0:00:22 > 0:00:28MUSIC
0:00:31 > 0:00:36Our tiny country has more than its fair share of natural wonders.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38From crystal clear rivers
0:00:38 > 0:00:40to ancient forests
0:00:40 > 0:00:43and picture perfect pastures.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49Until a few decades ago, unless you were an enthusiastic traveller
0:00:49 > 0:00:52or you live in one of these glorious places,
0:00:52 > 0:00:55you could be forgiven for not knowing much about them.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58But, then, something magical happened.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01A little box in the corner of our room flickered into life
0:01:01 > 0:01:06and, in just a short time, showed us wonders we had never seen before.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13It wasn't easy to catch those first faltering glimpses,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16but when they succeeded, those early film-makers
0:01:16 > 0:01:20helped transform the way we thought about our countryside.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24In tonight's special programme,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27we'll pay tribute to just a few of those dedicated men and women.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33And, for one of us, it's a very personal journey.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Long before I found myself in front of the TV cameras,
0:01:36 > 0:01:38my dad was telling the world about what is was like
0:01:38 > 0:01:39to be a farmer.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42- A lot has changed since then, Dad, hasn't it?- It certainly has.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48So, a time to look back at the films that opened up a window
0:01:48 > 0:01:49on a whole new world.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01Our journey into the past starts in the heart of Hampshire.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03This county of contrasts has inspired
0:02:03 > 0:02:06more than its fair share of filmmakers.
0:02:06 > 0:02:07And no wonder.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Later on, we'll be exploring the ancient beauty
0:02:14 > 0:02:15of the New Forest.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18But, first, I'm here to see this.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22The gin clear water of a chalk stream.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27Rare and fragile, there are only 200 of these streams in the world.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Almost all of them are in Britain
0:02:30 > 0:02:35and some of the most famous are here in Hampshire.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37So, it really is no surprise that this landscape
0:02:37 > 0:02:39and, in fact, this very spot,
0:02:39 > 0:02:44was the inspiration for one of our most defining nature films.
0:02:48 > 0:02:54Made in 1968, it was the BBC's first colour wildlife film
0:02:54 > 0:02:59and the public loved it so much, it was repeated eight times.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05- NARRATOR:- 'The river is home for many creatures.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08'Water rat paddles for the safety of the home bank.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12'A tell-tale shell dropped by a kingfisher.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15'Now a parent.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19'The birds are busy delivering tiny fish to tiny offspring.'
0:03:21 > 0:03:23This pioneering film was the first of many
0:03:23 > 0:03:27for husband and wife team, Ron and Rosemary Eastman
0:03:27 > 0:03:30and it changed the way we saw the natural world.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33I'm catching up with their daughter, Liz Baylis,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35to find out how they made the film
0:03:35 > 0:03:39and to discover more about their extraordinary love of nature.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42So, how did your mum and dad start making films?
0:03:42 > 0:03:44- How did it all begin? - It was my dad.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47He was a projectionist at the cinema in Whitchurch.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51He would sit watching films that somebody else had made every day
0:03:51 > 0:03:55thinking he could do better himself. He went off and bought a camera.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Having kingfishers living on the River Tess,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59was an opportunity to film them.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03- And your mum? What was her role? - She was the sound recordist.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Luckily, she had an interest in wildlife, particularly birds.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09They did everything together.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15Ron and Rosemary's vision was to reveal the intimate world
0:04:15 > 0:04:19of one of the riverbank's most elusive creatures, the kingfisher.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22But, as no one had done it before, no-one knew how to do it
0:04:22 > 0:04:25or even if it could be done.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27Every step of the way was a test,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30not only of their skill and patience,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32but also of their ingenuity.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Well, Liz and I are going to have a go at recreating
0:04:38 > 0:04:42some of the tricks and techniques that Ron and Rosemary used
0:04:42 > 0:04:45to get the kingfishers in exactly the right position.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50- It all started with these jars and, Liz, some bait, yeah?- Yeah.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52OK. You've laid out some jars last night, was it?
0:04:52 > 0:04:54Yes, last night.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57What is the ideal tempter for a kingfisher from a food perspective?
0:04:57 > 0:05:00They like minnows, sticklebacks and bullheads.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04- Let's have a look and see what you've got, shall we?- Yes.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Oh, right!
0:05:06 > 0:05:08- There is! - There's a stickleback, isn't there?
0:05:08 > 0:05:13- Yeah, there's a stickleback and there's definitely bullhead.- Yeah!
0:05:13 > 0:05:15These fish are going to be the stars of our show
0:05:15 > 0:05:19but as they're from a protected habitat, we'll release them
0:05:19 > 0:05:21back into the river once we're finished
0:05:21 > 0:05:24and we've checked that we are OK to do this.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27For Liz, though, these fellas are small fry
0:05:27 > 0:05:30as growing up in a house that often doubled up as a film set,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33really was a wildlife experience.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36It wouldn't be unusual to come home from school,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39walk up the stairs, go into the shower and find a swan,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42go into the bathroom and find eels in the bath.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44One of the weirdest ones was opening the fridge
0:05:44 > 0:05:46and seeing a rattlesnake in there.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50- Really?! How many pets have you got now?- We've got two goldfish!
0:05:50 > 0:05:52THEY LAUGH
0:05:52 > 0:05:55- NARRATOR:- 'The bullhead shuffles down among the stones.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58'It's into this flickering, quiet world
0:05:58 > 0:06:01'that the hero of our story makes his entry.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08'The kingfisher. The most beautiful bird in Britain.'
0:06:10 > 0:06:13So, having caught the bait then, Liz, how did your mum and dad
0:06:13 > 0:06:17then contain it so they knew where the kingfishers were going to land?
0:06:17 > 0:06:21This is a mock replica of what they would have done.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24They would have used a ceramic ceiling light turned upside down,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- covered in cement then gravel. - Ingenious.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Yes. We went to the charity shop and just got a glass fruit bowl.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Chicken wire, cement so that it looks like the riverbed
0:06:33 > 0:06:37so the Kingfisher isn't put off by it.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Then you place it in the river
0:06:39 > 0:06:43so that the water doesn't completely overflow it,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46but can...
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Trickle in. Yeah.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Basically, the fish goes in the middle.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54'Inspired as this was,
0:06:54 > 0:06:58nowadays kingfishers are protected by law and you'll need a licence
0:06:58 > 0:07:01from Natural England to photograph them near a nest.'
0:07:01 > 0:07:02It's ingenious!
0:07:02 > 0:07:06It's a way to make sure that, when filming, you know where they'll be.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10This set, constructed within the river, did the trick,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13allowing the couple to capture detailed footage
0:07:13 > 0:07:17of kingfisher behaviour for the first time.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19- NARRATOR:- 'She's got one!
0:07:19 > 0:07:22'But she's accidentally speared it with her upper mandible
0:07:22 > 0:07:25'instead of grasping it between the mandibles.'
0:07:26 > 0:07:30But Ron and Rosemary were far from content.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32They wanted to get, literally,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35beneath the surface of what they saw,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38filming a kingfisher capture its prey underwater.
0:07:38 > 0:07:39Another first.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43These days, technically it's not too much of a challenge.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45You simply use an underwater camera
0:07:45 > 0:07:48that's designed and made specifically for the job.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52But back in Ron and Rosemary's day, this equipment wasn't around.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54So, how did they film underwater
0:07:54 > 0:07:57with a camera designed to be on land?
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Well, to help us shed light on the subject,
0:08:00 > 0:08:04I've got one of the top wildlife cameramen around today, Hugh Miles.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Hugh, thanks for sorting us out with the first hit of that. Lovely!
0:08:07 > 0:08:11And Liz has got Rosemary's, book. So, what did she say, Liz?
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Well, she documented everything, so she's basically said:
0:08:14 > 0:08:17"To film underwater properly, we needed an aquarium.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20"We made one two feet long and 1.5 feet wide and deep,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Perspex front and sides, loaded the fish and put it in the river".
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Right, so we've got two tanks down here then.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Hugh, we're going to do a bit of old school underwater filming.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Just pop those in there then, shall we, Hugh?
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Yeah, hopefully they've got plenty of oxygen.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41It's a kingfisher's feast, that!
0:08:41 > 0:08:43OK. So we've got another tank there then, Liz.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Give us an idea of how this comes in, Hugh.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Well, one way of filming it is to put another tank by the side
0:08:50 > 0:08:52and then a camera in that tank.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56- OK.- A plastic tank enables you to operate the camera easily...
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Absolutely.
0:08:58 > 0:08:59..and get the shot you want.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02We've got the camera, which is good news. Have you got that?
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Sorry, Liz, you've turned into a camera assistant!
0:09:05 > 0:09:07She's been that before, I'm sure!
0:09:07 > 0:09:09That's right, yeah!
0:09:09 > 0:09:13So the camera goes in. We know where the kingfisher will dive
0:09:13 > 0:09:15because they're in there.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19That is all pretty contained. Look at that!
0:09:19 > 0:09:21- NARRATOR:- 'In ultra slow motion,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23we follow him into the water.'
0:09:27 > 0:09:31- NARRATOR:- 'If, at first, you don't succeed...
0:09:31 > 0:09:32'He's got it!'
0:09:36 > 0:09:38They set the bar really high.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41They were pioneers and they did some wonderful films.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Obviously inspiring you to do what you're doing today.
0:09:44 > 0:09:45Oh, certainly. Yeah.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50And, it's similar to how we're still striving
0:09:50 > 0:09:53to show new things in new ways
0:09:53 > 0:09:56to inspire the audience to love wildlife.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02The Eastmans went on to make many, many films in a career spanning
0:10:02 > 0:10:04more than 30 years.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07They brought nature into the nation's living rooms.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14And they revolutionised the way we saw the world around us.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18For their family, though,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22these films remain as a very personal reminder.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25They're something which I took for granted.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27My mum and dad filmed so that everybody can enjoy.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29So people that wouldn't normally know
0:10:29 > 0:10:32the life of a kingfisher can watch a film and see it.
0:10:32 > 0:10:33And my children will grow up
0:10:33 > 0:10:36and will be able to see what their grandparents did, which is great.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39'Well, there's our kingfisher.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43'Charming in manner and graceful in its arrow flight.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46'The bird which Tennyson described as
0:10:46 > 0:10:49' "the secret splendour of the brooks." '
0:10:53 > 0:10:56While I've been exploring the chalk streams of Hampshire,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Julia has been following in the footsteps of a man
0:10:59 > 0:11:03who revolutionised the way that we film our favourite animals.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13'The New Forest,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17'a place where natural wonders await you around every corner.'
0:11:20 > 0:11:23This really is a unique animal kingdom,
0:11:23 > 0:11:28and one man in particular brought it to the attention of the world.
0:11:29 > 0:11:35'The 1961, Eric Ashby created a whole new approach to wildlife filmmaking.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39'Eric's goal was to become one with nature,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41'totally immersing himself
0:11:41 > 0:11:44'in this landscape to capture the creatures that live here
0:11:44 > 0:11:50'undisturbed by man, in their own environment and on the own terms.'
0:11:52 > 0:11:55'There are new arrivals of a different kind
0:11:55 > 0:11:57'in the burrows under the trees.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00'And it's not only fox cubs that emerge in the great awakening.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06'In the soft light of evening, the young badgers are up and about.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08'What characters they are!'
0:12:08 > 0:12:12His whole aim was just to be able to share the wildlife
0:12:12 > 0:12:16and nature that he loved with the rest of the world.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20'Eric spent over four decades making his films in the forest,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23'where he lived until his death in 2003.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25'To find out more about the man and the forest he adored,
0:12:25 > 0:12:29'I'm meeting family friend Frankie James.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34'She's about to show me his love affair with wildlife was lifelong.'
0:12:34 > 0:12:36These are some of his very, very early photographs.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Yes, these are when he was still a schoolboy
0:12:39 > 0:12:41and he used his little basic camera to take photographs,
0:12:41 > 0:12:45mainly of birds, eggs and the next, fledglings.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49If you had to guess what he was going to be when he grew up, then...
0:12:49 > 0:12:53- the clue was right there in front of you, wasn't it?- Yes.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Roundabout that time, apparently he said to his mother,
0:12:56 > 0:13:00"Is there anything you can think of that hasn't been invented yet?"
0:13:00 > 0:13:03So he was obviously even then thinking to himself
0:13:03 > 0:13:04of doing things differently.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07- What can I do? How can innovate? - Yes, yes.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10I've heard he was a patient man, but he didn't see it like that.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13Well, no, his attitude was he loved doing it, it was his great interest.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16And he said, "I'm not patient, I'm just interested in what I'm doing,
0:13:16 > 0:13:18"and if you're interested in what you're doing,
0:13:18 > 0:13:20"you don't need patience."
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Ultimately, he could have gone anywhere in the world
0:13:23 > 0:13:28with his work, but he chose to stay here, in the New Forest.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Well, he loved the New Forest.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33He really felt he could have lived another life again
0:13:33 > 0:13:35and still not got to the bottom of it all.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40It's easy to think of Eric's forest as a timeless piece
0:13:40 > 0:13:41of our natural world,
0:13:41 > 0:13:48but in fact, as his films showed us, it's anything but.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57'Times change. This forest isn't frozen in museum attitudes.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01'No petrified forest but a living thing.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04'In each generation, man modify it, reshape it, crop it,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06'earn a living from it.'
0:14:08 > 0:14:11In the 1960s, the Forest was prized for its potential
0:14:11 > 0:14:13as a giant wood yard,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16feeding our growing appetite for consumer goods.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23Today, the value of the natural landscape Eric so loved
0:14:23 > 0:14:26is treasured more highly.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29These trees are being felled to restore precious heathlands
0:14:29 > 0:14:33smothered years ago by this cash crop of fast-growing conifers.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37And there are many more ways in which the natural state
0:14:37 > 0:14:39of the New Forest is being revived.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43This all looks very pretty,
0:14:43 > 0:14:45but all was not as it should be with this river, is it?
0:14:45 > 0:14:50No, this is a natural drain that was dug 150 years ago to divert
0:14:50 > 0:14:52the course of the natural river that was here back then.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55By straightening these river systems,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58you increase the speed at which the river flows through them,
0:14:58 > 0:15:00and it scours out all the sands and gravels and clays
0:15:00 > 0:15:03and makes the riverbed a lot deeper,
0:15:03 > 0:15:05and it's not replenishing the natural environment
0:15:05 > 0:15:09and the nutrients that these richer woodlands need to survive.
0:15:09 > 0:15:10So what are you doing with your can?
0:15:10 > 0:15:15Well, basically, we're looking for the old course of the river
0:15:15 > 0:15:17so we can put this river back into its natural channel.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Standing here, you can actually see the way it curves
0:15:20 > 0:15:23and has shaped the ground beneath us.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Yeah, you can see those two trees bearing the distance.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29- The river would have run through them?- Through the middle of them.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32- So you mark here?- We'll mark out the centre of the new channel,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35so that when the guys come in, they can see where they have to dig.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38- Come on, you have a go.- OK.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42Look at that! Amateur!
0:15:43 > 0:15:46Once an old river system is located,
0:15:46 > 0:15:47it's time to call in the heavy machinery
0:15:47 > 0:15:50to lay the original channel bare.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56This might look destructive, but within weeks, this gouge
0:15:56 > 0:15:59in the grassland will once again become a natural waterway,
0:15:59 > 0:16:01sustaining not just the life within it
0:16:01 > 0:16:03but the wider forest which surrounds it.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10One thing that's remained ever-present this landscape
0:16:10 > 0:16:13is an animal which featured in another of filmmaker Eric Ashby's
0:16:13 > 0:16:17landmark films, voiced by Sir David Attenborough.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20'Late August - the antler is now dead bone.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23'As the leaves fall off the trees in autumn,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27'so the velvet on the antlers withers and dies.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31'Now the magpies move in once more, but after insects this time
0:16:31 > 0:16:34'but to pull off and eat the remaining strings of dried velvet.'
0:16:36 > 0:16:39Five out of the six types of deer found in Britain live here
0:16:39 > 0:16:41in the New Forest.
0:16:41 > 0:16:46Then as now, the job of looking after the deer population is down
0:16:46 > 0:16:49to the forest keepers - men like Jonathan Cook.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53- Hello, Jonathan.- Hello, Julia.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56- Fancy meeting you here in a beautiful forest like this!- That's right.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59- You'd better show me some of your patch, then.- Let's have a look.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03'And I couldn't leave here without following next footsteps
0:17:03 > 0:17:05'to see some of the animals he so loved
0:17:05 > 0:17:08'in their uninterrupted splendour.'
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Aw, there they are.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17'Eric Ashby exposed the marvels of this forest to the world
0:17:17 > 0:17:19'over have a century ago.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23'The unique footage he captured through his patience and passion
0:17:23 > 0:17:25'awoke a yearning in us.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30'Every day now, more than 40,000 people make their way here
0:17:30 > 0:17:33'to share in Eric's world.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35'This place may no longer be a secret,
0:17:35 > 0:17:41'but by respecting his ethos of observing these natural wonders,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44'it remains a sanctuary for all that his work sought to celebrate.'
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Eric Ashby was a groundbreaking filmmaker.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52And 40 years ago, another innovative television programme hit our screens.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55And the idea was simple. Some presenters would walk along a canal
0:17:55 > 0:17:59in the Cotswolds and film any wildlife they saw in real time.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01John's been following in those footsteps.
0:18:10 > 0:18:16Nearly 40 years ago, four experts and a couple of film crews turned up here
0:18:16 > 0:18:18in the Gloucestershire village of Sapperton
0:18:18 > 0:18:19to make television history.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27The idea, revolutionary at the time, was to film just what they saw.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Incredible. You come into the countryside
0:18:29 > 0:18:31and what's the first thing you see? A hunt.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33Absolutely. Fantastic.
0:18:33 > 0:18:38- Morning!- Morning! Here, boys. - Morning!- Morning!
0:18:38 > 0:18:42All the team had were public rights of way, their own expertise
0:18:42 > 0:18:49and the time to walk and perhaps most importantly to stand and stare.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Today, were back in deepest Britain to find out how they did it.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59And with me is one of those four, the botanist
0:18:59 > 0:19:01and writer Richard Mabey,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03to recreate the experiment.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04It's the greater burdock,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06which has solid stems.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12Natural history filming had become very elaborate.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16The first kinds of high technology were beginning to come in.
0:19:16 > 0:19:17And you felt very distant from it.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19And we wanted to see what it would be like
0:19:19 > 0:19:23if you just took a few people out on an ordinary day's walk
0:19:23 > 0:19:27in the English countryside, unprepared, unscripted.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29We didn't even know the route before we started.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31And just to film what happened.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34It was that concept then that lead to things like Springwatch
0:19:34 > 0:19:35and Autumnwatch.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40I think it did. I think you can trace a long line of programmes
0:19:40 > 0:19:43which tried to get closer to the heartbeat
0:19:43 > 0:19:46of what was actually happening at the moment.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49(Richard! Fox!)
0:19:55 > 0:19:57- That's super.- Yeah, fantastic.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01One of their innovations was to have a cameraman
0:20:01 > 0:20:04with a real eye for nature sitting quietly
0:20:04 > 0:20:07on the side of a millpond from first light,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10just to see what wildlife would happen by.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15This is just a perfect time for a naturalist.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19The fish are moving in the water.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23And nearly 40 years on, Richard Taylor-Jones from Springwatch
0:20:23 > 0:20:27is on the very same millpond to see what he can film.
0:20:27 > 0:20:34A kingfisher just flew past with a fish in its beak.
0:20:34 > 0:20:35A lovely start to the day,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38but I don't know if I'm going to be able to capture it on film.
0:20:41 > 0:20:46OK, well, we have our first member of the cast this morning,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48down here at the millpond.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50A moorhen.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Oh, look at this!
0:20:59 > 0:21:04The dabchick! Oh, that's just delightful.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Oh, here's a dabchick. A little grebe.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17It's...it's got a fish.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27I think it's time we had a sit down in the sun, John.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Good idea, Richard,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32because one of the messages from your film, wasn't it,
0:21:32 > 0:21:36was it's good just to stand or sit and stare,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39- see what's going on around.- Yeah.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43I'm very surprised by the extent to which the balance between
0:21:43 > 0:21:46woodiness and open pasture here seems much the same
0:21:46 > 0:21:49as it was years ago. I thought it would have been different,
0:21:49 > 0:21:50because there were a lot of elms,
0:21:50 > 0:21:51and they were plainly dying,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54- so you might have expected... - You came across a whole stand
0:21:54 > 0:21:57- of elms and you are worried about their future, quite rightly.- Yeah.
0:21:57 > 0:22:02Well, there's another tree with Dutch elm disease, I'm afraid.
0:22:02 > 0:22:03More than one.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Yeah. This one...is on its way.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09This one is on its way.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12And this stand has had it altogether.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16I mean, the whole of this billow of trees up here
0:22:16 > 0:22:18is almost exclusively elm,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22and it's likely that they'll all be gone in five years' time.
0:22:29 > 0:22:34(I've just had the most briefest of glimpses of a kingfisher.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37(It just perched upon the branch right next to me.
0:22:37 > 0:22:38(And here comes again.)
0:22:40 > 0:22:42I've been hearing this bird since I got here.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48I've seen glimpses of it flashing past,
0:22:48 > 0:22:50but finally it's settled down.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56A couple of birds up there.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58It's just a big crow.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00There was a wonderful moment in the film
0:23:00 > 0:23:02when you spotted that hawk, the hobby.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05Richard! Kestrel.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12- Ah...no. It's a hobby. - It's a hobby.- It's a hobby.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15'I think it's the one place in the film where we really funked it.'
0:23:15 > 0:23:17John Gooders thought it was a kestrel,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20and he being the best ornithologist in the country at the time,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23one would have bowed to him, but I knew it was a hobby!
0:23:23 > 0:23:26So we had 30 seconds of intense argument about its identity.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31What we did wrong was then to go back and tidy it up.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35We should have had that real moment of exciting chaos.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39"What the hell is that?! Can you see it?
0:23:39 > 0:23:41"With my binoculars. Can I find it?"
0:23:41 > 0:23:43And that wonderful 30 seconds of muddle would have been
0:23:43 > 0:23:46a better sequence than the one we eventually had.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08We've got a fantastic coot fight going on.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16This is a coot. And look at this, he's carrying nesting material.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Trying to get on with another brood, perhaps.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27I think we deserve a little liquid refreshment, don't you, Richard?
0:24:27 > 0:24:29I don't know about all this nature -
0:24:29 > 0:24:32that's the best sight I've seen all day!
0:24:32 > 0:24:33Much deserved.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37Well, this is where you ended up, on the original film, Richard -
0:24:37 > 0:24:38outside the pub, having a pint.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Yes, we were very pleased to arrive here.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43I think the experience of doing a programme on the hoof,
0:24:43 > 0:24:47shooting the entire thing in 12 hours,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49editing it in a few days
0:24:49 > 0:24:52and then showing it a few days later,
0:24:52 > 0:24:55was a fantastic shot in the arm for natural history television.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57And, Richard, down at the millpond, how was your day been?
0:24:57 > 0:25:00It's gone very well, thank you. I got treated to a kingfisher.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03- And you had the snitch of dabchick as well.- We did, a dabchick.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06All the ones that were seen in our film years ago.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09And I found the same thing, that there was a continuity
0:25:09 > 0:25:12in the landscape, and I find that very heartening.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16Yes, I suspect that millpond is unchanged from when you were there.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20And do you know what, there were some huge carp in the water.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22And carp are very, very long-lived fish.
0:25:22 > 0:25:23And I wouldn't surprise me
0:25:23 > 0:25:26if they were some of the very same fish filmed before.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28It's nice to know that there is that solid landscape
0:25:28 > 0:25:30just sitting there to be enjoyed.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40- MATT:- 'Earlier on, I discovered
0:25:40 > 0:25:43'how Ron and Rosemary Eastman made their pioneering film
0:25:43 > 0:25:46'revealing the private life of the kingfishers
0:25:46 > 0:25:49'living on Hampshire's chalk streams.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51'To learn more about these walkways,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54'I've come here to the River Itchen near Winchester
0:25:54 > 0:25:56'to find out about a very English pastime
0:25:56 > 0:25:58'that's helped make these rivers what they are.'
0:26:00 > 0:26:04Long before Ron and Rosemary Eastman brought the wonders of chalk streams
0:26:04 > 0:26:08into our homes, they were well known by a particular group
0:26:08 > 0:26:10of enthusiasts, and as you can see,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13I've come kitted out to meet one of them.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17'These waterways are claimed by some to be the birthplace
0:26:17 > 0:26:19'of modern fly-fishing.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23'And it's certainly true that their histories are intertwined.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27'I'm meeting John Slader from the Salmon and Trout Association.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29'He's fished here for over 30 years.'
0:26:29 > 0:26:34- Well, what a peaceful scene this is! John, how are you doing?- Hi!
0:26:34 > 0:26:38- How are you?- All right?- Yes, well thanks.- Have you caught anything yet?
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Unfortunately not.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44- But there's all was the one that got away, isn't there?- Indeed, indeed.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46- Well, it's good to see you. - Likewise.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49- So, obviously, busy fly-fishing. - Yes.
0:26:49 > 0:26:50The whole point of fly-fishing is to try
0:26:50 > 0:26:53and emulate the fly that's dancing on the water.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56And you've got these little fake flies
0:26:56 > 0:26:58that replicate the different stages.
0:26:58 > 0:26:59Very much so.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02From a life-cycle point of view, three simple stages -
0:27:02 > 0:27:06and nymph, an emerging insect and then the adult fly on the surface.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Well, we've got some flies in this in this box here.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13- What's the story behind these, John? - Well, those are blue-winged olives.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Went in the river and extracted out some nymphs,
0:27:16 > 0:27:18and they just happened to hatch out in the bucket.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21So let's see if we can do a comparison here.
0:27:21 > 0:27:26- Here we go.- And there we've got the artificial with the real thing.
0:27:26 > 0:27:30And as you see, what we're trying to do is not only mimic
0:27:30 > 0:27:32what it looks like but also the size.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35And of course it's the way it sits on the top of the water,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39probably more so than what it looks on a side vision,
0:27:39 > 0:27:41because the fish is looking up.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Would you like to have a go?
0:27:43 > 0:27:45- I would love to have a go. - What we're trying to do,
0:27:45 > 0:27:49come from the blindside to present that fly over the finish,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52hopefully fooling the fish for the fish to come up and take the fly.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56And then you've got that satisfying moment as the fish comes up,
0:27:56 > 0:27:58takes the fly and then drops down again.
0:27:58 > 0:28:03- Which will never happen today. Anyway, let's go on.- Right!
0:28:07 > 0:28:11- Very satisfying, isn't it? - It's very relaxing, yeah.- Yeah.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27- I'm not having much luck, am I? - No, but that's fishing for you.
0:28:27 > 0:28:28I'm enjoying it!
0:28:28 > 0:28:31I'm just playing with the other flies that are dancing around.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34- I'm not bothered about catching a fish.- No, no.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Later, I'll be taking stock of the chalk streams
0:28:39 > 0:28:43and discovering more about the threats that face them.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46But first, we're back in the New Forest with Julia
0:28:46 > 0:28:50on the trail of some of our most elusive mammals.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02This forest is teeming with wildlife.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06The real skill is finding it. And that's why Eric Ashby was the master.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12Earlier, I discovered how Eric captured life in the New Forest
0:29:12 > 0:29:16over four decades, starting in the 1960s.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19One character in particular intrigued him.
0:29:21 > 0:29:26'While badgers are shy and nocturnal, so are rarely seen,
0:29:26 > 0:29:29'but I've found that, with care, I could get close to them
0:29:29 > 0:29:33'and sometimes I even saw them playing at three in the afternoon.
0:29:33 > 0:29:37'To share my experiences with others, I bought a cine camera.'
0:29:37 > 0:29:41Eric developed his technique over a lifetime
0:29:41 > 0:29:42and he really set the standard
0:29:42 > 0:29:45when it came to filming animals in the wild.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50'I always arrive long before the badgers emerge.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52'I never walk over their sett
0:29:52 > 0:29:54'and always put my camera downwind of them
0:29:54 > 0:29:56'so that they can't scent me.'
0:29:58 > 0:30:00'I'm meeting Manuel Hinge, a modern-day Eric Ashby.
0:30:00 > 0:30:05'Manny's going to show me the lengths Eric had to go to.'
0:30:06 > 0:30:08So this is a sett that he frequently filmed at?
0:30:08 > 0:30:10Yes, this is one of Eric's setts.
0:30:10 > 0:30:15In the early days, he would actually have a clockwork camera,
0:30:15 > 0:30:17not quite a clockwork camera,
0:30:17 > 0:30:21you wind it up and it gives you about 30-seconds run.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23- Then... - CAMERA WHIRS
0:30:23 > 0:30:26- Very noisy.- Very noisy.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29You very soon, quickly find out
0:30:29 > 0:30:31if you film badgers with this, unadapted,
0:30:31 > 0:30:34they won't stay out very long.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37Also, the other problem that went with that particular camera,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40and including the camera that's in here,
0:30:40 > 0:30:42was it was all done on film in those days.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44Of course, beautiful film.
0:30:44 > 0:30:50- Here is a roll of film that is now out of date.- 16mm?- 16mm.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54It would last just over two-and-a-half minutes.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56Two-and-a-half minutes!
0:30:56 > 0:30:58So, every two-and-a-half minutes
0:30:58 > 0:31:01you would have to take the film out, reload.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03Exactly. Today is quite different.
0:31:03 > 0:31:08Today we actually shoot on tapeless, or film-less.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10We shoot on to discs and essentially
0:31:10 > 0:31:13that is 40 minutes of high-definition film.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17So you've got 40 minutes, you've got two-and-a-half minutes.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20- Can I have a look at the soundproofing?- Of course you can.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23This box was actually built by Eric himself.
0:31:23 > 0:31:24I'll put that back in there.
0:31:24 > 0:31:29But the main part of the camera, that was the focusing hatch,
0:31:29 > 0:31:31put your hand through there.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35Also, all these little bags in here
0:31:35 > 0:31:39were labelled by him as to where they went.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43- "Against the front of camera." - "Against camera, top of camera."
0:31:43 > 0:31:48That is actually the camera he used. He used a Beaulieu R16.
0:31:48 > 0:31:53There it is, the example of his obsession, his passion, his detail.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58What are the chances of spotting any badgers right now?
0:31:58 > 0:32:00Non-existent. The middle of the day, no.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03Also, I wouldn't even come back here in the evening
0:32:03 > 0:32:05because there is so much scent around.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07There are other places to film badgers,
0:32:07 > 0:32:09and Manny's going there later.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13It wasn't just in the forest that Eric was an innovator.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15He wanted to film badgers underground too,
0:32:15 > 0:32:18no mean feat in the 1970s.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21Collecting concrete and drainpipes
0:32:21 > 0:32:24he built a two chambers full of straw bedding.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27One under the garden shed, complete with camera.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31He hoped to inquisitive badgers would explore this des res.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33And explore they did.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38'I had to accustom the badgers to my lights.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41'This was the very first badger to except my lights
0:32:41 > 0:32:44'and he was only four-foot away from me.'
0:32:44 > 0:32:47These first ever shots of badgers underground
0:32:47 > 0:32:50revolutionised our understanding of these complex animals.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56But in the true spirit of Countryfile,
0:32:56 > 0:33:00we want to find badgers in the wild.
0:33:00 > 0:33:01I've got over the fact
0:33:01 > 0:33:05that we are not going to film any badgers at this sett today,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08but if I came back say in five days, what are the signs to look for
0:33:08 > 0:33:12to know the badgers are in residence and are actually still here?
0:33:12 > 0:33:15Well, there are many signs that show an active sett.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19The first thing is you've got a large hole
0:33:19 > 0:33:21which is shaped like a cross section of a loaf,
0:33:21 > 0:33:23it's D-shaped at the top.
0:33:23 > 0:33:24You have a vast amount of earth
0:33:24 > 0:33:27that they've been digging out and throwing over this mound.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30- So that's them?- That's them.
0:33:30 > 0:33:31Over here...
0:33:34 > 0:33:37..they come out just onto this area here, they groom.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41- If you look, there's tiny little hairs.- Hair's everywhere.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44White tips and black just behind the white tip
0:33:44 > 0:33:48which gives them that silvery look if you see them in daylight.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50This is their little lounging area.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53But also, look, it's on a path that goes away.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56I'm sure there's more signs around the corner.
0:34:01 > 0:34:04There are some actually unusual signs of badgers
0:34:04 > 0:34:07which you wouldn't normally think about.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10If you look on this log here, you've got scratch marks.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12Lots of scratch marks.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15This is where badgers have been climbing over the tree.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17Because badgers are Mustelas they have five claws,
0:34:17 > 0:34:19not four like the fox, five.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22Just here, one, two, three, four, five.
0:34:22 > 0:34:23- Classic badger.- Classic badger.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27It looks like they've been playing noughts and crosses up here.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30Signs are all well and good,
0:34:30 > 0:34:33but there's one more thing Manny needs to film these badgers.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35That's for us to give him some peace.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43As light begins to fade, the badgers emerge.
0:35:02 > 0:35:07Since Eric made his films, badgers have thrived in Britain,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10along with the wildlife film-makers he inspired.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18Now faced with the spread of bovine tuberculosis
0:35:18 > 0:35:23in which badgers play a part, the plan is to cull them.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27Who knows what the future will hold.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35We aren't the only ones taking a nostalgic walk down memory lane.
0:35:35 > 0:35:40Adam and his dad have also been looking back at life on the farm.
0:35:48 > 0:35:52Farming's my life and I spend a lot of time on camera
0:35:52 > 0:35:53sharing my love of the land.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55But long before I got in front of the lens,
0:35:55 > 0:35:59it was my dad doing the talking.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10'Take a lung-full of the fresh Cotswold air.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13'Now finding Angela Rippon In The Country.'
0:36:15 > 0:36:19Back in the '70s, Dad had his own career as a television presenter,
0:36:19 > 0:36:23often rubbing shoulders with telly royalty like Angela Ripon.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26'What are you digging for? You look as if you're looking for gold.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28'Well, this wheat's slow coming up,
0:36:28 > 0:36:30'I was just checking it was germinating.'
0:36:30 > 0:36:34Dad's mission in those days was to convince his audience
0:36:34 > 0:36:37of the value of traditional ways of farming.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40'The Cotswolds were always a livestock-rearing area.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43'Today, it's mostly a great big sheet of corn
0:36:43 > 0:36:49'and no longer do you see the patchwork of fields of grass
0:36:49 > 0:36:54'which, to most people, is the idyllic picture of farming.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57'Something which I would love to see come back.'
0:36:57 > 0:37:01His plan to make sure our farm bucked the trend
0:37:01 > 0:37:02was to keep plenty of animals.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06Do you recognise the handsome lad on the right?
0:37:07 > 0:37:09We still have animals today,
0:37:09 > 0:37:12my children Ella and Alfie have grown up with rare breeds.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17Preserving traditional breeds like these rare sheep
0:37:17 > 0:37:21are at the heart of Dad's philosophy
0:37:21 > 0:37:25and I still rely on his wealth of experience.
0:37:25 > 0:37:26You haven't lost it.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29I've lost a couple, actually.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32In the early days, your mates thought you were nuts.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35When I used to take Gloucestershire Old Spots into Gloucester market,
0:37:35 > 0:37:38they laughed me out of the market and I used to give them away,
0:37:38 > 0:37:41but now you've got a waiting list, haven't you?
0:37:41 > 0:37:43We have, yes. It's a niche market.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46Named, old-fashioned breeds. People want them.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48There's a Portland ram lamb I'd like you to look at.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50- I'll just catch it.- Right.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00I think he's a very nice Portland, nice tanned face,
0:38:00 > 0:38:04plenty of gap between the horns there which is important.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06A black line on the horn there
0:38:06 > 0:38:08which is very popular with some breeders.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12- I think he's worth keeping as a ram. - OK, off you go, fella.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15Thanks to people like my dad,
0:38:15 > 0:38:17British rare breeds are a little less rare.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20He dedicated his life to getting them back
0:38:20 > 0:38:22into the heart of farming.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24Like most farmers, he has his favourites.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26'Of all our rare breeds,
0:38:26 > 0:38:29'I think the longhorn is the one with the brightest future.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32'It really seems to be staging a comeback.'
0:38:32 > 0:38:35That was a very good jump, little man, wasn't it?
0:38:35 > 0:38:37A very good jump indeed.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43Using pioneering techniques like semen collection
0:38:43 > 0:38:45help secure the future of breeds like the longhorns.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48They are doing well now.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52One of my favourites on the farm nowadays though are the Gloucesters.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55We need to tag a freshly born calf.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58- Yes.- But it is quite quick on its feet.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01I think you'll have a job, but we can try.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06And as usual, he's right. They're not having any of it.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11Go on, you mad things. Why are you so stirred up?
0:39:11 > 0:39:15You're supposed to be quiet Gloucesters.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18- Looks like they're all going whether we like it or not.- Yes.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24Go on, little calf, in you go.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26Life's a lot more secure for our rare breeds now
0:39:26 > 0:39:28than it was 40 years ago.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33There's been some good success stories, Dad, hasn't there?
0:39:33 > 0:39:35Well, yes. We were keeping longhorns
0:39:35 > 0:39:38and now they are no longer a rare breed.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41And the Gloucesters, you were personally involved in saving.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43Yes, a group of us got together
0:39:43 > 0:39:45and saved the ones from the last herd
0:39:45 > 0:39:47down at Wick Court, near Arlingham
0:39:47 > 0:39:50and then there was about 50 left in the breed.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53- Now there are 700. - Incredible, isn't it?
0:39:53 > 0:39:55Right, let's get these tags in his ears.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03There you go.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05There you go, little one.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08Lovely job.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10One thing that has changed on the farm
0:40:10 > 0:40:13since Dad's day is our machinery.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Dad and his business partner employed five men.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18We have the same number in the team today, but thanks to all this
0:40:18 > 0:40:22high-tech machinery, we're able to farm twice the land.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31- Combines have changed a bit. - Haven't they just!
0:40:31 > 0:40:36Enormous, and you've got one sitting out in the dust!
0:40:41 > 0:40:44Of course, some things never change, like hay-making in the summer.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47It's as vital to get it right now as it ever was,
0:40:47 > 0:40:51because buying it in to feed our animals over the winter,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54would cost us thousands of pounds What do you recommend, Dad?
0:40:54 > 0:40:56Well, let's have a look.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00I reckon that's nearly fit to bale.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04D'you reckon it'll go tomorrow, still a little bit of green, isn't it?
0:41:04 > 0:41:08- Well, there is a nose on it.- Got a bit of nose, hasn't it?- Oh yeah.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10- Horse hay, really.- Yeah.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13- With this lovely weather, you can't fail.- No.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15Go on then, crack on!
0:41:15 > 0:41:18It is great having my dad still involved
0:41:18 > 0:41:20and he clearly loves it.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28And what about the next generation?
0:41:28 > 0:41:31Alfie and Ella certainly enjoy living on the farm.
0:41:35 > 0:41:40And those crazy dogs, Dolly and Boo, have a great time as well.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51And Dad's still taking a keen interest.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55This spring barley's looking really well. What's the secret?
0:41:55 > 0:41:57We planted stubble turnips in here
0:41:57 > 0:42:00and graze the sheep on them all winter
0:42:00 > 0:42:02and I think their muck has helped this barley grow
0:42:02 > 0:42:05- when we planted it in the spring. - Well, that's the old rotation.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08You couldn't grow wheat and barley on the Cotswolds,
0:42:08 > 0:42:10unless you folded sheep first.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13Ella, do you like having animals on the farm?
0:42:13 > 0:42:15Yeah, well, I love the ponies and the chickens and the dogs
0:42:15 > 0:42:18and without the farm I wouldn't be able to ride on the ponies.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21- That's true.- What's the best bit about the farm for you, Al?
0:42:21 > 0:42:25Well, I like the animals, but making dens is the best.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28Having fun, it's all about having fun.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31Fingers crossed for another 40 years of farming on the Cotswolds.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44I've been exploring the chalk rivers and streams of Hampshire
0:42:44 > 0:42:47and celebrating pioneering filmmakers Ron and Rosemary Eastman,
0:42:47 > 0:42:50who lived and worked on them.
0:42:50 > 0:42:55In 1994, Ron was persuaded to make one last film.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58He finished it just months before he died
0:42:58 > 0:43:00and it's never been broadcast.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03This is the first time it's been seen on television.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14The film highlighted the fragile beauty of the wildlife
0:43:14 > 0:43:17depending on chalk streams.
0:43:18 > 0:43:23But also dangers, like pollution, that threaten their future.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25I really do wonder what Ron and Rosemary
0:43:25 > 0:43:28would make of the state of the chalk streams today.
0:43:28 > 0:43:30Some have seen an improvement since the '90s,
0:43:30 > 0:43:33but many are still in a really, bad way.
0:43:33 > 0:43:38Dogged by pollution and mismanagement of times gone by.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40This stretch of the River Itchen
0:43:40 > 0:43:43is well managed by the Hampshire Wildlife Trust,
0:43:43 > 0:43:46but it's essential to keep an eye out for problems.
0:43:46 > 0:43:50Angler John Slater's going to show me how to take a spot health check.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54Just stand above it and hold the net just downstream
0:43:54 > 0:43:58and really give it a good old kick around, get into the gravel there.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01How often would you do this then, John?
0:44:01 > 0:44:04Well, the Anglers Monitoring Initiative,
0:44:04 > 0:44:06we've got people that do this on a regular basis,
0:44:06 > 0:44:09once a month, because it's a bit like the canary down a mine,
0:44:09 > 0:44:13if you've got a problem in the river,
0:44:13 > 0:44:16what's the first thing to show up, a problem with invertebrate numbers,
0:44:16 > 0:44:19so by doing it on a regular basis, if we get a problem,
0:44:19 > 0:44:21we can call up the Environment Agency
0:44:21 > 0:44:23and they'll come and do a closer examination.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28Invertebrates, the small marine life living in these rivers
0:44:28 > 0:44:32depend on native plants like water crowfoot and ranunculus,
0:44:32 > 0:44:34but their well-being is threatened,
0:44:34 > 0:44:38both by our growing population taking too much water out of rivers
0:44:38 > 0:44:42and by phosphorus pollution, caused by farming and industry.
0:44:42 > 0:44:46This means that even on well-cared for stretches of stream
0:44:46 > 0:44:50like this one, it's a constant battle to keep the water clean
0:44:50 > 0:44:52and the wildlife in good condition.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56- So, just talk us through what we've got.- These are blue-winged olives.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59This one here is the mayfly.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02The others which are interesting to look at is this one,
0:45:02 > 0:45:06which looks to be all encased in a house,
0:45:06 > 0:45:10- do you see him walking around?- Yes. - Yeah, well, that's a sedge.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12It looks like there's quite a lot in there, are you surprised?
0:45:12 > 0:45:15I would hope that there was more, actually,
0:45:15 > 0:45:18when you look back in terms of historically,
0:45:18 > 0:45:21because some of these populations of invertebrates
0:45:21 > 0:45:25they've collapsed by as much as 70 percent, so it is a major concern,
0:45:25 > 0:45:28because, after all, these are not only food for fish,
0:45:28 > 0:45:31but they're there for bird life, etc...
0:45:31 > 0:45:34so they've got a lot of mouths to fill.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39The Eastmans revealed the wonders of these riverbanks
0:45:39 > 0:45:42over four decades ago. Now, they're still a rich resource
0:45:42 > 0:45:46but we should never lose sight of how fragile they can be.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52If you want to find out how you can play your part
0:45:52 > 0:45:56in helping to preserve these unique habitats, then check out
0:45:56 > 0:45:58our Countryfile website.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00In a while, we'll be revealing
0:46:00 > 0:46:01how an ancient Gloucestershire oak
0:46:01 > 0:46:03created television history,
0:46:03 > 0:46:05but first, if you want to get your hands
0:46:05 > 0:46:09on a Countryfile calendar, here's John with all of the details.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16With your help, the Countryfile calendar has been raising money
0:46:16 > 0:46:19for Children in Need for 22 years now
0:46:19 > 0:46:21and if you'd like these wonderful photographs
0:46:21 > 0:46:23to be gracing your walls next year,
0:46:23 > 0:46:26well you can order the latest copy right now.
0:46:26 > 0:46:31Either by going to our website which is bbc.co.uk/countryfile.
0:46:34 > 0:46:40Or ringing the orderline on: 0844 811 7044.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44To order by post, send your name address and cheque
0:46:44 > 0:46:47to BBC Countryfile Calendar,
0:46:47 > 0:46:51PO Box 25, Melton Mowbray,
0:46:51 > 0:46:55LE13, 1ZG.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59Please make cheques payable to BBC Countryfile Calendar.
0:47:01 > 0:47:06Remember the calendar costs £9 and a minimum of £4 from each sale
0:47:06 > 0:47:08will go to Children in Need.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13Brilliant. There are some wonderful entries in this year's calendar.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16Now all of the competition winners had to take a walk on the wild side
0:47:16 > 0:47:18and if that's what you're planning in the week ahead,
0:47:18 > 0:47:20you'd better know what the weather's got in store.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23Here's the Countryfile forecast.
0:49:50 > 0:49:57.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13Today, Countryfile has been looking back at some of the natural films
0:50:13 > 0:50:15that changed our understanding of the natural world,
0:50:15 > 0:50:19and the wonderful wildlife that was captured on camera.
0:50:19 > 0:50:24We've been celebrating the pioneering films and filmmakers
0:50:24 > 0:50:27who brought the countryside into our living rooms,
0:50:27 > 0:50:28and I'm still in Gloucestershire,
0:50:28 > 0:50:33this time, in the Forest of Dean, to tell you the story of The Major.
0:50:35 > 0:50:36For centuries,
0:50:36 > 0:50:40English oak trees were planted to keep the Royal Navy in ships,
0:50:40 > 0:50:45like the ones that defeated Napoleon's fleets 200 years ago.
0:50:46 > 0:50:50But some of the oaks from that time survived,
0:50:50 > 0:50:54and it's the story of one of them that we're here to discover.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59Back in 1963, on this very spot,
0:50:59 > 0:51:03the BBC made its first wildlife documentary in colour,
0:51:03 > 0:51:05though initially, it was shown in black-and-white
0:51:05 > 0:51:08because the colour television service didn't really get going
0:51:08 > 0:51:10until four years later.
0:51:10 > 0:51:14The film was called The Major, and it told the dramatic story
0:51:14 > 0:51:17of an old oak tree that had spanned three centuries
0:51:17 > 0:51:19and was about to be felled.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21It stood right here.
0:51:23 > 0:51:27'The ringing stroke of the axe is the bell that tolls for The Major.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30'A heart of oak that has beaten the time of the seasons
0:51:30 > 0:51:33'through three centuries has only a few minutes left.'
0:51:35 > 0:51:39The oak was the central character in the drama,
0:51:39 > 0:51:43a strong magnificent tree about to be cut down in its prime.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49The Major was at the centre of village life, we were told.
0:51:49 > 0:51:53A meeting place,
0:51:53 > 0:51:56and a noticeboard.
0:51:58 > 0:52:03Good for climbing, or just watching the girls go by.
0:52:03 > 0:52:06'The Major looked down each spring on the oldest of all pastimes.'
0:52:16 > 0:52:20but the real drama lay in the lives of the countless bugs
0:52:20 > 0:52:23and beetles that lived in The Major.
0:52:23 > 0:52:28'Successfully hatched from their hiding place on The Major's trunk,
0:52:28 > 0:52:31'the caterpillars make no secret of their presence now.'
0:52:31 > 0:52:35Bart Venner was a young forester when The Major met his untimely end.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37And when it came to the felling,
0:52:37 > 0:52:41you were around to tell the director exactly when it was going to go.
0:52:41 > 0:52:44Well, yes, because being trained in forestry,
0:52:44 > 0:52:47you can hear a tree when it says it's about to fall.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49They talk to you, makes all sorts of noises,
0:52:49 > 0:52:53and I could say, yeah, you know, get the cameras rolling.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04- And they captured it perfectly on film, didn't they?- Yeah.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06So why did The Major have to go, then?
0:53:06 > 0:53:08The tree itself was a nuisance
0:53:08 > 0:53:10to the traffic coming out of the cricket ground
0:53:10 > 0:53:13because the size of the tree blocked the view.
0:53:13 > 0:53:14- Ah. A traffic hazard, really.- Yeah.
0:53:14 > 0:53:17The filmmakers did take a few liberties, didn't they?
0:53:17 > 0:53:19Oh, certainly, yeah.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21They wanted a village in the Forest of Dean,
0:53:21 > 0:53:24and a church in the Forest of Dean,
0:53:24 > 0:53:27but the snag is all the churches in the Forest of Dean
0:53:27 > 0:53:28are in villages hidden by trees,
0:53:28 > 0:53:32so they went over to the Cotswolds, I think it was Eastcombe.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35The Major wasn't really at the heart of the village,
0:53:35 > 0:53:37- cos there wasn't a village.- No!
0:53:37 > 0:53:40- Only a pub. - And what about the cricket team?
0:53:40 > 0:53:44When they filmed the supposed cricket match,
0:53:44 > 0:53:46I think the team was brought in as actors,
0:53:46 > 0:53:49because the filming would have been done during the week
0:53:49 > 0:53:52and our cricket team wouldn't have been free until the weekend.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55'For the first time anyone could remember,
0:53:55 > 0:53:57'a six had landed slap on the top of The Major.'
0:53:57 > 0:54:00But it made quite a tale, didn't it?
0:54:00 > 0:54:02Oh, yes, it was, it was great and it put the forest on the map.
0:54:04 > 0:54:08It's no surprise that those pioneer filmmakers came here
0:54:08 > 0:54:10to the Forest of Dean to celebrate
0:54:10 > 0:54:14the life of such a typically English tree.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17Once called the Queen of the Forests,
0:54:17 > 0:54:21there's just under 20,000 acres of mixed woodland here,
0:54:21 > 0:54:25but there's only about half a dozen old oaks left
0:54:25 > 0:54:28that predate the hero of this story.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31And I suppose what this film, The Major, did,
0:54:31 > 0:54:35was to tell millions of people just how important the oak is to Britain.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38Oak is very much part of our culture, part of our history.
0:54:38 > 0:54:39Everything from oak shipbuilding
0:54:39 > 0:54:43to building timber-framed houses is a very English thing.
0:54:43 > 0:54:46Lock gates are made of oak. It's a fantastic quality timber.
0:54:49 > 0:54:53The Major caused a stir in 1963,
0:54:53 > 0:54:57and just a stone's throw away from where the mighty oak stood,
0:54:57 > 0:55:00we're now going to put on a film show of our own.
0:55:00 > 0:55:02Thanks to the British Film Institute,
0:55:02 > 0:55:05which takes care of our national archive,
0:55:05 > 0:55:09we've got one of the very first wildlife films from 1912.
0:55:10 > 0:55:14And who was the person behind the camera, then?
0:55:14 > 0:55:18It was Oliver Pike, who was one of our...not very well-known now,
0:55:18 > 0:55:19but he was one of our
0:55:19 > 0:55:24most innovative and famous early wildlife pioneering filmmakers.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26And he gets very close to the birds, doesn't he?
0:55:26 > 0:55:29And I thought cameras in those days were very noisy affairs.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31How come he didn't disturb them?
0:55:31 > 0:55:34He thought of a noise that would emulate the camera,
0:55:34 > 0:55:39and so he got a tin can and put some stones in and shook them,
0:55:39 > 0:55:42until he thought that the birds he was about to film
0:55:42 > 0:55:43were quite used to it,
0:55:43 > 0:55:46and then he would drop the tin down and started the camera,
0:55:46 > 0:55:49- and it all went smoothly. - Very ingenious.- Yes.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52What makes this film so remarkable, Jan?
0:55:52 > 0:55:56I think it's because it's such an early example
0:55:56 > 0:55:59of a very natural looking colour, an additive colour onto film.
0:55:59 > 0:56:02- So it wasn't actually shot in colour? - No.- So the colour's painted on?
0:56:02 > 0:56:04It was added on, yes.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08He made these films before cinema, so how would people have seen them?
0:56:08 > 0:56:12They would have seen them at the precursors to cinemas,
0:56:12 > 0:56:15which where the music halls and theatres of the time,
0:56:15 > 0:56:20and here we have a programme from the London Opera House from 1912,
0:56:20 > 0:56:24where you can see we have a number of different variety acts.
0:56:24 > 0:56:28- And then, after the interval, cinematography!- Yeah.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31- A film about bees. - So, a "bee movie!"- A "bee movie!"
0:56:32 > 0:56:36Before Mr Pike came along, most people would have never,
0:56:36 > 0:56:38ever seen wildlife like this.
0:56:38 > 0:56:42No, no, no. To show those images of wildlife was incredible.
0:56:42 > 0:56:44And it still looks good, doesn't it,
0:56:44 > 0:56:46100 years on from when he first shot it.
0:56:46 > 0:56:48Wonderful.
0:56:50 > 0:56:54Just one of the gems in the archive of natural history films,
0:56:54 > 0:56:59and if what you've seen tonight has inspired you, here's a challenge.
0:57:00 > 0:57:05If you're keen on filming wildlife, we'd love to see your best clips.
0:57:05 > 0:57:07You can find details
0:57:07 > 0:57:09of how to share them with us on our website.
0:57:15 > 0:57:17And if we like what you've filmed,
0:57:17 > 0:57:20then we'll put it on the website for everyone to see.
0:57:22 > 0:57:23And that's it tonight.
0:57:23 > 0:57:26Hope you enjoyed our tribute both to the pioneers who created
0:57:26 > 0:57:31the art of wildlife filmmaking and to the landscapes that inspired them.
0:57:31 > 0:57:35Next week, we're back with the very latest from the countryside,
0:57:35 > 0:57:36so hope you can join us then.
0:57:36 > 0:57:38Until then, goodbye.
0:58:01 > 0:58:03Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd