0:00:04 > 0:00:06ROOSTER CROWS
0:00:08 > 0:00:14These are the ears of a pixie that we got
0:00:14 > 0:00:16on one of our hunting expeditions.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Who did those ears used to belong to?
0:00:20 > 0:00:21Pixie.
0:00:25 > 0:00:30Tucked away on the coast of North Norfolk lies Wiveton Hall Farm,
0:00:30 > 0:00:35a 17th-century manor house surrounded by fields of fruit,
0:00:35 > 0:00:37vegetables and barley.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41- HE WHISTLES - Come on! Here.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44It's home to gentleman farmer Desmond MacCarthy...
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Kenny! Come on.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50..who lives here with his 99-year-old mother, Chloe...
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Nice shirt you've got on today. Where did you get that from?
0:00:53 > 0:00:56- I think London.- London?
0:00:56 > 0:00:59..and children Isobel and Edmund.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03This is my home-made canon that fires all sorts of fruit.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Yay!
0:01:05 > 0:01:07ISOBEL LAUGHS
0:01:07 > 0:01:09When you look at the house from here, what do you think?
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Well, I always think how beautiful it is.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15With the marshes behind leading to the sea,
0:01:15 > 0:01:17it's a really special spot.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23After a busy summer season trying to make enough money to keep
0:01:23 > 0:01:27his farm afloat, attention turns to the winter months.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Look, that's nice.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31As Desmond says goodbye to his staff
0:01:31 > 0:01:37- until the spring...- Wow!- ..he has more time for country pursuits.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41- Rather a pretty girl coming. - Oh, yes?- Look at that.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43That's astonishing.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48- Hey!- ..before one of the great Wiveton Hall traditions begins.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50- Oh, look. - GUNSHOT
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Oh, my God. That is very keen.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55- GUNSHOT - Oh, so's Edmund... Ooh.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58I've lived here all my life.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01I've probably got arrested development,
0:02:01 > 0:02:03because I've never grown up properly,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05because I've never moved away.
0:02:18 > 0:02:19It's late October
0:02:19 > 0:02:24and Wiveton Hall Farm is preparing for the winter months.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26ROOSTER CROWS
0:02:26 > 0:02:30The barley and fruit crops have been harvested,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34while the farm shop and cafe will soon go into hibernation.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43While winter brings a slower pace to the farm, it marks the start
0:02:43 > 0:02:45of the shooting season
0:02:45 > 0:02:47and Desmond's greatest passion.
0:02:48 > 0:02:54That is the spot I stood the last day of the Christmas holidays
0:02:54 > 0:02:58when I shot and hit
0:02:58 > 0:03:01and killed the first bird that I ever shot.
0:03:02 > 0:03:07A woodcock. And it fell over there in the wood.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10I was overjoyed.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11How old were you?
0:03:11 > 0:03:16- I think about 12. - And how did you feel?- 13.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18My parents were out at the time.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22They came back, I rushed up the with this dead bird.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25I can't remember if it was plucked and eaten at night.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Probably I gave it to my grandfather.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Desmond has been organising days out for shooting parties
0:03:36 > 0:03:40at Wiveton Hall for over 30 years.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44The shooting season can provide extra revenue for the winter months,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48so it pays to look after the game birds on the farm.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52Lots of farmers now manage bits of their land
0:03:52 > 0:03:55to create habitat and diversity.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Some people do it just for the love of the nature,
0:03:58 > 0:04:00quite a lot of people do it
0:04:00 > 0:04:04because they also love country sports, such as shooting.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07This year, the responsibility for maintaining the pheasant population
0:04:07 > 0:04:10belongs to new gamekeeper Mark.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Good dog. Good girl, Dot. Good dog.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18He's cutting the maize down for the feed rides,
0:04:18 > 0:04:20so when the pheasants come in here
0:04:20 > 0:04:24they eat on all this chopped-up maize
0:04:24 > 0:04:26and just scrap about after the corn.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29After the maize, look.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31And they eat them. They love them.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37Mark's very enthusiastic. His father is a keeper.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40His family have been keepers
0:04:40 > 0:04:42in this area for a long time -
0:04:42 > 0:04:44it's kind of in his blood a bit,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48this love of guns and all that sort of thing.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50It sounds a bit redneck, but it's not.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55In a week's time, Mark's hard work will be put to the test
0:04:55 > 0:04:59when Wiveton Hall holds its first shoot of the season.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04So how are you feeling about the shoot, Mark?
0:05:04 > 0:05:06- Fine.- Yeah?- Yeah, absolutely fine.- Yeah?
0:05:08 > 0:05:12- What will be, will be. Can't do any more.- From your point of view,
0:05:12 > 0:05:14what will make it a successful day?
0:05:14 > 0:05:15Pheasants.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Plenty of pheasants.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23With the help of his dog Dotty, Mark must check each day that
0:05:23 > 0:05:26the pheasants don't wander too far from home.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28HE WHISTLES
0:05:28 > 0:05:31- Is there any pressure as a gamekeeper?- There's always pressure.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34If there is no birds there, there's a lot of pressure.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37You'll get your P45 at the end of it, you know?
0:05:42 > 0:05:46Nearly all the staff at Wiveton Hall work on a seasonal basis.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53As winter approaches, Desmond's Eastern European farm hands
0:05:53 > 0:05:56will soon be leaving until the following spring.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Will Pavel be coming back next year?
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Pavel has been allowed to come back.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03He's very...
0:06:03 > 0:06:04He's very pleased.
0:06:04 > 0:06:09- Yeah.- Partly to do washing-up... - Yeah.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12- ..and helping with the tunnels. - Yeah.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15- And he's quite good at picking fruit.- Yeah.
0:06:15 > 0:06:16And he knows the farm.
0:06:17 > 0:06:23- But he does spend quite a lot of time hiding from me.- No.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25No?
0:06:25 > 0:06:27All these lovely people who work here
0:06:27 > 0:06:31and try to keep the show on the road are going home.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36Every time I see Carolina, she goes like that - that means four weeks.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38And then last week it was...
0:06:40 > 0:06:43And there's a bigger and bigger smile.
0:06:43 > 0:06:44She's longing to go home now.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Three weeks, I'm just like, "Oh!"
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Three weeks, it's not three months.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51It's like, "Wow, come on, time, quick, quick!"
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Will you miss Desmond when you go home?
0:06:53 > 0:06:57Yes, I miss him. Really, yes.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00- Do you think Desmond gets lonely? - Probably.
0:07:00 > 0:07:06He stays on his own, it will always be quite sad for him, as well.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Every year he is sad when everyone goes home. You can see this.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13He tries not to show us, but I know him.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Does it get quite lonely here once everyone leaves?
0:07:15 > 0:07:18I don't think so, but it is very nice having them here.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23But it's a bit odd to have all your friends actually be on the payroll.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29To say thank you to his staff for their hard work over the season,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Desmond and his son Edmund are throwing a bonfire party.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38Dad's obsessed. He's definitely verging on the pyromaniac.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Really? He likes fires?
0:07:41 > 0:07:44You missed the reed burning.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47- That's in February. - No expense spared.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49I love the silver flowers.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54These are from Kimbolton, the famous Reverend Lancaster.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56These are the best you can get in the world.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59None of this Chinese stuff. Hello.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Desmond's mother Chloe recently turned 100,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05but still wants to be a part of the action.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07- You remember, Daddy used to set them off?- Yes.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10- And will you walk up quietly with Andrew?- And we'll follow.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Hold Andrew's arm.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14She hates missing out.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18She suffers from FOMO madly, and I think that's where I got it from.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Do you know FOMO? Fear of missing out.
0:08:21 > 0:08:22It's a family-inherited trait.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29- Plenty, plenty, plenty. More, more. - More?- Come on, plenty.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35- Stand back. It is diesel, isn't it?- Yes, yes.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Well done, Jess. Well done, Jess.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Now they can come and watch. I think they'd like to come and watch.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46Come out!
0:08:46 > 0:08:49They're terribly slow-moving, all these people.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51Never mind.
0:08:53 > 0:08:54Get closer.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Look, that's nice.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06- Well done, Jess.- Well done, Jess.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Look at that.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12Now, it's very nearly
0:09:12 > 0:09:15the end of our season.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19I'm beginning to feel a bit like a bear.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22I'm about to enter my cave for the winter,
0:09:22 > 0:09:23and live off my hump.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Anyway, I am sure I will appear in the spring, more bad-tempered.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31They're always very bad-tempered in the spring.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33But anyway, I'll try and curb that.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36And I hope you're all going to be here again
0:09:36 > 0:09:37to join us and work here.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Wow!
0:09:47 > 0:09:50FIREWORKS BANG AND SCREAM
0:09:52 > 0:09:53Bloody hell!
0:09:58 > 0:10:02The farm staff are not the only ones bidding farewell to Wiveton Hall.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04- OK.- Fromage.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Edmund is leaving for university in Newcastle, and his mum
0:10:08 > 0:10:12and Desmond's ex-wife, Tina, has come to say goodbye.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16I can tell he's nervous. It's a whole different world.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19I think that's beginning to dawn on him.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21My jacket.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23I think it will be a shock living in the city.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27The people all around.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30No woods or trees everywhere.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32What was it like growing up here?
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Brilliant fun. Absolutely loved it.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37I had all my friends over.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Always people here. Always something to do.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Right. Bye-bye, room.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50He's going to study hopefully something
0:10:50 > 0:10:52to revive his fortune.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54Well, that would be good.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57- Good thing, wouldn't it? - Yes.- Cos I've...
0:11:00 > 0:11:02..slightly let the family down.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04- Oh, shut up!- By what?
0:11:04 > 0:11:05Just holding on.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Yes.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10Anyway, but Edmund, it's all in his hands now.
0:11:15 > 0:11:20One day, responsibility for the farm will fall to Edmund.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24I hope that he gets a fantastic career
0:11:24 > 0:11:28under his belt before he comes anywhere near here,
0:11:28 > 0:11:33and hopefully he will make a success of whatever he does
0:11:33 > 0:11:37and to be able to run this without the stress
0:11:37 > 0:11:40that Desmond always has running this,
0:11:40 > 0:11:44cos there's never quite enough money, really.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46It's such a soaker-up of money.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59With less activity on the farm and time on his hands,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Desmond is able to hang out with childhood friend Willy.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- A nice lot of teal. - That's a lovely sight.
0:12:07 > 0:12:08Yeah, very good.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Bird-watching on the nearby marshes
0:12:12 > 0:12:14is one of their many shared passions.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17So you've known each other for a while, the pair of you?
0:12:17 > 0:12:22- Yes. We've known each other since 1963.- It's quite a long time.
0:12:22 > 0:12:23Quite a long time.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25- Cos we used to see each other... - Every day.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27..when he came back from school.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30And so it was great excitement, holidays were great excitements.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32- We did things every day.- Yep.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38This is the Cley marsh, which is about 400 or 500 acres.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Basically grazing marshes and reed bed,
0:12:42 > 0:12:46which are marvellous for wildfowl, ducks.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51And this was bought, I think in 1926, by a group of enthusiasts.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54They loved wildlife and wild fouling,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57and we love, when we get the chance...
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Look, golden plover!
0:12:59 > 0:13:00Golden plover.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03- Hold it.- That is exciting, lovely sight.
0:13:03 > 0:13:08- What's that coming across? Egret?- Where?- Egret.
0:13:08 > 0:13:09What is it about birds?
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Well, they are just very... They're interesting, they've lovely colours.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16They sometimes make nice noises.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Some of them are good to eat.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Incredibly beautiful. And they're a symbol of the changing seasons.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27- You're quite happy to shoot birds, as well?- Oh, yes.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31Well, we don't shoot, sort of, endangered species.
0:13:31 > 0:13:32No.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35When we started shooting you could shoot curlew,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38and they've become protected.
0:13:38 > 0:13:39They were never very good to eat.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42They were never good to eat. We shot them.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44We got a few.
0:13:44 > 0:13:45My father used to make us eat them.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49- Yes, if you did shoot one. - If you shot one, you had to eat it.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51We soon learned not to shoot them.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58- Rather a pretty girl coming. - Oh. Oh, yes?
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Very smart running clothes.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04She looks more like she's running in her lingerie.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Look at that. Astonishing.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09- Very good.- Astonishing.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16Every year, Desmond hosts a pheasant shoot for friends and family
0:14:16 > 0:14:19to mark the beginning of the shooting season.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22With his guests arriving tomorrow,
0:14:22 > 0:14:27he's asked the cafe chef, Ben, to prepare a fitting meal.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29I'm just knocking up a little game terrine.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32We've got a little bit of pigeon, a few partridge.
0:14:32 > 0:14:33Mainly pheasant, though.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37Desmond just likes to make sure... I think all the people
0:14:37 > 0:14:38he takes on the shoots, as well,
0:14:38 > 0:14:40make sure they eat what they're shooting.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45Pheasant for starter and maybe a pheasant for dessert, as well!
0:14:45 > 0:14:48I've got to go through these breasts just to make sure all shot is
0:14:48 > 0:14:51removed, cos there's nothing worse than biting into a piece
0:14:51 > 0:14:54of pheasant breast and getting a bit of shot in your mouth.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56- And when Desmond has shooting parties...- Yeah.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58- ..and obviously the cafe is open... - Yeah.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01What's it like?
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Yeah.
0:15:03 > 0:15:04It's quite nerve-racking.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09I think it was last year we were working,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12and all of a sudden we could hear a little tinkling on the ceiling.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15And there was just a barrage of shot fired in this direction
0:15:15 > 0:15:17from way over there, obviously,
0:15:17 > 0:15:19but it's normally quite entertaining.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22I don't think we've ever had anyone complaining about people
0:15:22 > 0:15:24marching around the farm with guns.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31In the gun room, Desmond is making last-minute preparations of his own.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Oh, look, we've got masses of 20-bore cartridges.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39That's extraordinary.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43He prefers his guests to shoot with small-calibre guns
0:15:43 > 0:15:45to give the pheasants a sporting chance.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47You provide the guns, do you?
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Well, only because some people only have 12-bores and they're too big.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54They can use them on the marsh later, in the evening.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57But I like to make it harder for them
0:15:57 > 0:15:59by giving them children's guns...
0:16:01 > 0:16:03..to start with.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Make it harder for them.
0:16:05 > 0:16:06What is it about shoots?
0:16:06 > 0:16:10- Why'd you do it? - It's just odd, isn't it?
0:16:10 > 0:16:12It's rather a lot of effort.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Like a lot of sport,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17why do people kick a round ball into a net?
0:16:17 > 0:16:19I mean... No, it's fun.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22It's exciting, we don't know quite how it's going to go.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24There may not be anything about.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26And how many peasants would you be happy...
0:16:26 > 0:16:28What would be a good number?
0:16:28 > 0:16:3025.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32- In total?- Yes.
0:16:32 > 0:16:33And where would they go?
0:16:34 > 0:16:36To heaven, I think.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Tomorrow's shooting party will be staying at Wiveton Hall
0:16:44 > 0:16:45for the weekend.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Have we moved that table?
0:16:47 > 0:16:49- Yes, we have.- The card table? Let's put it...
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Housekeeper Deborah is at the receiving end of Desmond's
0:16:53 > 0:16:55attention to detail.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Can we move it aside? That's it, that's much better. You see?
0:16:58 > 0:17:03- Mm-hm. - I just sometimes find lapses.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05The bath wants a good clean.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Look at this, in the door!
0:17:07 > 0:17:09- Yeah, I know.- Look at that.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11DEBORAH LAUGHS
0:17:11 > 0:17:15I don't think that was actually a place for the chair.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18- You love to push things into the corner, Deborah.- I know.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21- Have you talked to your psychiatrist about this? - SHE LAUGHS
0:17:21 > 0:17:23I think he's all right. I think he's OK.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25He probably is a bit stressed,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29but he's got a lot of people coming, hasn't he?
0:17:29 > 0:17:31So everything's got to be just right.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Another important detail is to make sure gamekeeper Mark
0:17:38 > 0:17:42has all the help he needs on the day driving the pheasants.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45Who have you got coming?
0:17:45 > 0:17:47There's you, the lady with the dog.
0:17:47 > 0:17:48Helen. Me.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52- And...- Me, Helen,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Jez, Carolina...
0:17:54 > 0:17:57- No, no, not Carolina.- No?
0:17:57 > 0:18:00No, no. She's in the cafe.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05- It's all right.- Right, OK.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09- We want about six.- So no Shaggy?
0:18:09 > 0:18:10Yeah, I hope Shaggy.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14- You...- Me, Jez, Helen, Tuckey...
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Me, Jez, Helen, Tuckey...
0:18:17 > 0:18:18Um...
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Shaggy.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22What about...Sue?
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Sue and Jack.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30With the shoot just about in place for the morning,
0:18:30 > 0:18:34Desmond has one last check on the pheasants as they go to roost.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36PHEASANTS CHATTER
0:18:36 > 0:18:38I think they're saying goodnight to each other.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44CHATTERING CONTINUES
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Isn't it lovely? Very exciting?
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Do you think they know what's happening tomorrow?
0:18:49 > 0:18:51I think it'll be a surprise for them.
0:18:53 > 0:18:54Listen to them all!
0:18:54 > 0:18:55Too many.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58There are far too many.
0:19:09 > 0:19:10Oh, Teddy!
0:19:12 > 0:19:14After months of preparation,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16its the morning of the first Wiveton Hall pheasant shoot
0:19:16 > 0:19:18of the year.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23No, dogs. No. Don't behave badly.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29With the guns, beaters and dogs assembled,
0:19:29 > 0:19:31the briefing can begin.
0:19:31 > 0:19:33..pulling Mark.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35So go easy on anything
0:19:35 > 0:19:39that doesn't have a long, fine tail.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Try and go, if you can, for the male bird.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44And you know the difference
0:19:44 > 0:19:46between the cock and the hen, don't you, Frank?
0:19:46 > 0:19:50The hen is the brown one. Very wild, the birds.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52So do go quietly.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01To avoid hitting the beaters or each other, the guns must only
0:20:01 > 0:20:03shoot up into the air.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Frank, would you like to stand here?
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Lovely bit of sky there.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11I've known Desmond most of my life.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Well, since I was about 13, I suppose.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16So, yeah.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19I've probably been here at least once a year.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23I mean, it's the place that Desmond knows like the back of his hand,
0:20:23 > 0:20:25so he knows every single blade of it.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27Kate, would you like to stand here?
0:20:27 > 0:20:30This has been what you might call an unchanging kind of a place,
0:20:30 > 0:20:31which is good.
0:20:33 > 0:20:34We like that.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38Mark is in charge of driving the pheasants
0:20:38 > 0:20:42through the undergrowth towards the guns.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45We'll stop the bottom beaters and then we'll bring the top round
0:20:45 > 0:20:49so we'll congest in a line when we get to the top of the track.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52'Are you ready to start? Over.'
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Yeah, we can go.
0:20:54 > 0:20:55If we go up first.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Righto, Helen.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58Good girl, Moll.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00Come on. Good girl.
0:21:01 > 0:21:07When the beaters have gone round, they'll hopefully find the place
0:21:07 > 0:21:11where the pheasants are spending their morning feeding.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15- HE FIRES - Ooh, my God. That is very keen.
0:21:15 > 0:21:16GUNSHOT
0:21:16 > 0:21:19Oh, so's Edmund. Ooh!
0:21:19 > 0:21:20Come on.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Not one to miss out on a shoot,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Edmund has returned from university for the weekend.
0:21:25 > 0:21:26HE FIRES
0:21:27 > 0:21:30I'm walking down along with the beaters
0:21:30 > 0:21:33and hopefully as anything...
0:21:35 > 0:21:38..flies out the back or up the side.
0:21:38 > 0:21:39Righto!
0:21:43 > 0:21:45SHOUTING, WHISTLING
0:21:48 > 0:21:50- Oh, look. - HE FIRES
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Well done! Good girl.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00That's too low. Too low, too low!
0:22:03 > 0:22:05SHOUTING
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Go on!
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Go on, Dot. Good dog.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13GUNSHOTS
0:22:15 > 0:22:16DOG WHIMPERS
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Ssshhh!
0:22:18 > 0:22:21The first drive of the day has produced fewer birds
0:22:21 > 0:22:23than Mark had been counting on.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25It's OK, it's all right. It's OK.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28- OK. I'm stressing.- Honestly, don't stress. It's all fun.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31- I know, I know.- It's all fun. Don't you worry, Mark.
0:22:31 > 0:22:32I want you to have a nice time.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36One day you'll come and you'll see pheasants everywhere.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Another day you'll come, you won't see any.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42They'll be in the woods, or hiding in the undergrowth.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44And you automatically think, no,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47I hope they haven't disappeared, or I hope they haven't cleared off.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Or, you know, gone somewhere else.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53The guns and beaters reposition in the hope of flushing out
0:22:53 > 0:22:55the pheasants.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58I've got to push this one up to the wood and over the wood,
0:22:58 > 0:23:02through the wood and then down onto the other cover strip.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04And through onto the guns. The guns are the other side.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06Go on.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Desmond is a firm believer that running a pheasant shoot
0:23:10 > 0:23:12also helps preserve wildlife.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16Hey!
0:23:16 > 0:23:18The side effect of managing land
0:23:18 > 0:23:23for shooting is that you have far greater diversity of species
0:23:23 > 0:23:26because you've managed the habitat, you've managed the woods,
0:23:26 > 0:23:28you've managed the ponds, managed the marshes,
0:23:28 > 0:23:30you've managed the edges of the fields,
0:23:30 > 0:23:32you've managed the hedges.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34And you're going to have a far greater diversity
0:23:34 > 0:23:36of other birds and species.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40And then you've got the added benefits of very great excitement
0:23:40 > 0:23:46shooting preferably a wild... a wild pheasant or partridge.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48GUNSHOT
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Desmond, I've just realised how close to the cafe we are.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03You don't think we'll put any of your cafe customers off?
0:24:03 > 0:24:05I don't think so.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08I mean, if they want to eat pheasant,
0:24:08 > 0:24:09how do they expect to get it?
0:24:10 > 0:24:13The majority of the pheasants will survive the day,
0:24:13 > 0:24:17and some might even make it to the end of the season.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Later in the year, when the birds are cannier,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22they get good at avoiding the guns at the front of the drive.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24So this is very good.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27But at the moment they'll probably just do as they're told
0:24:27 > 0:24:28and go forward.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30They smarten up, then, the birds?
0:24:30 > 0:24:33They smarten up, cos after they've been shot two or three times
0:24:33 > 0:24:35they...
0:24:35 > 0:24:38I don't know, I'm sure they don't know what's going on,
0:24:38 > 0:24:39but I'm sure they know to avoid...
0:24:40 > 0:24:43..people, and if they... I don't know...
0:24:43 > 0:24:45I think they do smarten up a bit, yes.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50HE FIRES
0:24:50 > 0:24:51Come on!
0:24:51 > 0:24:53- Not smart enough. - Not smart enough in that case.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55HE BLOWS WHISTLE
0:24:57 > 0:24:59No, that's the whistle. So that's what we've got.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Yeah, that is it.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09The spoils will be divided up among the party
0:25:09 > 0:25:12and anything left over will be used by the farm cafe.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- How's it's looking, then? - OK. OK. Not too bad.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22For a small-bore shoot, that wasn't too bad.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25There's 40 - 40 pheasants there.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29You know, that's a good day. They're all pleased. They're all happy.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33I think probably less happy for a few of the birds,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35but they've had a good life.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38And they're going to be very delicious to eat soon.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40All's good, and we did it all before the rain.
0:25:43 > 0:25:44So what is this, Ben?
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Wiveton game terrine, Wiveton chutney.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Lovely fitting food for a Wiveton shoot, really.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Move along.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Oh, no, they shouldn't sit together.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Days like today are why you've got such a special tie to this place.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02Yes, it is. I'm really lucky.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06And there are a lot of agreeable people working here,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09and a lot of very nice people come and visit.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14And I have lots of nice friends, so pretty good.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15Is Desmond a good host?
0:26:15 > 0:26:17Lovely host, yes, of course.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19He's just put on very, very smart green velvet.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21What more could you ask for in a host?
0:26:21 > 0:26:23It is nice to be silly.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25There's an awful lot of...
0:26:25 > 0:26:27seriousness, you know?
0:26:27 > 0:26:29There's seriousness around the corner at every turn.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41SHOUTING
0:26:44 > 0:26:48Frightening the pigeons off. Pigeons and crows.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51We're always up against something.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54Cafe's shut, as you can see.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Nothing but the CCTV working.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02There we are.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05But it is quieter now. Everyone's gone.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Pruning's been done, a few branches to be collected up.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12And it's very nice, it is quiet for a bit.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19- Did the year go as you expected it to?- Well, it was not a good summer.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22This is a rather weather-dependent business.
0:27:22 > 0:27:27Not much... Other than turn it into a Centre Parcs-style dome
0:27:27 > 0:27:29over the whole place, control the weather.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Which is not a bad idea, but anyway,
0:27:34 > 0:27:36we haven't gone down that route.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39But we're not giving up, you know?
0:27:39 > 0:27:42There won't be the "for sale" sign up this year.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45So that's good.
0:27:45 > 0:27:46Go on, Ted. Ted! Heel!
0:27:48 > 0:27:49Go on.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52Gathering a bit of winter fuel.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55We'll put them over here.
0:27:55 > 0:27:56They'll dry out.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00I planted most of these trees,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03and from my point of view,
0:28:03 > 0:28:08I enjoyed growing up here because I was quite closely connected
0:28:08 > 0:28:11to nature, which is, today, a massive treat.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15This is my world.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18And I want to keep it going, so it's not too much of a struggle.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23So where do you see yourself in ten years' time, Desmond?
0:28:23 > 0:28:27I don't think that far ahead, really.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32Isn't the fashionable thing today to live for the moment?
0:28:33 > 0:28:37And anyway... Well, I suppose...
0:28:37 > 0:28:38Yeah, I could be living here.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43It wouldn't be so bad.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55Here.
0:28:55 > 0:28:56Come on.
0:28:59 > 0:29:00Here, heel.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03Heel.
0:29:05 > 0:29:06Come on.