistrelle.'
0:05:06 > 0:05:08D'you think we can push in a little bit closer, see if we can...
0:05:08 > 0:05:11We could try a bit closer, see if we can get a bigger image.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13I love it.
0:05:16 > 0:05:17Did you see that one?
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Ooh, ooh, ohhh!
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Two went, but they didn't hit the flash.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- Do you think we've been too ambitious?- Possibly.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33- Ye-es!- Finally, we've got it. - We have a result.- That is the one.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35That's a scorcher.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39'Some of the bats seem almost to be playing with us.'
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Look, they're flying round and round like that.
0:05:41 > 0:05:42- Ooh!- Got it.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45BOTH: Ye-es!
0:05:45 > 0:05:47That's amazing.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50I've never had so much fun in a graveyard.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55'But as we had to get a special licence to use a flash around bats
0:05:55 > 0:05:58'and with great shots, thanks to Kim's expertise,
0:05:58 > 0:05:59'it's time to wrap up.'
0:05:59 > 0:06:02I think we'll turn off now, OK?
0:06:06 > 0:06:08That's bats in the belfry. Tick.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10'And this was our best shot.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14'A Soprano pipistrelle leaving the belfry for an evening jaunt.'
0:06:15 > 0:06:19- And that's why they call him Batman. - They don't.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21And this is the Aston Martin,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24as featured in the James Bond movie, GoldenEye.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28It's one of 50 Bond vehicles here at the National Motor Museum,
0:06:28 > 0:06:32in an exhibition called Bond In Motion, which is on until December.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35- You can go and see it now! - Oh, what about this?
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- I'm going for a drive with Stan in the Aston Martin.- By yourself?
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Mmm-hmm. Ha-ha-ha. Enjoy the rest of the exhibition.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44How very dare you!
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Well, I'll just go and find out some information by myself!
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Now, I'm here with Doug Hill, who is the museum manager
0:06:58 > 0:07:02and we're among these amazing Bond cars, but what's happened here, Doug?
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Disaster.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Well, Daniel Craig was driving this in Casino Royale,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09and in the scene, the baddies have kidnapped his girlfriend,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12he comes flying round the corner in his Aston Martin DBS
0:07:12 > 0:07:15and she's laid in the road, so he steers to avoid her
0:07:15 > 0:07:17and the car flips.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Actually, first attempt, it didn't flip, so they had to put
0:07:25 > 0:07:29a cannon in the back of it to fire it over, and it went seven times.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Surely that must be some sort of world record?
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Yes, it was. In fact, it's now in the Guinness Book of Records
0:07:35 > 0:07:37for the number of consecutive rolls that it did,
0:07:37 > 0:07:41and that's the end result. One completely mangled Aston Martin.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44MUSIC: "James Bond 007 Theme" by John Barry
0:07:47 > 0:07:50May I suggest he needs to drive more carefully,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53cos his insurance premiums, they're going to go through the roof.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56I think we need to take a look at what happened.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58TYRES SCREECH
0:08:12 > 0:08:16And this is a Ford Mustang Mach 1, last seen on two wheels
0:08:16 > 0:08:19disappearing down a narrow alley pursued by the cops.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21I got you now.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25Lean over.
0:08:36 > 0:08:42That was 1971, Lucy Galore, a great year for films.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44- Well, before I was born.- Really?
0:08:44 > 0:08:46WELL before I was born.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Whether or not it was a great year for music, of course,
0:08:48 > 0:08:53depends on whether or not your heart goes out to this little chap.
0:08:53 > 0:08:58# I owe everything I have... #
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Records always need a bit of luck to become hits,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04but the story of this song involved a very fortunate combination
0:09:04 > 0:09:07of time, television and talent.
0:09:07 > 0:09:12'Customers, this is your Opportunity Knocks All-Winners Show!'
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Long before X Factor came along,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18one of the first talent shows in the UK
0:09:18 > 0:09:22to use the power of the audience vote was Opportunity Knocks.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26You voted for him, from Bonnie Scotland, Neil Reid!
0:09:26 > 0:09:30Aged 12, Neil Reid was already a little star,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33singing in Northern clubs,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36where Opportunity Knocks was every act's ambition.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39I wrote away for it and I waited about two and a half years
0:09:39 > 0:09:40before I even got an answer.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45And then I did the audition and then on the audition itself they said,
0:09:45 > 0:09:47"You're on the show and this is the date."
0:09:47 > 0:09:49And then just, bang!
0:09:49 > 0:09:53Neil won the vote to return on the show week after week.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55He was a phenomenon, but his biggest opportunity
0:09:55 > 0:09:58came right out of the blue, thanks to Bill Parkinson,
0:09:58 > 0:10:00the guitarist for Tom Jones.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06Tom sang a song called Yiddishe Mama. You know it?
0:10:06 > 0:10:08# My, Yiddishe mother... #
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Afterwards, it struck me that if I wrote a song about my mother,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14maybe Tom would sing that.
0:10:14 > 0:10:15GUITAR MUSIC
0:10:15 > 0:10:19It said everything I wanted to about my mother.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22'Mother of mine, you give to me all of my life to do as I please.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25'I owe everything I have to you...'
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Fantastic song.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31I don't mean fantastic for me,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34but fantastic for me to be able to say that to my mother.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Bill's mum loved the song, and she wasn't alone.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40It also reached the ears of Neil Reid's manager.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Perfect for the little boy on Opportunity Knocks.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46'I sang it on week four of the show
0:10:46 > 0:10:48'and the single was released on that same week.'
0:10:48 > 0:10:49# Mother... #
0:10:49 > 0:10:51The record shot up the charts,
0:10:51 > 0:10:55selling two and a half million copies worldwide.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Describe to me what life was like after Opportunity Knocks.
0:10:58 > 0:11:04I couldn't go out in public, because people knew instantly who I was.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08# And I can walk straight... #
0:11:08 > 0:11:12And after the hit single came an album, which made Neil
0:11:12 > 0:11:16the youngest artist ever to top the UK album charts.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20What I hated was people wanting to keep me 12. That's what I hated.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23When I was 20, it just didn't work.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25And I remember, at one point, I sat...
0:11:25 > 0:11:27I was doing this summer season,
0:11:27 > 0:11:31and I thought, "This is just nuts. I don't want to do this."
0:11:31 > 0:11:33# Sweet mother... #
0:11:33 > 0:11:37"I'm going to get out before it throws me out."
0:11:40 > 0:11:41Neil is now a business consultant.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Mother Of Mine composer Bill is still writing and performing music
0:11:45 > 0:11:48and this is the first time the two of them have met
0:11:48 > 0:11:51in the 40 years since the song was a hit.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54# Mother of mine
0:11:54 > 0:11:59# You gave to me
0:11:59 > 0:12:02# All of my life
0:12:02 > 0:12:05# To do as I please...
0:12:07 > 0:12:14# I owe everything I have to you... #
0:12:15 > 0:12:17It took me literally...
0:12:17 > 0:12:22I don't want to say how sure, it took me under one hour to write it.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Here's a strange thing, it took me four minutes to sing it, OK?
0:12:26 > 0:12:32We did it in one take. That first run was what went out.
0:12:32 > 0:12:33Absolutely great.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37That's why it has that absolutely genuine, authentic feel to the lyric.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39It's just sung from the heart, isn't it?
0:12:39 > 0:12:42'Mother Of Mine, retrospectively looking back,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44'was obviously just perfect for the moment.'
0:12:44 > 0:12:49'It was just right. The voice, the song.'
0:12:49 > 0:12:51It was a Christmas anthem,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54but I also think it was something to last.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58Even the hardest of the hard guys love their mum.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02# Mother of
0:13:02 > 0:13:10# Mi-i-i-i-i-ne. #
0:13:10 > 0:13:14The Motor Museum has the most fantastic collection of cars
0:13:14 > 0:13:19and motorbikes and some things here are over 100 years old.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22This is definitely my favourite car so far.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24It's an 1899 Daimler
0:13:24 > 0:13:28and it's the vehicle in which royalty was first taken for a ride.
0:13:28 > 0:13:33Edward VII, when he was Prince of Wales, was driven in this vehicle,
0:13:33 > 0:13:34sitting right here.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38This car, the Silver Ghost, was termed the best in the world
0:13:38 > 0:13:41at the 1906 London Motor Show.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44- You know who would love this place, Lucy?- Who's that?
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Our very own mad inventor, Marty Jopson.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Yes, and here he is on the trail of a bright spark
0:13:50 > 0:13:52who came up with something else we couldn't live without.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55200 years ago, it was fire,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58not electricity that warmed our homes, cooked our food
0:13:58 > 0:14:00and lit our way, but back then,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03making fire was a time-consuming business.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06Now, the history of lighting fires goes way back
0:14:06 > 0:14:08to simple devices like this.
0:14:08 > 0:14:12But that's really quite a palaver and hard work, too.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17A slightly more modern invention is this, the flint and steel.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Whilst that's quite good, it's still not a fire
0:14:20 > 0:14:23and in fact, what was often simpler than lighting your own fire
0:14:23 > 0:14:25would be to pop next door
0:14:25 > 0:14:28and just borrow a burning ember.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33In the 1800s, the world desperately needed an easier way to create fire.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37Despite harnessing fire more than half a million years ago,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40we entered the Industrial Revolution and the age of steam
0:14:40 > 0:14:44without a quick, safe and portable means of making it.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49But all that was to change in 1827, when a man named John Walker
0:14:49 > 0:14:52stumbled upon an invention completely by accident
0:14:52 > 0:14:54that would change the world forever.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58Walker was born in 1781, here in Stockton-Upon-Tees.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01The son of a grocer's shop owner,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04he left school aged 15 and went to study medicine.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Shortly after graduating, he came to the conclusion
0:15:07 > 0:15:10that he really didn't have the stomach to be a surgeon
0:15:10 > 0:15:13and instead, began studying chemistry.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15Finally, at the age of 38,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18and known locally as the most qualified man in Stockton,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20he set up his own chemist shop.
0:15:24 > 0:15:29In 1827, he began selling large amounts of combustible materials,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31which we think people were buying
0:15:31 > 0:15:34so that they could make percussion caps, used for firing muskets.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38The story goes that Walker was in his workshop late one night,
0:15:38 > 0:15:43mixing large quantities of these combustible chemicals into a thick paste.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46He fetched a stick, which he had been using the previous night,
0:15:46 > 0:15:48to find it covered in a hardened lump.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50In his attempts to remove this lump,
0:15:50 > 0:15:54Walker accidentally invented the world's first match.
0:15:54 > 0:15:55EXPLOSION
0:15:57 > 0:16:02# Hallelujah, hallelujah... #
0:16:02 > 0:16:06Chemists had been experimenting with ways to make fire for centuries,
0:16:06 > 0:16:10but invariably, their methods had been a bit violent.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Take for example, phosphorus,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15the key ingredient in today's safety matches.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19In its pure state, it's extremely reactive to oxygen.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21You see what I mean?
0:16:21 > 0:16:25Phil Dunford is a member of the Institute of Explosive Engineers.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29In the early 1800s, the only thing that was really available
0:16:29 > 0:16:31to the general public was a Promethean match.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35In it is potassium chlorate
0:16:35 > 0:16:38and to light this match, you dip them in sulphuric acid.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42- Sulphuric acid? OK. Can we try? - We certainly can.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46- It's a remarkable amount of effort to get it to light.- It is, isn't it? - Here we go.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48- Like that.- That's it. And...
0:16:48 > 0:16:51- Oh, wait.- You'll find it starts to fizz a bit.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53- Look, it's going! - And then it catches fire.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56- And you now have a match. - What's the problem with these? Why not use these?
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Well, would you really want to be walking around the streets
0:16:59 > 0:17:02- with sulphuric acid in your pocket? - I guess not.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04What did Walker do?
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Walker produced a match which had only one part
0:17:07 > 0:17:09and was ignited by friction.
0:17:09 > 0:17:10For this type of match,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13we use antimony trisulphide and potassium chlorate
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Can I have a go at striking one of these? Ooh.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17- Oh!- There we go.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21You get the initial burst of flame, that catches fire to the sulphur.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25This really is the world's first practical match.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Walker never patented his idea,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31but the demand for matches was enormous, and very quickly,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34entrepreneurs from all over the world were manufacturing their own.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38But attempts to improve upon Walker's accidental recipe
0:17:38 > 0:17:40caused deadly side effects.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44White phosphorus was added to remove the undesirable odour
0:17:44 > 0:17:46and improve reliability.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Unfortunately, the poisonous fumes from this material
0:17:48 > 0:17:52caused hair and teeth to fall out.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56When asked why he never took out a patent, he simply said,
0:17:56 > 0:18:00"I have no doubt that this invention will benefit everyone.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02"If they want it, let them have it.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06"I will always be able to obtain sufficient for myself."
0:18:06 > 0:18:07The invention of matches
0:18:07 > 0:18:10is seen as one of the most significant of the 19th century
0:18:10 > 0:18:13and to this day, the most printed phrase in the English language
0:18:13 > 0:18:16is "close cover before striking."
0:18:19 > 0:18:21Once upon a time, here at Beaulieu,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24the Abbey used to offer sanctuary to criminals.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28Even murderers could escape prison, if they slept under its roof.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Well, then, it's fortunate there is no longer a roof here.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35- I pursued a couple of conmen. - Did you?- Yes.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40Very interesting characters. They were art forgers, this duo.
0:18:40 > 0:18:41I think you'll like this film.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48In the autumn of 1989, an elderly man in Bolton claimed to have found
0:18:48 > 0:18:53this priceless Anglo-Saxon artefact in a park in Preston.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58Inside, it contained a tiny piece of Christ's cross.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01But it was a fake, forged by his son, Sean.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04This would be the start of a 17-year conspiracy,
0:19:04 > 0:19:08which became the biggest art and antiquities crime case in Britain.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10A couple in their eighties
0:19:10 > 0:19:13have admitted defrauding art galleries and antique dealers...
0:19:13 > 0:19:16..with more than 100 forged works.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20The works, if real, would be worth some £4 million.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22This was their greatest con.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27The Armarna Princess, a fake Egyptian statue, so convincing
0:19:27 > 0:19:30it was authenticated by the British Museum.
0:19:32 > 0:19:33For nearly two decades,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37their son Sean created the forgeries in their garden shed,
0:19:37 > 0:19:38while father George
0:19:38 > 0:19:41conned the country's most prestigious art galleries
0:19:41 > 0:19:44into buying them.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47It was a case that was to change the way the art world
0:19:47 > 0:19:51goes about spotting fakes and con artists.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53What stunned experts
0:19:53 > 0:19:56was the sheer range and variety of these forgeries,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59particularly as Sean had no formal training whatsoever.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03It's extraordinary to think that somebody could have done these
0:20:03 > 0:20:06actually, well, as he says, in a garage.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Shaun Greenhalgh, really, is nothing short of a genius.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14This was their last forgery, an ancient Assyrian relief.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19It ultimately led to their undoing, when auctioneers finally noticed
0:20:19 > 0:20:22the staggering quantity of items attached to the name
0:20:22 > 0:20:24George Greenhalgh.
0:20:24 > 0:20:25Bonhams came in here,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29actually, with a big dossier of all the things
0:20:29 > 0:20:32which had been offered to the auction house
0:20:32 > 0:20:34by George Greenhalgh.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37And this wasn't at all the picture that I had
0:20:37 > 0:20:40of this fairly homespun sort of chap up there in Bolton
0:20:40 > 0:20:43who'd inherited these things from his grandfather.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46And when John took a closer look,
0:20:46 > 0:20:50it was then that he spotted both a spelling error in the inscription
0:20:50 > 0:20:53and key discrepancies in the design of the harness.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57Forensic testing proved without doubt that the relief was a fake
0:20:57 > 0:20:59and the Greenhalghs were finally rumbled.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Shaun was sentenced to four years in prison,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06while his father, George, received a suspended sentence
0:21:06 > 0:21:07on medical grounds.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Over 100 forgeries were seized by police
0:21:10 > 0:21:15from museums across the country and are now stored as evidence,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18here at a top-secret fine-art lock-up.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20How did they get away with it for so long?
0:21:20 > 0:21:24They went to different departments. Assyrian and something to the Roman,
0:21:24 > 0:21:26so they may turn up one week with an item of stone,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29the next week they turn up with an item of silver.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31And the two departments didn't talk to each other.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35'But creating the pieces was only half the battle.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39'To authenticate an item, you need proof of its history - provenance.'
0:21:39 > 0:21:44This is one of the items they used as provenance for the pieces they tried to sell.
0:21:44 > 0:21:45- That looks old in itself?- It is old.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48So they're faking the catalogue as well as the original work?
0:21:48 > 0:21:52No, the catalogue is genuine. This is dated back to 1892.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56It's from a sale at Silverton Park in Devon.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00And they purchased this in 1999, just for a few pounds.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04But in it, there are descriptions of numerous items.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07For example, it might just say, "One Egyptian statue"
0:22:07 > 0:22:09or "One stone relief."
0:22:09 > 0:22:14And what they did is, they created an item based on that description.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16Then they'd take it to an expert and say,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18"It's been in my family since 1892,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21"it was purchased by my great-great grandfather.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23"That's the catalogue to prove it.
0:22:23 > 0:22:24"And there's the item."
0:22:24 > 0:22:27'Since this case, police are now keen to encourage art experts
0:22:27 > 0:22:31'that the ultimate provenance is forensic testing.'
0:22:31 > 0:22:34We identified the artefact behind you, the Assyrian relief.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37That was actually... The patina on it is tea,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40and that's what gives it that ageing effect.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42So good was Shaun's gift at forgery
0:22:42 > 0:22:45and his father's skill at telling tall tales,
0:22:45 > 0:22:49it's thought that there could well be numerous Greenhalgh fakes
0:22:49 > 0:22:50still out there.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54But now, newly-acquired works of art are inspected
0:22:54 > 0:22:57with the thoroughness and scepticism that they require.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Both police and experts have learnt to share their concerns
0:23:01 > 0:23:03about potential forgeries.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Thanks to this case,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10lessons have been learnt that have changed the nature of fraud detection,
0:23:10 > 0:23:13and Bolton's amazing fake factory
0:23:13 > 0:23:16is finally closed for business.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20The good news is that all the paintings and artefacts here are the genuine article.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24Oh, good. But did you know, Giles, that Beaulieu is reputedly
0:23:24 > 0:23:27one of the most haunted places in the entire country?
0:23:27 > 0:23:30- I did know. I'm a friend of the family, remember.- Oh, yes, sorry.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34So I know that after dark, monks can be heard chanting.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37And I know, too, that this lady, Countess Beaulieu,
0:23:37 > 0:23:41died more than 200 years ago, but her ghost is still seen
0:23:41 > 0:23:43walking through walls.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46- Why doesn't she just open the door? - Funny family.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49I think it's time for another creepy-crawly tale
0:23:49 > 0:23:51from George McGavin.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56'Southend Cemetery in Essex.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00'And something strange is going on.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04'Just recently, it's gone through an eerie transformation.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08'Is it something supernatural?
0:24:08 > 0:24:09'An alien invasion?
0:24:10 > 0:24:13'Or even a plague of giant spiders?'
0:24:16 > 0:24:18These webs aren't made by spiders,
0:24:18 > 0:24:22but by tiny caterpillars - millions and millions of them.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29'They're the caterpillars of the ermine moth.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33'There are several different species in Britain.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35'These are the bird-cherry variety.'
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Ermine moths have one thing in common.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42They all spin vast sheets of silk
0:24:42 > 0:24:43over their host plant.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50'These ones only live on and eat cherry trees,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54'and with avenues of the trees, Southend Cemetery is the ideal home.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59'Steve Taylor has worked here for 20 years.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02'He's used to all kinds of wildlife, but this is something
0:25:02 > 0:25:03'relatively new.'
0:25:03 > 0:25:07- Steve, when did all this begin? - Well, it's about three years ago.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10And I came in to do a funeral on a Sunday,
0:25:10 > 0:25:14parked my car where I normally park my car, over there,
0:25:14 > 0:25:16looked at the tree opposite the car park
0:25:16 > 0:25:19and there's caterpillars all over the tree trunk.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Before you knew what it was, what did you think had happened?
0:25:21 > 0:25:24I was shocked because I thought we had something
0:25:24 > 0:25:27that was going to damage the trees. That was my main concern.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29All right, one tree, not too bad,
0:25:29 > 0:25:32but when you look at the amount of trees that started to be affected,
0:25:32 > 0:25:36I thought we had a serious problem on our hands and I was quite worried about it.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40Have you had any odd reactions to the fact that all these trees are completely covered in..?
0:25:40 > 0:25:45It's gone from one extreme to the other. We've either been accused of doing it deliberate...
0:25:45 > 0:25:46What?! How do you mean?
0:25:46 > 0:25:51- Well, creating a film set for some macabre, spooky horror film!- Ha-ha!
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Some people have been quite amazed by it
0:25:54 > 0:25:57and obviously some people have been disturbed by it,
0:25:57 > 0:26:02because of where it is, and if it starts covering the gravestones, it can cause some distress.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05'They really are all over everything.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08'Not just the gravestones, but benches, the road
0:26:08 > 0:26:10'and even our equipment.'
0:26:10 > 0:26:13So why should they go to all this effort?
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Well, it's a bit like us when we go camping.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19By spinning a web, it's a bit like having your own personal tent.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23It's tough, it's sticky, it protects you from the elements,
0:26:23 > 0:26:25and enemies, like birds and wasps.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28It's amazing! It sleeves the entire tree.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Everywhere they crawl is covered in this thick, sticky web.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37'Colonies of ermine moths are creating their unusual art work
0:26:37 > 0:26:38'all over the world.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40'The owner of this car made the mistake
0:26:40 > 0:26:43'of parking under an infested tree in the Netherlands.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47'The reason they engulf everything in their path?
0:26:47 > 0:26:49'They're simply searching for their next tasty meal.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53'Once they've finished gorging themselves,
0:26:53 > 0:26:57'they settle down for the next stage of their life cycle,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00'giving me the perfect opportunity to take a really close look.'
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Well, what I've got here is an endoscope camera,
0:27:03 > 0:27:07which has a little lens on the end and a little beam of light,
0:27:07 > 0:27:09and I can just poke it into a hole here...
0:27:10 > 0:27:12..and see what's going on.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15And it's absolutely amazing!
0:27:15 > 0:27:19There are literally tens of thousands of fully-grown ermine moth larvae
0:27:19 > 0:27:22which have now eaten all they want to eat
0:27:22 > 0:27:24and they're finding a place to pupate.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28They'll stay in their cocoons until end of July, beginning of August,
0:27:28 > 0:27:31when they'll emerge as adults and mate,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34and the whole cycle
0:27:34 > 0:27:35will begin again.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39'So, what about the cherry trees?
0:27:39 > 0:27:41'They may look pretty ropey
0:27:41 > 0:27:43'but in fact, once the moths have hatched,
0:27:43 > 0:27:45'the web will gradually rot away
0:27:45 > 0:27:48'and the trees will send out new shoots and leaves.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53'In fact, it'll just look as if the moths hadn't been there at all.'
0:27:53 > 0:27:56I don't think I've seen so many caterpillars in one place in my life.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58The trick here is,
0:27:58 > 0:28:02don't stand still too long or you'll get completely covered in them.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Well, you can see what George took away from that film.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Yes, and what have you taken away from our special day
0:28:11 > 0:28:14- at Beaulieu, Giles?- I'll tell you what I've taken away. Two things.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18- One, this, for you, from the tea shop...- How sweet.
0:28:18 > 0:28:19..and the other is for me.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22This, from Lord Montagu's own wardrobe.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25Very fetching! Take it away, Stan!
0:28:25 > 0:28:27Poop-poop!
0:28:28 > 0:28:30- Poop-poop!- Bye!
0:28:30 > 0:28:31Bye!
0:28:31 > 0:28:33Poop-poop!
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd