0:00:02 > 0:00:05Otters have an undeniable appeal.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09But for cameraman Charlie Hamilton James,
0:00:09 > 0:00:11they are an obsession.
0:00:13 > 0:00:18To Charlie's delight, his son, Fred, is developing the same obsession.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20It's an otter.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Charlie's decided it's finally time to introduce Fred
0:00:23 > 0:00:26to his most treasured otter-watching spot,
0:00:26 > 0:00:31on the wild and windswept Isle of Skye,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33far away from the mayhem of modern life.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37We're gonna go and spend the week in that little cottage over there
0:00:37 > 0:00:40which has got no road going to it.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43And it's got no electricity, has it, Fred?
0:00:43 > 0:00:47So we're not gonna have any phones or computers or anything to distract us.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50And we're gonna see what life's like living like that for a week.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Come on, let's go and get there.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02This cottage is where Charlie cut his teeth as a wildlife cameraman.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06It's truly remote - just getting there is quite an adventure.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08How are you doing, Fred?
0:01:08 > 0:01:09Good.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13- Look at me!- Ahhh!- Ha-ha-ha!
0:01:15 > 0:01:18- Come on, then, pull it out!- I can't!
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Arrgh! Ha-ha-ha!
0:01:21 > 0:01:24- Winter is the best season to see otters here.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27But that does mean that the weather is...
0:01:27 > 0:01:29well, challenging.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Fred must be wondering what he's let himself in for!
0:01:34 > 0:01:35Oh, God!
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Daddy, it's freezing cold!
0:01:39 > 0:01:41It's too cold!
0:01:41 > 0:01:43Come on, Fred.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48- Ahh!- What are you doing, man? You dropped the camera!
0:01:49 > 0:01:52And the weather's not really improving!
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Well, I haven't even finished unpacking the car yet.
0:01:55 > 0:01:56No.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00And there's a massive hailstorm.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Not quite the week of winter sun Fred had imagined.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08But as night falls,
0:02:08 > 0:02:12spirits are raised with some old-fashioned entertainment.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15A JIG PLAYS AND FRED LAUGHS
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Now you dance.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27Oh, Fred. You can have some crazy times
0:02:27 > 0:02:30without modern technology, can't you!
0:02:30 > 0:02:32- Hmm.- Hmm!
0:02:35 > 0:02:38As the days pass and the weather improves,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40they start to see some wildlife.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Those red-breasted mergansers again, over there.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46- They're lovely.- Nice, aren't they?
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Can you see the male and the female?
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Yeah, they really are nice.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57It's a chance for Charlie to pass on some of his hard-earned wisdom.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Do the zoom.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02This is the zoom control.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03What sort of diver is it?
0:03:03 > 0:03:07- A White-throated? - I think it's a Great Northern.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10- I think it's a White-throated. - You might be right.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Oh, he's right in front of the boat, look.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Can you find him?
0:03:15 > 0:03:16- Yeah, I've got him.- Get it!
0:03:16 > 0:03:19- Oh, he's gone.- He's gone?
0:03:19 > 0:03:22- I did press record, so I did... I did get him.- Good.
0:03:22 > 0:03:23Well done.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Fred's getting a taste for camerawork.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29And undeterred by the lack of otters,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31he finds a different subject to film that night.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34Fred, what are we gonna do?
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Film mice!
0:03:37 > 0:03:41We're going to, um, put some cheese...
0:03:41 > 0:03:47um, and some chicken pie by the mouse's hole,
0:03:47 > 0:03:51and then we're going to put a camera there.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55And then we're going to leave it and come back later
0:03:55 > 0:03:57and see if the camera's filmed the mouse.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03- WHISPERS:- He's out again, I think!
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Go on, then. Open the door.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11- Yeah!- Ha-ha-ha!
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Father and son are beginning to follow different obsessions.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Fred's in the cottage making plans for his mice,
0:04:22 > 0:04:27leaving Charlie to roam alone in search of his beloved otters.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Otters need lots of energy to keep warm in this cold weather.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37And, with food scarce in winter,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40they spend more time hunting - making them easier to see.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48But even Charlie is surprised quite how close they're getting.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51That was fantastic!
0:04:51 > 0:04:52Ooh...
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Blimey, he's coming round to look at me!
0:04:55 > 0:04:57God, he's amazing.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03He's coming round to see what I am.
0:05:03 > 0:05:04Right there.
0:05:04 > 0:05:05That's incredible.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09This otter's obviously not seen many people in its life.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12It's amazing. Look, there he is.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Look at that! He knows I'm here, he's just seen me,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20he's heard me, and now he's coming for a closer look!
0:05:22 > 0:05:23Look at that!
0:05:25 > 0:05:27He's 20 feet away!
0:05:27 > 0:05:30He's actually... He's not frightened of me.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34He's coming to see what I am!
0:05:36 > 0:05:41God. You cocky bloke! I've never met an otter like that!
0:05:49 > 0:05:51That's not your average otter,
0:05:51 > 0:05:56but he's saying, "Look, I'm a big boy, this is my turf, pal."
0:05:58 > 0:06:00That's fantastic.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06This magical moment is just what Charlie was hoping
0:06:06 > 0:06:07to share with Fred.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10But Fred is too busy planning his own pet project.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17So, after talking to Fred and finding out what he needs,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20- it turns out we need a...- A mouse.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24- Plank of wood, a Ferrari...- A mouse.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- A piece of cheese...- And a mouse!
0:06:27 > 0:06:29- And, erm...- A mouse!- A mouse!
0:06:31 > 0:06:33This is film-making at its most...
0:06:33 > 0:06:34inventive?!
0:06:35 > 0:06:37So, there's the Ferarri.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41- Full of cheese.- Ready to make his maiden mouse voyage!
0:06:47 > 0:06:48No luck first time.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52Wildlife film-makers must learn perseverance.
0:07:00 > 0:07:01Wait for it!
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Here we go!
0:07:07 > 0:07:09FRED GIGGLES
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Fred's captured a wildlife film-making first.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16But it's not what he and his dad came here for.
0:07:18 > 0:07:19OK, what's going on, Fred?
0:07:19 > 0:07:21- WHISPERS:- There's an otter!
0:07:22 > 0:07:25- He's coming ashore!- Oh, look, look, you can see him, just down there.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- Oh, yeah!- Where is he? There he is.
0:07:27 > 0:07:28There he is!
0:07:28 > 0:07:30There he is!
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Gone.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43He's right there.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Better than a PlayStation?
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Fred's smile says it all.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Hey-hey!
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Whether it's otters, or just mice,
0:08:34 > 0:08:36watching the wild is a reminder
0:08:36 > 0:08:41that life's greatest rewards often come from its simplest pleasures.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45A penguin! We've got more chance of filming a penguin than a kingfisher!
0:08:45 > 0:08:49- And...- That's cos we've run out of coal, isn't it?
0:08:52 > 0:08:53- Say goodbye.- Bye!