0:00:29 > 0:00:32Hampshire, mile upon mile of idyllic countryside
0:00:32 > 0:00:36and coastline that boasts a rich maritime history.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41This is HMS Warrior, the largest and most powerful battleship
0:00:41 > 0:00:45of her day, but today, she is in need of a bit of TLC,
0:00:45 > 0:00:50so I'm going to be heading 60 foot up here to help out.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Portsmouth is the birthplace of the Royal Navy.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00It's also where a story of an epic journey of naval heroism began.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04In the autumn of 1942,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07German troops were tightening their grip on France
0:01:07 > 0:01:09and at the same time here in Hampshire,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12a secret training exercise was taking place.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15A group of marines were shaping up to become the Cockleshell Heroes
0:01:15 > 0:01:19and kayaks like this played a vital role.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22All right, Ray, let's get a push on.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Tom's looking at the future of farming.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34A few hundred years ago, British technology
0:01:34 > 0:01:38created an agricultural revolution and a hike in food production,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42but now, we need more and today on Countryfile,
0:01:42 > 0:01:46we'll exclusively reveal a breakthrough from British science
0:01:46 > 0:01:49which could well help feed the world.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54And Adam's on the hunt for a new addition to his farm.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58This is my White Park bull, who's a very good example of the breed
0:01:58 > 0:02:01and I'm very fond of him, but he's now related to two of the cows
0:02:01 > 0:02:04that I've got in the herd, so I need a fresh bloodline.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06So, it's time for a bit of bull shopping.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18The ancient oak forests of North Hampshire.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Hundreds of years ago, wood from here was on the move,
0:02:23 > 0:02:27sent to the boatbuilding shores of Portsmouth Harbour.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31To celebrate that journey, a new 50-mile trail has been set up.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34The Shipwright's Way winds from Alice Holt Forest
0:02:34 > 0:02:38at its northern tip, to Portsmouth in the south.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41And today, I'm walking a section of it,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44starting here at the city's historic dockyard.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Nowadays, there aren't many of these around,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51but I've managed to find a shipwright that's still gainfully employed,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54and this is his ship.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Just a small one!
0:02:57 > 0:03:00HMS Warrior. Commissioned in 1858,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03she was the largest warship in the world,
0:03:03 > 0:03:0760% bigger than her French counterpart
0:03:07 > 0:03:10and with an iron hull four inches thick.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Bob Daubeney is the shipwright of this ironclad beauty.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20So, Bob, what exactly is a shipwright?
0:03:20 > 0:03:23A shipwright, you take the term "wright",
0:03:23 > 0:03:25and it's someone who manufacturers things.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27You've heard of the term "blacksmith",
0:03:27 > 0:03:31and you had got smiths that worked in metal, you've got wrights, who tended to work in wood,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33so you had a boatwright, a shipwright,
0:03:33 > 0:03:37a cartwright, a wheelwright, there's a whole series of trades and skills.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39And even though she's no longer at sea, then,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42- is it a full-time job for you? - Definitely, yes.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45It keeps me on the go all the time. I've been here 15.5 years now.
0:03:45 > 0:03:46Really?
0:03:46 > 0:03:49We've repainted the whole of the deck, 1.07 million,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52- two and a half years.- Goodness me!
0:03:52 > 0:03:55You've got to keep it watertight, got to protect the infrastructure.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58It doesn't get any better than being a shipwright on a vessel like this.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Can you imagine coming to work here every day?
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Oh! She is incredibly important. Did she see much action?
0:04:04 > 0:04:07She never fired a shot in anger. She became a deterrent.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09She had been created to such a strength,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12there was nothing they could do to combat her.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16But when it comes to keeping Warrior shipshape,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18not all the jobs fall to Bob.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22- You all right, Ian?- OK!
0:04:22 > 0:04:26Now, 60 foot up, Ian is replacing these things.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29They're called the dead eyes and they connect all the rigging
0:04:29 > 0:04:31to the ship and as you can imagine, at that height,
0:04:31 > 0:04:35they get exposed to all of the elements, so they need an overhaul.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39And the only way to reach them is by climbing the rigging.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Climbing!
0:04:41 > 0:04:43So, that's where I'm heading.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51- Getting there now.- All right, mate? - Hello, Ian, you all right?
0:04:51 > 0:04:54- I'm good, how are you, all right? - Yeah, nice to see you close up!
0:04:54 > 0:04:57It doesn't bear thinking about, a young lad climbing up here
0:04:57 > 0:05:01- in a storm.- Yeah, tell me about all that!
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Goodness me, but what a view up here!
0:05:04 > 0:05:06What are we doing with these dead eyes?
0:05:06 > 0:05:09As you rightly point out, these are exposed to all the elements.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12This one here, we've cut away all the timber surrounding it.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Yeah. So, it's nice and loose now, all ready to come out.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18It's important to kind of preserve all those details,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21because you want this ship to kind of transport you back to
0:05:21 > 0:05:24sailing down the channel to go and stand up to the French
0:05:24 > 0:05:26- and all of that.- Yeah.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32OK, so what he wants to do is slide up this way towards me a bit.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35- OK.- I don't know how loose it's going to be.- There you go.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39- We've got to have a bit of luck sometimes.- That's it.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41- It's free.- That's it.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44- There's some weight in it, like, isn't there?- Yeah.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49You can see the amount of rust that's built up here,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53- you can see the way the timber's de-laminated.- Uh-huh.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57It's done well, it's served its purpose,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59but everything comes to an end eventually.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02It does make you think, Ian, the amount of people
0:06:02 > 0:06:05that will have been up here doing this job over the years,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07you know, pretty privileged, aren't we?
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Well, yeah, it's nice for us to be able to show what we do.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14- So often the jobs are out of sight for everyone.- Yeah.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17We like to show what goes on up here.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20I'll be sticking around in Portsmouth's historic docks
0:06:20 > 0:06:22to see how new technology is helping preserve
0:06:22 > 0:06:24our most celebrated battleship.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27But first, when it comes to innovation in farming,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Britain used to be a world leader,
0:06:30 > 0:06:32but with a global food crisis on the horizon,
0:06:32 > 0:06:36have we still got what it takes to meet the challenges of the future?
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Here's Tom.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48Wheat. It's one of our oldest and most basic food sources.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Entire civilisations were built on the stuff.
0:06:57 > 0:07:02It was created by a happy accident of nature, 10,000 years ago,
0:07:02 > 0:07:08where three wild grasses combined to produce this vital food source.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11It's gone on to feed the world.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Even today, wheat provides 20% of the calories
0:07:16 > 0:07:19consumed by humans worldwide.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Its most common reincarnation - the humble loaf.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27No wonder it's known as the staff of life
0:07:27 > 0:07:31and it's easy to take for granted, but in 50 years,
0:07:31 > 0:07:35this could be a luxury that few of us can afford.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Rising population and a changing climate
0:07:40 > 0:07:43are putting pressure on the way we farm.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47We simply need to be able to produce more food
0:07:47 > 0:07:50and we're turning to science for the answers.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54This is where you actually bring the seeds to work on, is it?
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Yeah, so he's actually opening up the seed,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00with some fine forceps and a scalpel
0:08:00 > 0:08:06and taking the embryo and we put that on a plate of nutrients.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Here at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany,
0:08:11 > 0:08:15they're looking at ways to tackle the problems of the future.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18We need to be doing things differently
0:08:18 > 0:08:21if we're going to increase yields enough
0:08:21 > 0:08:22to feed the world in the future.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25So, we need to be looking at sources of variation
0:08:25 > 0:08:28that conventional breeding just can't reach.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32We're bridging the gap between some of the basic science,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35such as this, and the commercial breeders
0:08:35 > 0:08:38who are producing the varieties that go out on farms.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Phil Howell's work is vitally important.
0:08:42 > 0:08:47By 2050, it's estimated there will be nine billion people on our planet.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51That's a lot of extra mouths to feed.
0:08:51 > 0:08:52And that's not all.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Climate change already seems to be impacting on our countryside.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Arable farmers say they've seen the effects,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03from lower crop yields to extreme weather.
0:09:05 > 0:09:06But in recent years,
0:09:06 > 0:09:12science has failed to keep pace with the growing need for food.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17We've reached the stage now where yields have plateaued a bit
0:09:17 > 0:09:20on the farm and it's quite clear that with the challenges
0:09:20 > 0:09:23of increasing global population,
0:09:23 > 0:09:28key pesticides are being taken out of use, and energy...
0:09:28 > 0:09:30energy costs an awful lot.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33We'll have to produce more from less in the future.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35It's estimated that we'll need to produce more wheat
0:09:35 > 0:09:39in the next 50 years than we've produced in the previous 10,000,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41so clearly we need step changes
0:09:41 > 0:09:43and we need to almost redesign the wheat plant.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48But now, Countryfile can exclusively reveal a major breakthrough.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Dr Howell's team have redesigned the wheat plant
0:09:51 > 0:09:54by going back to its roots.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57We're trying to actually copy that lucky chance
0:09:57 > 0:09:59that happened 10,000 years ago.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03So, we're taking a large collection of these goatgrasses
0:10:03 > 0:10:06and we're crossing them with... this is modern pasta wheat,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09to produce this synthetic wheat.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12- Is this a GM technology?- No, no, this is conventional breeding.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16We're making the same crosses that normal breeders would make,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19only we're just using much wilder species.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24In simple terms, they're crossing an ancient, but hardy, wild grass
0:10:24 > 0:10:28with a domestic wheat plant. This makes synthetic wheat.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31This synthetic wheat then provides the building block
0:10:31 > 0:10:34for breeding new, improved wheat varieties.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Left to itself, this cross would die,
0:10:37 > 0:10:41so they're quite literally giving nature a helping hand.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44So, you're following that natural historic journey of wheat,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47but, if you like, trying to improve it,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50so you get some of the qualities from this goatgrass into wheat today?
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Absolutely, yes. So, we think that...
0:10:53 > 0:10:55there are some untapped variations,
0:10:55 > 0:10:59for things like drought tolerance, insect resistance,
0:10:59 > 0:11:02disease resistance, and we're beginning to think now,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05some excellent yield improvements as well.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10The results have been extraordinary, far exceeding their expectations.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15We were expecting to see the diversity increased,
0:11:15 > 0:11:17we were expecting to see disease resistance,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20but what we WEREN'T expecting was so much of a yield increase.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24In tests last year, the best of these actually out-yielded
0:11:24 > 0:11:28- the cultivated parent by more than 30%.- Wow!
0:11:28 > 0:11:31I mean, how surprised were you by that?
0:11:31 > 0:11:34I double-checked the results, let's just say that!
0:11:35 > 0:11:40Across the UK, scientists are working to futureproof the way we farm.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43The trouble is, while great work is happening on the theory,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47Britain has been slow to put it into practice.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52David Gardner from the Royal Agricultural Society of England
0:11:52 > 0:11:55thinks we need to do more to take groundbreaking work
0:11:55 > 0:11:57from the lab to the land.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Where has the UK been weak or lagging behind in recent years?
0:12:02 > 0:12:06I think the UK is excellent in terms of what we call basic science or blue-sky science.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10It's not so good in terms of taking that science and bringing it through
0:12:10 > 0:12:14into practical stuff that farmers can actually do on the farm
0:12:14 > 0:12:17and then taking it through and telling farmers about it.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22It will be a while before we see the new super wheat in our fields,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25but it is a major step in the right direction.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29In the meantime, there are other ways to prepare for the future.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34And that's where technology steps in.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Later on, I'll be finding out if we're dedicating enough attention
0:12:38 > 0:12:42and research into the hardware to see the rise of the machines.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48We're exploring the Shipwright's Way,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52a long-distance trail in honour of Hampshire's shipbuilding past.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54It runs along this section of coast,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58before passing north into the Hampshire Hills.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02It's where I've got a behind-the-scenes appointment
0:13:02 > 0:13:04at the Royal Marines Museum. Hi, lads.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07- ALL: Hello. - Not with them, sadly!
0:13:07 > 0:13:08LAUGHTER
0:13:08 > 0:13:10I'm in search of an object, that was instrumental
0:13:10 > 0:13:14in a secret military operation that began here in Hampshire.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19It was labelled the most courageous raid of World War II.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22This is it.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24No, it's not a flatpack set of shelves,
0:13:24 > 0:13:29it's actually a 70-year-old Mark II military kayak.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32It's made of wood, with collapsible canvas sides
0:13:32 > 0:13:36and it had to be collapsible because it had to be transportable.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40In 1942, a newly formed detachment of the toughest soldiers
0:13:40 > 0:13:43were deployed on a mission in kayaks exactly like this.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45The assignment was perilous.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48The target was situated right at the heart of a port
0:13:48 > 0:13:50in German-occupied France.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54The kayaks were nicknamed cockles and the men who took part
0:13:54 > 0:13:59in this remarkable mission, became known as the Cockleshell Heroes.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Southsea Beach was where the formative heroes
0:14:01 > 0:14:04learned to paddle in the autumn of 1942.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Kayaks had been recognised as the perfect tool
0:14:07 > 0:14:09to deal with the enemy threatening our island nation.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13I'm meeting Royal Marine historian Mark Bentinck.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Give me some texture as to what was happening at that point in time,
0:14:17 > 0:14:21- 1942?- Well, 1942 was a really bad year for Britain.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Our fortunes were at an all-time low.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26But there was one particular problem, in that
0:14:26 > 0:14:28individual German ships, fast merchant ships,
0:14:28 > 0:14:33were bringing key materials into occupied Europe from the Far East.
0:14:33 > 0:14:3825,000 tonnes of natural rubber had been imported through Bordeaux.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43If we could intercept or damage this commerce, this would be very useful.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46It was a year when desperate measures were required
0:14:46 > 0:14:48to survive and actually win the war.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51A team of Marines had volunteered for hazardous service,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54unaware of the risky task that lay ahead.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56They would serve under an experienced kayaker,
0:14:56 > 0:15:01the strong-minded Major Hasler, nicknamed Blondie.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Hasler was quite a character, the leader of the group -
0:15:04 > 0:15:07- what was he looking for in his team members?- Initiative.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11People who could do the right thing without being told what to do
0:15:11 > 0:15:15and without waiting for orders. People with endurance and toughness
0:15:15 > 0:15:17and determination who weren't going to give up
0:15:17 > 0:15:19and could survive the very tough conditions
0:15:19 > 0:15:23of canoeing in enemy country in the winter.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Only later would the mission be divulged.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Codenamed Operation Frankton,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32the secret raid would strike in early December, 1942.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38A team of a dozen men led by intrepid Blondie Hasler
0:15:38 > 0:15:40boarded naval submarine HMS Tuna
0:15:40 > 0:15:44for what they thought was a training exercise.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48It was only in the secure confines of the submarine
0:15:48 > 0:15:49that the truth was revealed.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52They were to raid Bordeaux and attack German merchant ships,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56a task so dangerous, the chance of survival was tiny.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00The kayaks would be stored in the torpedo hatches of the submarine
0:16:00 > 0:16:04and then launched right here, at the mouth of the Gironde estuary.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07The men would then have to paddle 100 miles
0:16:07 > 0:16:09towards the city of Bordeaux,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11evading the enemy and their guns along the way.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15The goal was to attach limpet mines, like this one,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17to the merchant ships that were in the port.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21It was a ridiculously dangerous and risky mission.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Almost as soon as they'd left their sub,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27they were caught in a huge riptide,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30the first of many hazards that wiped out members of the team.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34But as they approached Bordeaux, Hasler, the leader
0:16:34 > 0:16:37and the most experienced kayaker, was still in charge.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41He had learned to paddle as a child, here on Canoe Lake in Portsmouth.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45And that's where I'm about to get a taste of what their voyage was like.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51I'm taking to the water in a replica cockle
0:16:51 > 0:16:54with ex-marine Ray Cooper.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Ray, they're not that comfortable, I have to say.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59You're only in it for a short time.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02The guys that paddled these in 1942
0:17:02 > 0:17:04had to make the best of the six-hour tide,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07so they would be in them for six hours,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11it was December, the weather was very, very cold.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14They had to do everything, they were eating,
0:17:14 > 0:17:16sleeping, you name it, in this space.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Everything, this was their workspace.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23After that treacherous journey, two kayaks made it to the port,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26but did they actually manage to damage any ships?
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Yes, five ships were damaged and one was sunk,
0:17:28 > 0:17:35which helped boost morale and also destroy the Germans' morale.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39It made the Germans aware that they could be infiltrated,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42which meant that they then had to bring more men into the area,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45away from the actual front.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Only two men survived the journey back to Britain.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Blondie Hasler, the leader, was one of them.
0:17:51 > 0:17:52Despite the lives lost,
0:17:52 > 0:17:56Hasler's chancy undertaking had been a success.
0:17:56 > 0:17:57But there's an astonishing twist -
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Hasler and his men weren't the only team of British secret forces
0:18:01 > 0:18:04targeting the merchant ships in Bordeaux.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Five months earlier, a special operations executive
0:18:08 > 0:18:11had sent their own team in by parachute,
0:18:11 > 0:18:12Operation Scientist,
0:18:12 > 0:18:16and their job was to blow up the same ships at the same docks.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20Historian Tom Keene discovered another raid on the same port.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23They were meant to liaise and they didn't.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27So, Hasler's team went in, believing that was the only way to attack
0:18:27 > 0:18:30those targets, and it manifestly wasn't.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33On the night that Hasler's men finally reached Bordeaux,
0:18:33 > 0:18:37this team, the Scientist team, were on their final recce
0:18:37 > 0:18:40and what they were going to do was not paddle 100 miles down the river,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43they were going to walk through the dock gates with passes,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46with bombs in their knapsacks and put their bombs on the boats
0:18:46 > 0:18:49- from the shore side. - Disguised as what?
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Painters and workmen. They had the passes.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Does this mean, looking back now,
0:18:53 > 0:18:55that it was a pointless mission in every way?
0:18:55 > 0:18:56No, it doesn't.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59The Cockleshell Heroes raid became THE iconic
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Royal Marines small boat raid of the Second World War.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04The Germans described it as the greatest raid of the war.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08I think post-war, Operation Frankton, the Cockleshell Heroes' raid,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11changed the Royal Marines' perception of themselves.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14It became the iconic symbol of all that they do best.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19And at the Royal Marines Museum, the story of the Cockleshell Heroes
0:19:19 > 0:19:22is still inspiring the military elite of today.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32I've been taking in the historic dockyards of Portsmouth,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36the home of the iron-hulled warship HMS Warrior
0:19:36 > 0:19:38and the legendary HMS Victory,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41a superstar of battleships.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Commissioned in 1778,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46the Victory is the only surviving battleship to have fought
0:19:46 > 0:19:50in the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary War
0:19:50 > 0:19:52and, most famously, the Napoleonic wars,
0:19:52 > 0:19:57and she served on the forefront of naval warfare for 34 years.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02It was from HMS Victory that in 1805
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Lord Nelson led the battle of Trafalgar.
0:20:04 > 0:20:09He defeated the French, who were never again a threat to our island,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12but in doing so paid the ultimate price.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15In the ferocity of battle, he was shot and killed.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18And it's because of Nelson's death
0:20:18 > 0:20:22that she's one of the most famous ships in the world.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26HMS Victory is now over 250 years old,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30and as you can see, well, she is in need of a bit of work.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34But she is about to undergo a £50 million restoration project
0:20:34 > 0:20:37and some 21st-century technology is going to be used
0:20:37 > 0:20:42to re-image this Georgian battleship in a digital age.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Lasers. Scanning every surface,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49these machines are creating a 3D model of Victory
0:20:49 > 0:20:51to help curator Andrew Baines
0:20:51 > 0:20:53look after this vulnerable national treasure.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55She is inherently biodegradable,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58she's made of natural materials that will rot.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00She's designed to operate in the most hostile environment
0:21:00 > 0:21:04known to man at the time - the sea - for four or five years
0:21:04 > 0:21:08before you bring her back and give her very extensive repairs.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10So this is the Great Cabin on Victory.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13This is where Nelson would have been based and quartered.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17We're stood in the day cabin part of his quarters
0:21:17 > 0:21:19and this is Nelson's breakfast table.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22- And we're going to sit here, at Nelson's table?- At Nelson's table.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25What a feeling. It is, you can feel it. It's heavy, isn't it?
0:21:25 > 0:21:28She's weighted with history.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Why did you decide to go for lasers?
0:21:30 > 0:21:33When we decide we need to take some planks of the ship
0:21:33 > 0:21:34or we need to lift the mass out,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37we can actually model the effects of that work
0:21:37 > 0:21:39and work out the best approach we can take
0:21:39 > 0:21:41so we don't put the ship at any risk
0:21:41 > 0:21:44and we don't do anything that is going to damage the ship.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47- So you can, kind of, do the work in the computer first...- Yeah.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49- Without actually making any mistakes?- Yeah.
0:21:49 > 0:21:50It looks incredibly detailed.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53I mean, what level of accuracy are we talking here, Andrew?
0:21:53 > 0:21:55The level of accuracy we've got, it's down to the millimetre.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58If we were to stand here with a tape measure doing that
0:21:58 > 0:21:59it's going to take us a while.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02So even all these little chips and flecks and all that stuff...?
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Yes, it can feel all that, the original markings on the timber.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07It can pick those up as well. Very, very detailed.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12Victory's old plans have been outdated...
0:22:12 > 0:22:14by this.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22A view of HMS Victory that's never been seen before.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24The beginning of a venture to preserve
0:22:24 > 0:22:27one of the most treasured relics of our naval past.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37It's in the dark lower decks of this ship that, with a keen eye,
0:22:37 > 0:22:42you can just make out these marks, signatures left by shipwrights
0:22:42 > 0:22:45who fashioned her wooden hull centuries ago.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51You can see here the name Victory has been carved into this beam
0:22:51 > 0:22:55by a shipwright with his knife, and it's in honour of those men
0:22:55 > 0:22:58that a new trail has been created connecting Portsmouth dock
0:22:58 > 0:23:00with the surrounding Hampshire countryside,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02and that is exactly where I'm headed.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05But first, here is what else is coming up on tonight's programme.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Will Julia bite off more than she can chew?
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Hoo-hoo!
0:23:12 > 0:23:16- Hoo!- You can definitely feel that going through you.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19Adam's Golden Guernsey goat kids are ready for life outdoors.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Yeah, you go in your shelter. There's a good girl.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Into your shelter.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28And we'll have a full weather forecast for the week ahead.
0:23:33 > 0:23:34Earlier we heard how farming
0:23:34 > 0:23:37is looking towards science and technology
0:23:37 > 0:23:39to deal with future challenges.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42British scientists are working wonders with wheat,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45but now Tom is exploring the rise of the machines.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Our world is under pressure.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Population is rising and our climate is changing.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56We are reaching a critical point
0:23:56 > 0:23:59where food production will struggle to meet demand.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03And farming is on the front line.
0:24:04 > 0:24:09The challenge is so great that crop science alone may not be enough.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Technology also has to play a part.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15That, of course, is nothing new to farming.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20We used to do most things by hand, like grinding this wheat here,
0:24:20 > 0:24:25and I can tell you, it is pretty hard work.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28But then came the Agricultural Revolution,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31something that was born in Britain.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34That meant we could use our newfound engineering expertise
0:24:34 > 0:24:37to produce machines to help us do the work.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39This one is still milling wheat,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43but with far less labour and in much greater quantities.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47And that meant we could feed our growing societies and huge cities.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51Back then, British farming technology was leading the world,
0:24:51 > 0:24:53but in the 21st century,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56there's a danger the world is overtaking Britain.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03They're now developing driverless tractors in Germany,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06automated fruit-pickers in Spain,
0:25:06 > 0:25:10and even mechanical bees in America.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Other countries, it seems,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14are steaming ahead in the race for robotics.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19So is Britain keeping up with the pace?
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Well, these guys in here certainly think so.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28Harper Adams in Shropshire is one of the only universities in the country
0:25:28 > 0:25:32dealing with agricultural engineering and robotics.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Students here are developing a new generation of farming machinery.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42This is a quarter-scale model of a selective lettuce-harvesting robot.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45This is Nigel, the farm robot of the future.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47One day he will be able to do everything
0:25:47 > 0:25:51that one of these big tractors will do, but all on his own.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54This is Mark II of our mechanised harvester,
0:25:54 > 0:25:56and it's designed to be able to tell the difference
0:25:56 > 0:26:01between plants which are ready to harvest without the need for humans.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03# Harder, better
0:26:03 > 0:26:05# Faster, stronger... #
0:26:06 > 0:26:11These smart machines will make significant savings
0:26:11 > 0:26:16and will revolutionise how we treat our plants in the fields.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19'Professor Simon Blackmore is the course leader
0:26:19 > 0:26:22'for these engineers of our farming future.'
0:26:22 > 0:26:25And smart machines isn't just about getting rid of people, is it?
0:26:25 > 0:26:28Just, you know, making farmers and farm workers redundant?
0:26:28 > 0:26:32No, we still need farmers, we still need people working the land,
0:26:32 > 0:26:33but I do see the advent
0:26:33 > 0:26:37of small, smart machines running around the fields
0:26:37 > 0:26:39doing useful things for us, yes, definitely.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42So when will farmers be able to watch Countryfile
0:26:42 > 0:26:45and have their machines out farming at the same time?
0:26:45 > 0:26:48- I'm sure some are already, but... - HE LAUGHS
0:26:48 > 0:26:53..I think there is a lot of technological advances all the time
0:26:53 > 0:26:56that are moving ahead very quickly
0:26:56 > 0:26:59and our job is to judge these things to bring them in,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03but in terms of the smart machines and the robotics,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05then I see no technological reason
0:27:05 > 0:27:08why we don't have agricultural robots now.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12The student projects are certainly promising,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15but what about British commercial developments?
0:27:15 > 0:27:19Rich Walker has created a highly sophisticated gadget
0:27:19 > 0:27:21that could really lend farmers a hand.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28It's truly mesmerising, but really, what is it?
0:27:28 > 0:27:31- What am I looking at here? - OK, well, this is a research hand.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34We use these all over the world with academics
0:27:34 > 0:27:37who are trying to understand how humans manipulate objects
0:27:37 > 0:27:40so they can make machines that can do those kinds of tasks.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43But you brought it in to be relevant to agriculture and farming.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48Because we've been looking at how humans do complicated tasks, like...
0:27:48 > 0:27:50How do I take that off there?
0:27:50 > 0:27:52Well, I grab that, I twist that, I pull there,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55and if we can get this robot hand to do those kinds of tasks
0:27:55 > 0:27:57then we should be able to build machines that can go out
0:27:57 > 0:28:00into fields and orchards and pick fruit and vegetables.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02And you think this is something practical
0:28:02 > 0:28:04for the future of farming, not just a bit of fun?
0:28:04 > 0:28:06It's definitely a bit of fun for guys like us,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08but we are doing this very seriously
0:28:08 > 0:28:12because we see that in 5, 10, 15 years, these kinds of technologies
0:28:12 > 0:28:16- could well have translated out into real applications.- Really?
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Well, in our field we didn't see the milking robot come,
0:28:18 > 0:28:20and that has been a huge, huge success in farming,
0:28:20 > 0:28:23so it's entirely possible that these could get out the lab
0:28:23 > 0:28:24and be in the fields.
0:28:24 > 0:28:28What's standing in the way of the hand being out in the field?
0:28:28 > 0:28:30Well, this is a kind of premium research product.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33We make a small number of these, they are a six-figure sum.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37This is not designed to go out and cope with rain, wind and mud.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40The next generations will get more and more rugged and robust
0:28:40 > 0:28:42and the price will come down to the point where it is something
0:28:42 > 0:28:44that can be out there in the fields day and night.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46Currently too delicate and expensive
0:28:46 > 0:28:49- for the real farming environment? - Afraid so, afraid so.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53From crop science to robotics,
0:28:53 > 0:28:57Britain clearly has the ingenuity for a second Agricultural Revolution,
0:28:57 > 0:29:01but will it have the support to make that happen?
0:29:01 > 0:29:03The government claims it will...
0:29:03 > 0:29:05soon.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09We have terrific science in our institutions and universities.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12We have terrific farms and farmers.
0:29:12 > 0:29:17That's why we are introducing our new agri-tech strategy
0:29:17 > 0:29:20to pull together the strands that are already there,
0:29:20 > 0:29:22but just needs to be streamlined
0:29:22 > 0:29:25to get some of this technology on to farms.
0:29:25 > 0:29:26Will you be offering more funding?
0:29:26 > 0:29:30Government funding that goes into agri-tech and food
0:29:30 > 0:29:32is in the region of 400 million.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35There will be some more through this agri-tech strategy,
0:29:35 > 0:29:37but I think the important thing to do
0:29:37 > 0:29:42is to pull through industry funding as well to maximise the benefit.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Two things are for certain -
0:29:45 > 0:29:48our population is going up and our climate is changing.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52We are now faced with an opportunity to meet those challenges head-on.
0:29:54 > 0:29:59So here in Britain we have the seeds of the next Agricultural Revolution -
0:29:59 > 0:30:02ingenious plant scientists and inventive engineers,
0:30:02 > 0:30:06but to grow they need money, and that's scarce.
0:30:06 > 0:30:11We'll reap in future decades what we sow with investments today.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21There are few animals on a farm more magnificent than a bull,
0:30:21 > 0:30:25and this week Adam is on the hunt for a rare one - a White Park.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28But first he's had to make a very tough decision.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33A couple of weeks ago we decided
0:30:33 > 0:30:36that about a third of our winter oilseed's rape was a write-off
0:30:36 > 0:30:41and so we had to replant about 100 acres, and this is one of the fields.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44And now the spring oilseed rape that we've put in here
0:30:44 > 0:30:47is just poking its head through, it's just a couple of leaves.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51So what we need now is some moisture but also lots of warm weather
0:30:51 > 0:30:55to get this plant growing, to really kick-start it into life.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02Good dog. Here. Here.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04We're coming to the end of the lambing season
0:31:04 > 0:31:06and so far it's gone really well,
0:31:06 > 0:31:09but inevitably some ewes have had problems.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11Last week one of my Herdwick ewes, a first-time mum,
0:31:11 > 0:31:14showed signs of rejecting her lamb.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18So I rounded them up and took them to an indoor pen.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20I put the lamb onto the mother
0:31:20 > 0:31:23in the hope they'd bond over the next few weeks.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26Away. Sit.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29These are some of my North Ronaldsay ewes with their lambs,
0:31:29 > 0:31:32and also my Herdwick, there, that I had problems with.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35Usually lambs will go to suckle from the side of the ewe
0:31:35 > 0:31:38to get to the teat, but the little Herdwick lamb,
0:31:38 > 0:31:40because it was nervous about suckling
0:31:40 > 0:31:42because its mother batted it away a few times,
0:31:42 > 0:31:44it goes from between her back legs
0:31:44 > 0:31:46and approaches the udder from that way,
0:31:46 > 0:31:49and it just suckles now like that.
0:31:49 > 0:31:50That's the way it's learnt.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53I think she's got the hang of being a mum now.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01We've had about 1,500 new lambs on the farm so far this year,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03with a few more to come.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07But it's not just my ewes that are enjoying the delights of motherhood.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14These are some of my Golden Guernsey goats.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17They've started kidding, which is the term for giving birth.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19Baby goats are called kids,
0:32:19 > 0:32:21and some of them are ready to be turned out into the field.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24So this one's had twins.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27There's one.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29And there's two.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31From the Isle of Guernsey
0:32:31 > 0:32:34there are three breeds that have this golden colour.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37There was the golden donkey, the Golden Guernsey goat
0:32:37 > 0:32:40and the Guernsey cattle, and the cattle are now very popular.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42The Guernsey goat is quite rare,
0:32:42 > 0:32:45and the golden Guernsey donkey is extinct.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48Come on, then.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Come with your babies. Come on, then.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01There, you go in your shelter. There's a good girl.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07The other four Golden Guernsey females I've got out in the fields
0:33:07 > 0:33:11are last year's kids, so they're just over a year old.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14And they'll be going to the billy this autumn
0:33:14 > 0:33:16to give birth in the spring 2014.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19But the only billy I've got on the farm at the moment is their dad,
0:33:19 > 0:33:23so I need a fresh bloodline and I've got a new Golden Guernsey billy
0:33:23 > 0:33:25being delivered back at the farm.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31Caroline Saunders is a Golden Guernsey goat breeder,
0:33:31 > 0:33:34and I'm really keen to see what she's brought along for me.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39- Hi, Caroline.- Hello, Adam. - Thanks for bringing him over.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42- You're very welcome. - Let's let him run in here, shall we?
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Come on, then. Come on.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51Lovely.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53Well, he's lovely, Caroline, isn't he?
0:33:53 > 0:33:57Yes, we've had him now for four years and lots of kids from him.
0:33:57 > 0:33:59- We're very pleased. - Very dark colour.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01Yes, and that does come through with the kids as well.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05- I've got some beautiful dark golden kids from him.- Wonderful.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08- And what's his temperament like? - It's very good.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11He's very good with the ladies. He's very gentle with all the females.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13- You have to watch the horns.- Yeah.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15He just occasionally flicks his head.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18- But apart from that, he's a gentle old goat.- Good.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22- And he's six years old.- He is, yes. - Oh, he's lovely, isn't he?
0:34:22 > 0:34:24It's absolutely fantastic that you're having him.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26I'm really, really pleased he's coming here.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Let's hope he has lots of nice little kids this time next year.
0:34:29 > 0:34:31- Yes, so do I. Thank you very much. - You're very welcome.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35While the new billy settles in,
0:34:35 > 0:34:37I've got to check on another breeding male on the farm
0:34:37 > 0:34:41who might just have to stand aside from his regular duties.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45These are some of my White Parks. They're a lovely breed of cattle
0:34:45 > 0:34:47and they've come through the winter fairly well,
0:34:47 > 0:34:50despite the cold weather and the grass not growing.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53The silage and supplements have done them OK.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55They're either heavily pregnant and due to calf
0:34:55 > 0:34:58or there are one or two that have already calved.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02But I've got two cows in the herd now that are related to my bull here,
0:35:02 > 0:35:06so what I need to do is find a replacement for him if I can
0:35:06 > 0:35:10so that he's not mating with cows that are related to him.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12And I know a farmer who's got some very good
0:35:12 > 0:35:15young White Park bulls for sale, so I've got a bit of a road trip on.
0:35:18 > 0:35:22A couple of weeks ago I heard about a good White Park bull
0:35:22 > 0:35:25that was up for sale, but unfortunately he was snapped up
0:35:25 > 0:35:27before I could get a look-in.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Thankfully I know a farmer, Paul Milner in Leicestershire
0:35:30 > 0:35:32who might have a White Park bull up for grabs.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40- Hello, hi, I'm Adam.- Hello, Adam. - Hi, nice to meet you, too.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43- This is Wilfred.- Hi, Wilf. So, shall we go and look at these cattle?
0:35:43 > 0:35:45Yeah, let's go.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50Right, this is our old stock bull that you might be interested to see
0:35:50 > 0:35:54cos he's the father of the young bull that we have for sale.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58This is Ashenfield Talas. As you can see, he's very quiet.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01- Lovely, isn't he? - Yeah, very good temperament.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03It's certainly important to have quiet bulls, isn't it?
0:36:03 > 0:36:05It is very important, cos in the field where they are
0:36:05 > 0:36:08there are footpaths, and people can just walk with the dogs,
0:36:08 > 0:36:10and he's very good. He just lies there.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12- So how old is he, then? - He is eight years old now.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15- He's getting on a bit.- He's quite old for a bull, really, yeah.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18Well, it's good to see the farmer of young bulls
0:36:18 > 0:36:21that are up for sale, and I'm certainly impressed by him.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23Oh, he's nice. So how old's he?
0:36:23 > 0:36:25He's two. He's just two, this one is.
0:36:25 > 0:36:29- What's his name?- It's Zachary. - Lovely.- Smile Zachary.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31Can I let him out for a little walk around?
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Yes, we can let him out. Just to see what he's like.
0:36:37 > 0:36:38All right, then, fella.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45- There we go.- Lovely! He moves well, doesn't he?
0:36:45 > 0:36:48- Yes, he does move quite quickly. - And what's his temperament like?
0:36:48 > 0:36:51- It's very good temperament, yes. - Yeah, nice-looking bull.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53He's not a bad-looking bull.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57He's got a nice straight back, good back end. Walks well.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00My dad always said to me you need the males in the flocks or the herds,
0:37:00 > 0:37:05their genetics get spread across the whole herd,
0:37:05 > 0:37:06so you want to buy good ones.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09- That's it, you do.- Oh, it's nice to see him next to his dad.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12Yeah, he's a little bit shorter, but it's nice to see the potential
0:37:12 > 0:37:15of what he could grow into, what he's going to grow into, hopefully.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17And he's two now, so got plenty of growing to do?
0:37:17 > 0:37:19Yes, they normally take till about four or five
0:37:19 > 0:37:22before a White Park is fully grown, yeah.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24I like his markings, good black eyes and black nose,
0:37:24 > 0:37:26- but not too dark, is he? - No, he's not too dark.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28You don't want them too dark because sometimes
0:37:28 > 0:37:31when they are dark they do start throwing black calves,
0:37:31 > 0:37:33- which you don't want in the white Parks, really.- No, I like him.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37Very good. Well, shall we put him away, and can I see his mum?
0:37:37 > 0:37:39Yes, you can see his mum. It's just round the end of the yard.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42OK, I'll shove him back in the shed and we'll walk around.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44That's a good boy.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03My word, Paul. What a lovely scene.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05I mean, with this open stone yard and these cattle,
0:38:05 > 0:38:07you could go back 100 years, couldn't you?
0:38:07 > 0:38:09Yeah, it's wonderful, this yard is.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12Absolutely wonderful for these, with their horns and everything.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14They can get out the wind, they love it in here.
0:38:14 > 0:38:15So where's the mother of the bull?
0:38:15 > 0:38:17So the mother's just here, right in front of me,
0:38:17 > 0:38:19just turning round and having a scratch now.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22Oh, she's very nice, isn't she? Quite a big cow.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25- Yes, she is quite a big cow.- She is well marked, a nice straight back.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27Decent udder.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30So the genetics in that young bull, in Zachary,
0:38:30 > 0:38:33he's got a good dad and a lovely mum and he's well grown.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36I mean, really, you know, he's pretty good, isn't he?
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Yeah, he's got good genetics, yeah. Good parentage.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42I suppose the crux of the matter is now, how much do you want for him?
0:38:42 > 0:38:46- Well, we're looking for about 3,250 for him.- Are you?- Yeah.- OK.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52OK. Well, it's something I'm going to have to think on.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55I'll maybe have a sleep on it and phone you in the morning,
0:38:55 > 0:38:57- if that's all right? - That's perfectly all right.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00Well, I really appreciate you showing me around. It's great to meet you.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03Fantastic herd. And I'll give you a ring first thing in the morning.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06- OK, thanks very much. - Brilliant. Cheers.- Bye.
0:39:06 > 0:39:07COW LOWS
0:39:12 > 0:39:16Well, I really like the young bull and his parents are smart, too.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19And this is his pedigree, which is basically his family tree,
0:39:19 > 0:39:20so I can look back in his breeding,
0:39:20 > 0:39:24and there's some good animals here, too, so I know he's well bred,
0:39:24 > 0:39:26but really there's only two cows back at the farm
0:39:26 > 0:39:30that I need him for and I could use artificial insemination instead,
0:39:30 > 0:39:33or sell the old bull to help pay for him
0:39:33 > 0:39:35and put him across the whole herd.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37Decisions, decisions.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43Next week I'm looking at Eric's new calves,
0:39:43 > 0:39:45and one of them came as a bit of a shock.
0:39:55 > 0:39:56Earlier I was on a Hampshire coast
0:39:56 > 0:39:59learning about a heroic top-secret operation
0:39:59 > 0:40:02that took place during the Second World War.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05Now I've come inland
0:40:05 > 0:40:08where a much more contemporary mission is underway.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13Deep within Hampshire's beautiful countryside,
0:40:13 > 0:40:15a mysterious project is in progress,
0:40:15 > 0:40:18hidden from the public eye for the last five years.
0:40:23 > 0:40:24The mission?
0:40:24 > 0:40:29To grow one of the rarest and most expensive vegetables in the world.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32It's all been kept quite literally under a veil of secrecy,
0:40:32 > 0:40:34because this is the first farm in Europe
0:40:34 > 0:40:37to grow the Japanese delicacy wasabi.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44It's best known as a companion to sushi and its popularity is soaring.
0:40:45 > 0:40:50In the last year, sales across Britain have risen by 30%.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57Archaeological evidence suggests that the vegetable wasabi
0:40:57 > 0:41:00has been grown in Japan for more than 2,000 years.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03But no-one has successfully met the challenge
0:41:03 > 0:41:05of growing it on British soil.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08That is, until now.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16One of the men behind this innovation
0:41:16 > 0:41:19is more known for growing watercress - Tom Amery.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24Around about five years ago we decided to look for something
0:41:24 > 0:41:27that we could complement our watercress production
0:41:27 > 0:41:30that was challenging and fairly new to the country,
0:41:30 > 0:41:33so someone suggested growing wasabi.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37So we started investigating and we are here where we are now.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40You couldn't have picked anything more niche, really, could you?
0:41:40 > 0:41:42There was nothing, really, you could find easily about wasabi.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46It's a very secretive industry, over in Japan particularly,
0:41:46 > 0:41:50so what we had to do was find a plan of how to produce it in the UK
0:41:50 > 0:41:54and really from the start we didn't know quite when we would be able
0:41:54 > 0:41:57to start harvesting crops, so that was an unknown as well.
0:41:57 > 0:41:58All this time and effort and money
0:41:58 > 0:42:01that we've been putting into the production
0:42:01 > 0:42:03has led to us, sort of, holding back information
0:42:03 > 0:42:04about how we actually grow
0:42:04 > 0:42:07so we're protecting our intellectual property rights.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10Just like watercress,
0:42:10 > 0:42:14the wasabi plant loves Hampshire's mineral-rich natural spring water.
0:42:18 > 0:42:19I'm on a promise -
0:42:19 > 0:42:23if I keep the location of the farm a secret, I get exclusive access.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29And is this the famous wasabi?
0:42:29 > 0:42:31Yeah, this is the famous wasabi.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34Why is there no soil around?
0:42:34 > 0:42:38Because traditionally wasabi is grown in gravel.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41- It gives us a top quality. - And that's what you want,
0:42:41 > 0:42:43- the luxury end.- The luxury end.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46So what do you do? Just bury a little hole?
0:42:46 > 0:42:51Basically, you just dig a hole roughly three inches into the gravel,
0:42:51 > 0:42:53pop the plant in and then just spread back carefully,
0:42:53 > 0:42:56- try not to damage too many of the leaves.- Sean, it's easy.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58It can't have been any trouble at all for you, this whole project.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01How can I say? It's actually making me go grey.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03You were a young man before you started!
0:43:03 > 0:43:06- Well, basically I still am. I'm only 21.- Are you?
0:43:06 > 0:43:09I know I look 46, but I didn't before I started this job.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13How many plants do you think you've lost along the way?
0:43:13 > 0:43:15Probably in excess of 25,000. SHE WHISTLES
0:43:15 > 0:43:17The biggest challenge for us
0:43:17 > 0:43:20is trying to represent how it grows in Japan.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23It's grown in, sort of, river streams in the mountains,
0:43:23 > 0:43:26with natural, basically, shade from the trees.
0:43:28 > 0:43:30Sean's mimicked the shade of the trees with mesh,
0:43:30 > 0:43:34but there is another of nature's gifts that's needed -
0:43:34 > 0:43:36spring water.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43These plants are at the beginning of their life-cycle,
0:43:43 > 0:43:46but in one of the other tents, Tom's already harvesting.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50- Tom, you're absolutely sure that that's ready?- I hope so.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53You can never really tell until we've pulled it,
0:43:53 > 0:43:57but what we'll do is we'll take it over here, break it open
0:43:57 > 0:43:59and hopefully prepare some wasabi for sale.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02- Look at the size of that! - Yeah, it's huge.
0:44:02 > 0:44:03And if I start...
0:44:03 > 0:44:07So what we've got to do is find the rhizomes, and there we are.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09- Immediately.- That's what you want.
0:44:09 > 0:44:11This is it, yeah. This is exactly it,
0:44:11 > 0:44:14- so what we'll do is we'll... - It looks like a nice, chunky size.
0:44:14 > 0:44:19It is. Well, this plant has been here now for probably about two years,
0:44:19 > 0:44:23so what we would expect is lots of rhizomes.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29Break these off.
0:44:29 > 0:44:31'The rhizome is basically a swollen stem
0:44:31 > 0:44:34'and its these that make the wasabi...
0:44:34 > 0:44:35'wasabi.'
0:44:36 > 0:44:39- Can you eat the whole thing? - Absolutely, yeah.
0:44:39 > 0:44:41The petioles are sold and they're very popular.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44They're pickled or they're chopped and used as an ingredient
0:44:44 > 0:44:47and then the leaf, they're used in cooking as well.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51The rhizome is the key part. That is where wasabi paste comes from.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54How much for the big one?
0:44:54 > 0:44:57So, if we didn't sell this size, which is very large,
0:44:57 > 0:45:01and it would cost probably in excess of £60,
0:45:01 > 0:45:05then that would then go into what we call our processing section
0:45:05 > 0:45:10where we will create 100% wasabi paste
0:45:10 > 0:45:13and that will then be frozen and used in restaurant sales,
0:45:13 > 0:45:15but in a smaller packaging size.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23Time for me to fess up. I don't actually like wasabi.
0:45:23 > 0:45:26I don't like horseradish and I don't like mustard.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29Sean, here, has been cultivating wasabi for five years
0:45:29 > 0:45:31and he has never even tasted it,
0:45:31 > 0:45:33which means that Matt, our lovely chef...
0:45:33 > 0:45:34- Hello, Matt.- Hello, Julia.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37..has really got his work cut out for him.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40So, how can we help, first of all?
0:45:40 > 0:45:43OK, first of all we need to really finely grate the wasabi.
0:45:43 > 0:45:44- I recognise that.- Absolutely.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47- The most important thing is remove the base.- Yes.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50- Right, peeling. - No, we don't need to peel it.- OK.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53No, so we're going to go straight onto grating.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55- It's the finest side, which is this side.- Yeah.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57And it's circular motions, quite gently.
0:45:57 > 0:46:01You want to create a paste rather than like grating cheese.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04'This is what causes the chemical reaction,
0:46:04 > 0:46:07'which gives wasabi its pungent heat.'
0:46:07 > 0:46:11- It's going really well. - So with a bamboo scraper...
0:46:11 > 0:46:14Bamboo scraper! Shall I pop it on there?
0:46:14 > 0:46:16Yeah, just next to the salmon.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20It's probably not going to be the prettiest pile of wasabi,
0:46:20 > 0:46:24but it's definitely the freshest I have ever, ever seen.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27- That's shop-bought wasabi.- Yeah.
0:46:27 > 0:46:28Such a difference in colour.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31Yeah, the tube wasabi isn't really wasabi.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34It's got a small amount of wasabi in it, about 4%,
0:46:34 > 0:46:36and it's 67% horseradish in there.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39Well, no wonder I don't like it. I don't like horseradish.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42Much more powerful, it's got that feeling when it goes up your nose.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44Much stronger, it dominates the palate more than the fresh does.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47The fresh has got a much more subtle, nutty taste,
0:46:47 > 0:46:48with the heat in the background.
0:46:48 > 0:46:52- Right, shall we have a taste? - I think we ought to.- OK. OK.
0:46:53 > 0:46:54You've gone first.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57- You should get the...- Hoo!
0:46:57 > 0:47:00..sort of, wet nut flavours, as well as the heat.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02Hoo-hoo!
0:47:02 > 0:47:05- Hoo!- You definitely feel that going through you.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09The key with the fresh wasabi is once you've grated it
0:47:09 > 0:47:12the clock starts ticking, so it's a fresh flavour,
0:47:12 > 0:47:14it starts to oxidise as time goes by
0:47:14 > 0:47:17so you want to be eating it within ten minutes maximum, really,
0:47:17 > 0:47:21to make sure you preserve those delicate, volatile flavours.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26For some crazy reason, we now agreed to try the shop-bought wasabi.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31- Oh, without the salmon. That's very brave.- Urgh!
0:47:32 > 0:47:34Oh, phew!
0:47:34 > 0:47:36SHE CHOKES
0:47:38 > 0:47:41Oh, that's horrible! I just don't like it.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43That's horrible!
0:47:45 > 0:47:48Luckily, Matt's Bloody Mary numbs the pain.
0:47:48 > 0:47:52Then after a little taste of wasabi butter and wasabi leaves
0:47:52 > 0:47:56we finish off our exotic banquet with a wasabi-infused panna cotta.
0:48:00 > 0:48:02Well, as I'm warmed through with wasabi,
0:48:02 > 0:48:05let's see what the weather's got in store for the week ahead.
0:48:05 > 0:48:06Here's the forecast.
0:49:50 > 0:49:57.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10I've been walking a section of the Shipwright's Way,
0:50:10 > 0:50:12a new trail celebrating the boat-building past
0:50:12 > 0:50:14of Hampshire and its coastline.
0:50:16 > 0:50:17But I'm taking a bit of a detour
0:50:17 > 0:50:19and heading to a kind of prehistoric lab,
0:50:19 > 0:50:21where they're putting the practices
0:50:21 > 0:50:24of some of the earliest boat-builders to the test.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29Butser Ancient Farm is a modern replica of an Iron Age village.
0:50:29 > 0:50:30It was set up in the '70s
0:50:30 > 0:50:34by an innovative archaeologist who had a big idea,
0:50:34 > 0:50:37a way to help us understand how prehistoric man lived.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41His name was Peter Reynolds, and he put it best himself.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44We need to test those ideas, the interpretations,
0:50:44 > 0:50:48the explanations, of the archaeologist.
0:50:48 > 0:50:52And we test them by building direct experiments at a one-to-one scale.
0:50:52 > 0:50:5540 years on, and archaeologist Ryan Watts
0:50:55 > 0:50:59is putting another idea to the test. He suspects that 2,500 years ago,
0:50:59 > 0:51:03man was using more than tools to hollow out canoes.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05Now, I hear you have a new theory.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07- I do have a new theory. - Tell me all about it.
0:51:07 > 0:51:11For thousands of years man has been building
0:51:11 > 0:51:13and using boats pretty much like this one,
0:51:13 > 0:51:17just on a much bigger scale, made out from hollowed-out tree trunks.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19Archaeologists find these from 7,000 years ago,
0:51:19 > 0:51:23and when they find them they think that the ancient man
0:51:23 > 0:51:25used to hack away at them with tools,
0:51:25 > 0:51:28- but I have a different theory on how that can work.- OK, yes.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30If you come with me and I'll show you.
0:51:30 > 0:51:35I'll show you on my much bigger example, here, of a log.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39I think that fire could be used to help with the hollowing out,
0:51:39 > 0:51:42rather than just doing it with the tools that they had.
0:51:42 > 0:51:43Why don't others agree with you, then?
0:51:43 > 0:51:46Well, others don't agree with me because when they find them
0:51:46 > 0:51:49in the archaeological record - they're not very common,
0:51:49 > 0:51:50as you'd imagine cos they rot away,
0:51:50 > 0:51:53but when they do find them they find no evidence of this charring.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55However, around the rest of the world,
0:51:55 > 0:51:59wherever tribal communities use boats like this,
0:51:59 > 0:52:02they use fire to make it easier for them to hollow them out,
0:52:02 > 0:52:05so really I'm asking why didn't our ancient ancestors do it?
0:52:05 > 0:52:08- Yeah, why wouldn't you do it if it does make it easier?- Exactly.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10So let's have a look at the type of fire
0:52:10 > 0:52:12that you're using in this technique, then,
0:52:12 > 0:52:14cos it's not a raging bonfire you've got going.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16It's not a raging bonfire, it would be very difficult
0:52:16 > 0:52:17to control a raging bonfire.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20What I really want is a lot of heat in one place,
0:52:20 > 0:52:23I want it to focus the heat down, so we're using charcoal.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26This is getting towards the end of its, kind of, heat now,
0:52:26 > 0:52:28so I'm just going to put some more on.
0:52:28 > 0:52:30Leaving the charcoal to do the hard work,
0:52:30 > 0:52:33I'm off to see a bit of prehistoric alchemy.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36Jim Clift is a metal casting enthusiast
0:52:36 > 0:52:38and collector of ancient tools.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40Just talk us through what we've got here, then.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43We've got a crucible full of molten bronze.
0:52:43 > 0:52:47So how do you know what a Bronze Age axe head actually looks like?
0:52:47 > 0:52:50Well, we've actually got one from 3,500 years ago,
0:52:50 > 0:52:53- so it's here in my pocket. - Oh, right. OK.
0:52:55 > 0:52:59Wow. And that's 3,500 years old?
0:52:59 > 0:53:01It was found in the '40s
0:53:01 > 0:53:04when they were clearing land for food production.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07And so the mould that you've taken, is it very similar to this?
0:53:07 > 0:53:11- It's exactly the same as that. We've used that as the pattern.- OK, right.
0:53:11 > 0:53:14Well, we'll pop that to one side. I'll put it down there safely.
0:53:14 > 0:53:19After 25 minutes, the bronze is at 1,100 degrees and ready to pour.
0:53:19 > 0:53:21So this is a mixture, then, of copper and tin?
0:53:21 > 0:53:24Yes, 10% tin, and the rest is copper.
0:53:24 > 0:53:27Now that's the definition of red hot, that, isn't it?
0:53:27 > 0:53:29- Right, so we are ready to go. - All set.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34- Is that OK?- Yeah.
0:53:34 > 0:53:36- Right, pour.- Set?- Set, go.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43Look at that. That's mesmerising to watch, that.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47'It's thought the foundry men of old made tools in secret,
0:53:47 > 0:53:50'and because of this they were believed to have magical powers.'
0:53:50 > 0:53:52Do you know, Jim, I know just the person
0:53:52 > 0:53:54who is going to be impressed by a bit of magic.
0:53:54 > 0:53:55Julia's going to love it.
0:53:56 > 0:53:59I'll be taking a closer look once it's cooled,
0:53:59 > 0:54:03meanwhile Ryan's been using one of the blades made by Jim
0:54:03 > 0:54:05to remove the embers from his experimental canoe.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08- Is it cooked?- Pretty much. - Pretty much?
0:54:08 > 0:54:10Oh, and these are the finished tools, then, are they?
0:54:10 > 0:54:13- Yeah, those are the finished tools. - It's very duck-like.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15It is quite duck-like, and that's quite important, actually,
0:54:15 > 0:54:20cos it's different from using a modern axe and you peck away.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23- Oh, it looks quite deep. - Yeah, it's getting there.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26The trick is not getting it too deep and then coming out of the bottom.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29- Yes. Yeah.- Cos that could be a problem.- After all this work.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31Yeah, after all this work the last thing you want to do
0:54:31 > 0:54:33is put a hole in the bottom.
0:54:33 > 0:54:37And it's just a real question of just tapping away
0:54:37 > 0:54:39and it comes away nice and easily.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42But if you have a go, and it's just gentle pecking.
0:54:42 > 0:54:47- You see how it kind of, just, flakes up.- Yeah.
0:54:47 > 0:54:49It's coming off very, very easily.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51We've gone down about two inches.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53Hang on, there it is, look, you see,
0:54:53 > 0:54:55and I've gone straight back to the wood
0:54:55 > 0:54:57and without even trying it...
0:54:57 > 0:55:00Look, if I just scrape that back
0:55:00 > 0:55:02you can see I'm there to bare wood,
0:55:02 > 0:55:06so there is proof that you can get rid of the evidence.
0:55:06 > 0:55:10- There you go, you've made my discovery for me.- Boom!
0:55:10 > 0:55:13- It's happened! - HE LAUGHS
0:55:13 > 0:55:16So early findings suggest Ryan is onto something,
0:55:16 > 0:55:20although he won't be absolutely sure until his boat is finished.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23Time to reveal the axe head now it's cooled.
0:55:23 > 0:55:26There he is, my Iron Age hero.
0:55:26 > 0:55:28- Hi.- I've missed you. - Are you all right?- Very much so.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31- I have brought you a flower. - Oh, that's very kind.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33- It's an edible flower as well. - Is it? Oh, right. What, all of it?
0:55:33 > 0:55:36- Do I eat the whole lot?- Just eat the top, see what you think.
0:55:36 > 0:55:37- The flowers?- Yeah.
0:55:39 > 0:55:42- That's spicy, isn't it? - Yeah, it's a wasabi flower.- Is it?
0:55:42 > 0:55:44Yeah, you can take that home and have it with your sushi.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46Wow, well, listen. I am pleased that you are here
0:55:46 > 0:55:48cos we don't really know how it's going to turn out...
0:55:48 > 0:55:51- What have we got? - But I think you're going to love it.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55- It's a tool!- Look at this! - You've done that today?- Yeah, yeah.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58- Made it just about half an hour ago. - You must have been in heaven.
0:55:58 > 0:56:00- Look at this! - That is really good, Mattie.
0:56:00 > 0:56:04- Hang on, let me just wash it. Look, it's bronze.- Yeah.
0:56:04 > 0:56:06- Who's a clever boy? - Now, that is a beauty, isn't it?
0:56:06 > 0:56:09That's it from Hampshire. Next week we are in the Thames Valley,
0:56:09 > 0:56:11and I'm on the trail of some giant ants
0:56:11 > 0:56:13who have got a very unusual defence mechanism
0:56:13 > 0:56:16that's led to an important scientific discovery.
0:56:16 > 0:56:18And I don't know about bronze, but I'll be finding out
0:56:18 > 0:56:21what it's going to take to win gold as an Olympic rower,
0:56:21 > 0:56:23and I tell you what - on that point, right,
0:56:23 > 0:56:26you'll never believe this - we have changed history today.
0:56:26 > 0:56:28Come on, let me show you me red-hot canoe.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd