Summer Special Countryfile

THEY EXCLAIM

CHEERING

Let's tuck in!

The Cotswold County Show,

28 acres, 215 events and 20,000 people all coming together

over one summer weekend to celebrate the best

and the barmiest the British summer has to offer.

And, for one day only, they're going to be joined by us.

For over 25 years,

Cirencester Park has been bringing communities together

with a showcase of rural talent,

but 100 summers ago,

these fields were filled with tents of a very different kind,

serving not only community, but country.

I'll be finding out more about that later.

Adam's getting into the spirit of things with some new friends.

I'll be taking on the show's theme of where town meets country,

and taking these three city slickers onto the farm

to show them what it's all about.

Meanwhile, John will rustling up some local produce for lunch,

with a hand from a man who's a "Master" in the kitchen.

Bones off like that?

-So I get to be your sous chef?

-Yes, you do.

-Oh, great!

As for Tom, well, he'll be hanging around

to get a very different perspective on what this landscape has to offer.

-Welcome to the top of the tree.

-Thank you.

I could get the hang of this.

With county shows traditionally a place of competition,

we're entering into the spirit of things

with an end-of-day cricket match -

our Countryfile gang versus our guests and their mystery captain.

I can see a fella who's turned up in his cricket whites.

I bet he's come for a match.

Oh, hang on a minute!

Where else would you fight for a coveted rosette

awarded to the fastest ferret,

witness duck-herding displays,

or come face to feathered face with amazing birds of prey?

The traditional British county show, of course -

an eclectic celebration of the best of rural Britain.

And today we are in the heart of the country at the Cotswold Show,

set within the magnificent Bathurst Estate,

just outside the market town of Cirencester in Gloucestershire.

And we're not just here

but we're creating a bit of a party of our own.

Look who's behind us - rugby and MasterChef star Phil Vickery,

cooking up a storm in the tent.

-We'll all have a try later.

-Thank you!

Anyway, let's shuffle this way and part the crowds,

because we've got a load of knitting ladies back here as well,

spinning away. Hello, my dears!

-Are you all all right?

-Yes, thank you!

Good, and also, look who's here. Where's he gone?! John Hammond!

John "Hammer" Hammond hitting the bell, good lad.

You're not here just to demonstrate your strength.

Later on, you're going to be explaining the science

of our wonderful summer weather.

Lots of little experiments to try

and put sense to this lovely weather we're experiencing today.

-We are going to get wet.

-I'll see what I can do.

-We are.

Let's shuffle this away

because Gloucestershire County Cricket club are here.

Thank you very much indeed. Nice throw.

Are you ready? Here it comes!

Lovely! They are proving a real hit with our inflatable net

and memorialising it all in poem and song are our friends

of the programme, Ian McMillan and Tony Husband.

Lovely to have you with us, lads.

The great British county show has always been

a showcase of the skill and ingenuity of rural communities,

a time for isolated villages to come together,

share farming know-how and sell livestock.

The methods of farming may have changed

and the animals on show may be bit more exotic,

but the spirit of these events remains the same.

The show is set in the rather grand back garden

of estate owner Earl Bathurst,

who's been entertaining the town and country folk

for the past 25 years,

along with his wife, the countess.

So how do I address a countess?

Oh, you don't. Lady B's fine, everybody calls me that.

OK, then, Lady B, let's start at the very beginning -

what was the thinking behind the Cotswold Show

right at the very start?

Right at the start, it was really important to my husband,

cos he felt that there was a disconnection

between town and country.

There's been a sort of miscommunication for such a long time

and by getting the two together

in a lovely atmosphere in this lovely area,

I think it's mutually beneficial for all.

We've got people coming in and it's proper, traditional,

really old rural crafts that are coming

and they want to be here and be a part of it

and they want to give that knowledge,

and that's what's so exciting about it.

Do you have a little favourite stall

you always find yourself wandering over to?

-Countryfile this year, of course.

-Ah!

Is that the right answer? MATT CHUCKLES

Listen, Lady B, it's been an absolute pleasure.

I know how busy you are, so I'll let you go.

-I hope you have a great time.

-We already are! Thank you!

I'll see you guys later.

See you later on. The gates have been open for a while,

the place is filling up nicely,

but Tom, he was quite the early bird

and he was indeed the first to arrive.

I've heard of the early bird catching the worm and all that,

but it is 11 hours till any punters arrive.

Why have you dragged me here now?

What we're planning on doing is getting a unique perspective

on the whole park before everything kicks off.

We're hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the park's regular visitors

that actually come here day in, day out.

By the look of what we're approaching,

I think you could be talking about a bird's-eye view here.

It is indeed, yes. It is indeed.

-I'm going to be up in the crow's nest. I like it.

-Absolutely.

Best view in the park.

Wildlife photographer Andrew Walmsley

can undeniably be described as a tree hugger.

Cleared for take-off?

Cleared, on you go.

Chocks away.

He likes nothing more than to hang out for days and nights on end

in the treetops, waiting for the perfect shot.

I'm joining in him in trying to capture some local wildlife

from up in the canopy.

It's a job that demands agility and patience,

something that Andrew will need plenty of with me on board.

That's the one. And then elegantly slide on in.

Hello!

-Right, OK. Welcome to the top of the tree.

-Thank you.

-I could get the hang of this.

-Absolutely.

I can see the appeal tonight, looking out on this great new view,

but what got you into getting up trees in the first place?

I think I've always done it.

Ever since I was a young kid,

I think I spent half my life up a tree. Actually, it got to the point

that if my mum and dad couldn't find me on the ground,

they knew where to look - I'd be hanging around up a tree somewhere.

I can fully understand it, cos when I was a kid,

we had some pretty reasonable-sized apple trees in the garden

and I used to love climbing them, especially the best time of year,

when it was time to pick the apples, then there was an excuse

to go to the really high bit and try get one on the edge of the branch,

my mum looking a bit nervous underneath.

But I'm in safe hands.

Andrew travels to some of the remotest places on Earth

to get shots of exotic wildlife from the highest branches,

a monkey's eye view that's produced some stunning results.

-So if photography's your thing...

-Yes.

..let's see some of the results, how it really works up a tree for you.

This is a Sulawesi crested black macaque.

They're found on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia

and this is where they live.

To get those pictures,

you've got to get up in the trees with them.

I spent four hours sitting there.

I love the way they look so relaxed.

They quite literally are hanging around, seemingly unperturbed by you.

I don't know what they think of me.

I don't know whether they think I'm another monkey

or whether they realise I'm a human but in a different place.

Being tall and ginger with long arms,

I have a bit of an affinity with orang-utans.

Now that I'm hanging around up trees, I'm not helping.

Whether you're in the Indonesian jungle

or parkland on the edge of Cirencester,

being up in a tree is the perfect vantage point

to capture wildlife unawares,

and these long summer days are the best time to do it.

What do you think we might see if we're lucky in the morning?

If we're lucky and we get up early enough,

before everyone else gets in,

we might be able to see some deer.

A 200-acre deer park used to form part of the Bathurst Estate.

During World War I, the enclosure fell into disrepair

and the deer escaped,

but a wild herd still remains.

People are going to start arriving here at 6.30,

which means if we want to get any animals,

we need to be up and at 'em at 4:30,

so really, it's time I went bed.

If only it were that simple.

If you can just get your legs in,

there should be an opening there somewhere.

Yeah, that's the one, yep.

Looks pretty cosy in here, you know.

My only worry is what happens if I need a wee in the night.

I think some things are best left unexplained.

Good night!

But as dawn breaks on the morning of the Cotswold Show,

it looks like the great British weather means our wildlife safari

could be a washout.

It's 4:30 in the morning,

my alarm's just gone off,

to prepare us, to have us ready for a bright dawn brimming with wildlife.

However, it's pouring with rain, as you can probably hear.

Morning.

-Morning.

-How's it looking out there?

Wet.

MUSIC: "Summertime" by George Gershwin

Any self-respecting bird is probably sheltering in its nest

-on a morning like this morning.

-Absolutely. I can't really blame it.

The weather may be putting off the wildlife,

but we're not going to let that dampen our enthusiasm

for some treetop photography.

I thought that the leaves would be a total pain

and you can immediately see

that they give you that feeling of depth as well.

With the donkeys down there, you can use them to frame stuff up.

You can actually find little windows in between the leaves

and you can pick and choose exactly what you want to be focused on.

I do quite like the fact we're cherishing the donkeys from up here.

These are animals I could get so close

I could actually sit and ride on.

But you know what, I bet no-one's ever photographed them

from this angle before.

It's all about finding that different perspective.

There's a light just on the end of that caravan there.

If you get it totally out of focus, it's this nice, big circle,

this nice, big, white circle.

Oh, there's a nasty rain shower on my head.

If you change the word "nasty" for "refreshing"...

It's are you always this eternally optimistic first thing?

Annoyingly so, yes.

We've got a crow flying over there.

OK, here is wildlife shot of the century,

late entry for the Countryfile calendar...

No sightings of fallow deer, then,

but as the Cotswold Show gets underway,

life of a different form is stirring below.

And it's not long before we find ourselves the focus of attention.

Artists in residence, Ian McMillan and Tony Husband,

are rather taken by our leafy abode

and in true British fashion,

they're not put off by the rain.

It helps, I think it has to.

It's like an impressionist painting.

-Like Turner now.

-Just like a Turner, cos he always did his in the rain.

Yeah.

But not everyone's quite as impressed by our monkey business.

Here comes something I must get a shot of.

A rare and exotic species.

Thomas, what ARE you doing in that tree?!

As the crowds pour in,

our Countryfile corner's proving to be a real hit with visitors

and some of the regulars.

Adam's quickly getting into the swing of things,

and Ellie's day's off to a smooth start.

Smoothies on a bike?!

Mmm!

That's lovely!

As for John, he's heading out into the showground...

Oh-ho!

..to explore some of the other attractions on offer.

This county show was set up as a place where townsfolk

could learn more about country life.

That doesn't just mean farm machinery and rural skills.

Plenty of local producers are here today,

celebrating Gloucestershire's proud food heritage.

I've been tasked with preparing lunch for the Countryfile team

so they'll be on great form for the cricket match later in the day,

if rain doesn't stop play.

I'm going to cook up a feast using ingredients on sale here at the show.

Now, they're a pretty hungry bunch, our lot,

so I'm enlisting the help of someone

who's proved to be a "Master" among chefs -

rugby union legend, Phil Vickery.

After hanging up his boots in 2010,

he picked up an apron and went in for MasterChef.

Our celebrity MasterChef champion is...

..Phil.

You were brought up, weren't you, on a farm in Cornwall.

Have you always been interested in cooking, or just in eating?

Both. Ultimately, the joy of food is eating,

and that's certainly my passion.

I'm really going to need you today, so what are you thinking of?

I'm just thinking lots of people, lots of sharing, food on the table,

I'm going to try and get back into that farmhouse kitchen,

people coming in, enjoying all the different flavours.

Nothing fancy - simple, straightforward,

sharing each other's company, chatting, smiling, laughing,

-eating good food.

-So I get the bread, what do you get?

I'm going to try and find some really, really nice meats.

-Right. We'll see you later, then.

-See you later.

There's certainly plenty here to tickle our taste buds.

I'm thinking about a platter of cold meat,

a couple of little combinations.

OK, the black olive's very good, it's one of our best sellers.

I think I'm definitely going to fry up some of your pancetta

and get some of that lovely oil and saltiness as a contrast.

-Does that sound good?

-That sounds good.

-Are you happy?

I'm happy, my friend.

-So if it all goes wrong, I can come back and see you?

-Yeah!

Mustn't get distracted by the cakes -

I'm after bread for lunch.

And here's a very local loaf, a Painswick loaf.

This one I created after Mr Twining, who was born in Painswick village

where I live, so it's with a hint of Earl Grey tea.

Just have a taste of that.

That is beautiful.

There you go.

'Well, we've cherry-picked a fine selection of produce from the show,

'so what's on the menu?' What are you going to cook?

We've got the steak and the bread. What else are you going to do?

What I'll try and do is have a little bit for everybody.

I've got the cold meats with that nice smokiness

and some of that spicing coming through.

Combine that with what is for me the best of British,

that beautiful beef.

Going to roast some vegetables off as well,

but also the great British summertime - show off some salads.

Lots of different textures in there.

I could do you with you going to find me a nice, smoky fish

that I can run through with some tomatoes, the acid, the nice greens.

Looks vibrant, want people to eat it.

-I get to be your sous chef, don't I?

-You do, yeah!

Well, you better get going,

cos cooking doesn't get tougher than this, does it?

D'oh!

It's a bit wet out in the showground,

but it's warm and dry in this rather strange shed.

This is the amazing travelling kipper house.

In here we have some that are just starting.

That's the last thing on the list.

I'm learning fast at this sous chef lark.

The one thing with winning MasterChef,

people suddenly expect you to be able to create things

very quickly, very easily,

so I do feel constantly under pressure.

When people say they want to come round for dinner,

it used to be a jacket spud

with a nice bowl of chilli.

I can't do that any more! I can't do it.

Got the kippers, Phil.

-How about that, look?

-Good man, thank you.

-Four of them.

They look good, don't they?

Maybe pluck the meat off and just run it through a nice salad.

You got any ideas?

Well, I tell you what,

it does seem odd to me, Phil,

to see this big, hunky rugby player talking so passionately about food.

It is amazing just how you can go

to a really, really male-orientated, rugby dinner

and you get these great, big hulks come up to you and say,

-"I cook."

-A confession?

-It is a confession.

With our local meats and freshly-smoked fish,

this is shaping up to be the ultimate British barbecue.

Shall I just scatter the cheese, then, Phil?

-Yes, please.

-Artistically.

Across the salad.

What's the time check, chef?

You now have 40 minutes.

-NERVOUSLY:

-Ooh!

While the guys get the food ready for the table,

I'm off to work up an appetite.

There's one activity that's been part of these rural showcases

since the very beginning, a display of physical prowess

and something that inspires a bit of healthy competition.

Archery.

Historically used as a means of hunting

or a defensive weapon in battle,

the humble bow and arrow has long been a hit at county shows.

However, today, rather than defending the realm,

I'm here to defend my honour.

Against Ellie.

Matthew Nimmo is a real Robin Hood,

a professional archer who's been using a traditional longbow

for 20 years.

He's going to show us how it's done and, most importantly,

decide the winner.

Oh!

-Matthew!

-That was amazing!

-Hello!

-How are you doing?

-Hello!

You've obviously got a big smile on your face

-cos you've just popped the balloon.

-He's won the prize.

I'm not sure I can do that, I've never done this before.

With a little bit of tuition, you will crack it

and you will get a balloon.

-Brilliant.

-Hooray!

-Shall we start by grabbing a bow each

-and see where we're at from there, Matthew?

-Yep.

Our very own Friar Tuck and Little John

have us in their line of sight.

Easy to draw, those arrows?

Cos they look simple to me, I think I could have a go at that.

There we are, simples.

-It's like a cave painting.

-I'll go home now.

You may as well go, Tony. Look at that. You may as well go.

I'm going home.

But will we hit the bull's-eye

or be all of a quiver?

All you need to do is just move your front foot

in the direction you want to travel.

Way off target.

Wah!

I have actually got a secret string to my bow -

I've done this a few times before.

Oh-ho!

Good. Right, that's it, we'll stop now, we'll stop now!

-Don't need to do any more.

-Unbelievable.

-I'm happy now.

-Now we'll have a little competition between the two of you.

-Oh!

There's a balloon on the target.

-We just keep going till we pop the balloon?

-Absolutely.

Maid Marian first.

Looks good, Ellie.

-Oh!

-Oh!

At least it's in the zone now.

-Oh!

-Oh!

-That is close!

Oh, I thought it was there!

I'm imagining an apple on John Craven's encyclopaedic head.

Must...not...miss.

-Yes!

-Yes!

-You've done it!

-Sorry.

-Good work! No, good on you, good on you.

-I'm happy with that.

Do I get to take a little bit of balloon back home now?

-You get a balloon of your choice.

-Oh, lovely!

A bit of friendly Countryfile competition

isn't the only thing that's hotting up.

A dismal start to the day has failed to dampen anyone's mood.

Everyone's getting into the spirit of the show,

not least Adam, who's taken its theme

of "where town meets country" to heart

by giving some new city chums a taste of rural life.

As a farmer, the British countryside is my bread and butter,

but for many people, especially those who live

and work in the towns or cities, it can be quite an alien environment,

although they still manage to get a glimpse of it every Sunday

night from the comfort of their own living rooms

while perhaps sipping a glass of wine or having a Sunday roast.

Ring any bells?

But that's about to change.

Three Countryfile viewers, living life in the fast lane of the

capital, are swapping the congestion zone for my farm in the Cotswolds.

I have encountered cows on a coastal walk in Cornwall.

I was frozen on the other side of the gate, hoping they would go away.

They'll be spending the day out in the sticks with me,

working on the farm.

But how will these city types fare outside zone one?

My contact with wildlife in London is pretty limited.

If I'm lucky, I might see rats on the Tube.

It's not nice, but it's wildlife.

I collect pieces of taxidermy.

That's wildlife, even though it's dead.

Will life in the countryside be all they imagine?

I do have a tweed jacket, which I don't really where that much,

cos you can't really where that in London. It's a bit silly.

Pink wellies, which no-one in the country would ever been seen

dead in. I like the idea of having some chickens, have some nice eggs.

Easy, manageable. Nothing too much. Not that.

SHE LAUGHS

Time to step out of their comfort zone

and experience the reality of life on the land.

Welcome to the farm.

I know none of you get into the countryside very often

and have certainly never worked on farms before,

so I'm going to show you around, and hopefully you'll

get a bit of a taste of what we get up to here and enjoy the day.

Right, follow me.

'First job of the day, sorting out the pigs.'

Right, these are my Gloucestershire Old Spot.

We've got five sows, five females and a boar in there.

Just got to get over this electric fence first.

We'll just hop over that, it's the quickest way. Hop over there, Terry?

-Yep.

-That's it.

PIGS GRUNT

You get over there? Can you hop over?

Do you not like electric fences?

I'm quite scared of electric fences.

I'm scared my hair will go grey and I don't want grey hair.

There was a big palaver, getting me over the electric fence.

Huh!

LAUGHTER

-Very good.

-My body touched it.

-Again!

Right, so this is the hut where the pigs sleep.

-We need to bed it down with some straw.

-We're getting in?

Get in there.

I could sleep in it, it's actually bigger than my flat.

'With the guys busy making up the pigs' bedroom,

'it's Anabelle's job to sort out their en-suite.'

Get the water out of the trough and pour it into this wallow

and she'll just mud bath in there.

When it gets hot, that cools her down.

PIG GRUNTS

-You can just shake it, look.

-Yeah.

Mucky hands. Feel like I need to go and wash them now.

Not in there. Or there.

There we go. Look! Clean! Good as new.

'Anabelle might be finding the pig wallow dirty work,

'but at least somebody appreciates her efforts.'

He wants to be friends with me now.

'And she seems to be feeling more at home in her new surroundings.'

Bye!

'I keep everything on the farm, from rare breed goats to chickens,

'and it's a never-ending job to look after them all.

'Although I feel incredibly lucky to live in the countryside

'and love it, running a farm is certainly no walk in the park,

'as my rookie farm hands are finding out.'

That's it! You've only got 500 more to go.

It's going to be a long day.

'But there are rewards that come with this hard work,

'as they're also discovering.'

-It isn't a moving moment.

-It IS a moving moment.

I feel like I'm helping nature.

'And their work's not yet done.'

We got a 1,600 acre tenancy here, so there's always things going on.

We've got about 500 commercial ewes on the farm,

and we've just got to get some into the pen.

There's always hard work to do, so you can help me get them in.

-Run if you like.

-Don't run too fast.

-No.

Whoo!

Don't leave any behind!

Boo!

You can always you a sheepdog for this job,

but why not just use three people from the city?

Ahh!

La, la, la, la, la!

Anabelle!

Get behind, you're on the wrong side! Go round the other side!

Oh, no, they're coming towards me!

BLEEP

Quick! Quick!

Not sure who's chasing who!

Having a lovely time!

Go on! Go on! Go, go, go!

-That's it. Well done, Liz.

-GO!

I think I might just send the dog, give them a hand.

HE WHISTLES

Woo-ah!

Go on! Team dog. Come on! Up, up, up!

-That's it.

-Just get them all, bring them all.

Bring them on.

-Get them in.

-Go, go, go!

Up.

That's very good!

-I think that's 20 points out of 20 points for the fetch.

-Yes!

Yeah, well...

I like the idea of doing lots of manual labour

and coming back home and having a hearty meal. I just...

Yeah, it's like a proper day's work, isn't it?

There was a point where I think I couldn't breath any more,

but it's been really exhilarating. No, I've loved it.

Come on, come on.

I wouldn't be able to run a farm, definitely not.

But, you know, I might be able to look after a couple of chickens.

Maybe a dog.

Terry, Liz and Anabelle, they've all got stuck in.

It just shows that anybody can come from any walk of life

and get involved with farming.

'The guys have stuck around to experience a little

'more of what country life has to offer.'

All of these people are from London.

They should know how to use the London digging spade!

Look at that. You're a natural.

HE LAUGHS

Have it back.

'But while it's a picture of summertime fun here today,

'rewind 100 years, and bucolic scenes like this were about to be

'shattered by the outbreak of the First World War.'

The activities in this park

were drawing a crowd for a very different reason.

It was commandeered as a military training camp,

preparing men to fight in foreign fields.

Armed with a sword and a rifle, soldiers were brought here to

be taught infantry tactics and horsemanship.

These rare reminders have been brought to light by the

Worcestershire Yeomanry Museum, and today,

they're being shared with the Earl and Countess.

Lord and Lady Bathurst, I don't know if you've met Stamford before,

but Stamford's brought along some incredible photographs of

when the estate was used as a training camp, haven't you?

Yes, the Worcester Yeomanry, with the Warwickshire Yeomanry

and the Royal Gloucester Hussars, were here from April, 1915.

They ran special trains from as far away as London to come

to the camp to view these soldiers in training on a Sunday.

The Tan Band would come out, apparently,

plus a regimental band, and they'd play the music, and of course,

what they were trying to do was to recruit more

soldiers for service in the Great War.

The album itself was photographed by a chap called Lieutenant Holyoake.

He produced this wonderful record showing what was happening

normally in camp at any time during the day.

Do you recognise any of these areas?

COUNTESS: Oh, that's the polo grounds.

One of the pictures is of Brian Hatton,

really quite an acclaimed equestrian artist.

That picture, especially, is rather poignant in that he served

the Worcester Yeomanry and was killed on Easter Sunday, 1916.

But it wasn't just the estate itself, was it,

that had connections with the Great War, because your family did, too?

Very much so, whether it was my grandfather, great-grandfather

or great-grandmother, they were all very heavily involved.

I've been reading through some of the letters

that my grandfather wrote back.

A very short paragraph here, dated 7th of October, 1918,

when he says, "I had a bit of fun here on my own,

"being sent to reconnoitre a station with about 20 men

"and finding the Huns were burning it, and the place full of Huns

"and Turks, we charged into them."

'Already highly decorated, Lord Bathurst's grandfather was awarded

'the Distinguished Service Order for this act of bravery in Egypt.

'But we've tracked down details never seen

'by the Earl and Countess.'

Have you come across this in the London Gazette?

"This officer carried out the retirement of the troop

"in perfect order, and when attacked by the enemy from a flank, another

"charge was made, inflicting loss and enabling him to get away intact.

"Throughout this mission, he showed splendid gallantry,

"a marked ability to command." That's just quite moving.

-Oh!

-Very moving.

Yes, that's amazing. I've never seen that before. Gosh! Quite filling up!

-That's quite something.

-Fantastic.

If you want to find out more about the role your relatives or the

landscape you live in played during the Great War, you can,

by using the BBC's World War I At Home website.

Ten minutes!

Lunchtime is fast approaching

and there's a gaggle of hungry Countryfilers in need of refuelling.

Phil and I are on our final push in the kitchen

and, in the nick of time,

our locally-sourced feast is ready to be served.

OK, folks, it's lunchtime.

-Take your places.

-Yum!

And what a lunch we have for you.

John, this is lovely.

-How did the archery go?

-That's how the archery went. Look at that.

You actually pierced the balloon, did you?

I was one away from getting the balloon. Boo!

Anyway, we've got this fantastic lunch for you,

courtesy of Mr Vickery.

APPLAUSE

-Speech!

-LAUGHTER

Goodness me, Phil, that looks tremendous.

Talk us through what we've got.

Well, you've got to help me out, John, because, believe it or not,

he was actually my sous chef for the day as well.

So, anything you don't like is his responsibility.

Well, I cut the cheese... and I tried to get all of the bones

out of the kipper, and that's about it.

Yeah, we've got some beautiful Gloucester sausages,

some lovely British steak,

some beautiful Cornish hams,

a great, big salad to dig in,

John's kippers down the end...

-as a little bit of an option.

-LAUGHTER

-But enjoy.

-APPLAUSE

Good man. Good eating.

Just before we eat, and don't eat too much

because we want you all fit for the cricket this afternoon,

have you got any idea who our mystery star cricketer might be?

Well, Ian, you've got a little clue for us, haven't you?

The mystery guest makes my heart go thump.

He was the best at the middle stump.

Beefy Botham?

- Viv Richards. - Ah-ha.

Maybe.

You've been sketching away, Tony. What have you got there?

I've got the Countryfile Chimps Tea Party.

-LAUGHTER

-How rude!

Right, everybody, let's tuck in.

'What a spread.

'Although I think that behind every good chef

'there's a pretty good sous chef.'

-You're a bit of a chef as well, John?

-Oh, I am.

-Perfectly chopped cheese, don't you think?

-It is beautiful.

CHATTER

The boys' meal might be a resounding success,

but something that's been hit and miss all day,

and usually all summer, is the weather.

For now, at least, it is fine,

much to the Countryfile barometer of all things rain or shine,

-weatherman John Hammond.

-It's turned out nice again.

It certainly has. I bet you get the blame when it doesn't.

Yeah, but people don't understand.

We don't make the weather - we just try and understand it

and forecast it. Sometimes we get it right, don't we?

'Using a few simple experiments,

'weatherman turned fairground showman John is going

'to try and explain to me

'three things that make up our summer weather -

'rainstorms, lightning

'and, first of all,

'how temperature and pressure combine to create thermal currents.'

-OK, we've got a flask here...

-And some eggs?!

Some hard boiled eggs, OK?

Now, what we're going to do is heat up the air inside that flask,

-so I'm going to light a bit of paper...

-OK.

We've got yourselves a flame. OK...

And we're going to put that inside the flask, like that.

-Now, put an egg in there.

-This one?

-Yeah.

-A squidgy one.

The egg cuts off the air supply, putting the flame out.

As the temperature in the jar drops, so does the air pressure,

creating an air vacuum into which our egg is sucked.

It's going, it's going, it's going, it's going.

-It gets sucked in.

-APPLAUSE

'Turn this experiment on its head and you have thermal currents.

'Air at ground level is heated by rays of summer sun.

'This hot air is sucked up into the cooler atmosphere above.

'When these rising thermal currents eventually cool,

'they release their moisture as rain.'

Right, now this is my thermal device here, OK,

and a big, big hammer.

So I want you to do is sort of replicate the idea of a warm day,

where you've got a lot of heat being generated by the sun,

and it goes up through the atmosphere and it cools and condenses

-and produces showers.

-These are our rain clouds, are they?

These are our rain clouds and, on a moderately warm day,

not too much thermal activity, but moderate.

-Give it a moderate whack...

-Yeah.

..you get a slight shower.

Well done. So I want you to produce a big rain cloud.

Go ahead, see what you're made of.

-Here we go.

-Oh, no good.

Done. In my puny absence, step up.

Here we go.

-I have been practising, I have to admit.

-Give it some wellie.

Stand-by.

-BOTH: Yay!

-We are drenched.

So we got a big summer rain cloud.

But those big storms in summer, what else do you get, Ellie?

-Good old thunder and lightning.

-Thunder and lightning.

So, you know what, we're going to generate our own thunder storm.

In prolonged periods of hot weather, these warm,

moist thermal air currents can rise

so high into the ever-cooling atmosphere that they

turn from water droplets into ice crystals, which

rub against each other, creating an electrical charge and lightning.

So what we want to do is replicate that with this device here.

-This is called a Wimshurst generator.

-Is it now?

And it's about 100 years old, but it does the job.

If you can just hold each end, right at the end. Any last wishes?

-SHE LAUGHS

-Don't say that!

-I'm going to turn this handle here...

-What have I got to do?

Just hold on to those handles. I'm charging things up.

-Ready.

-More and more charge. Now, try and bring them together.

Yay! We've got lightning... and I'm alive. Woo-hoo!

What we've done - yes - is produce our own little

crack of lightning cos that's what happens in clouds.

One part of the cloud gets charged up with positive

and the other part gets charged up with negative.

When the charge becomes so great, you get a spark between the two.

That's what happens in the atmosphere -

huge great bolts of lightning,

a lot more electricity than we generated here.

We have produced our own thunderstorm.

Let's hear it for John Hammond's Weather Cabinet of Curiosity.

CHEERING

Well done, my man.

I've been coming to shows like this since I was a kid so, for me,

it's great to be able to share these occasions with my own lad, Alfie.

And what better way to do some father-son bonding than indulge in

a bit of healthy competition with the help of Alfie's four-legged friends?

Hi, you must be Sally.

-I am. Welcome.

-This is Alfie.

-Hello.

-Hello, Alfie.

-And this is who, Alf?

-This is Pepper. This one's Scratchy.

Lovely. And this is Moon Bear.

He's part ferret, part pole cat.

-Is the pole cat wild...?

-Pole cat is the wild version.

-How many ferrets do you have?

-I have 46.

46?!

Now, Pepper here does try and nibble a little bit.

What's the technique to stop that?

Well, we say rocking them helps a lot.

It keeps them occupied and you just stroke them calmly,

and it sort of breaks the cycle in their heads.

So we thought we'd try a bit of ferret racing. Would that be OK?

Perfectly. We'll find someone else to make up the teams.

I reckon Pepper's going to thrash yours, Alf.

Are you ready?

Get set, go!

The rules are it starts here, goes up,

turning circle, comes all the way back.

'Bringing some spice to the yellow lane, we've got my ferret Pepper,

'whilst Alfie's got Scratchy tearing up the blue.

SHE SHOUTS

-Come on!

-No!

'Pepper wins it. That's got to be salt in the wound for Scratchy.'

Alf. HE LAUGHS

The aim of the Cotswolds Show is to bring urban

and rural communities together...

but the idea is nothing new.

A Cirencester-based organisation brought women from the town to the

country a century ago, as I've been discovering.

The Women's Farm and Garden Union, a group of women who battled against

the odds to make working the land an acceptable career for a woman.

When the First World War broke out, men signed up to fight

and agricultural land was left idle.

It was down to the women to take their place in the fields

on the home front.

It was the Women's Farm and Garden Union that mobilised the workforce.

Cherish Watton is a historian who has widely researched the big

role this little organisation played.

So how did an organisation that was small and voluntary go on to

be something so significant once war was declared.

So once it was clear that there was basically

a shortage of labour on the farms,

a deputation from the Women's Farm and Garden Union

then met with Lord Selborn,

the president of the Board of Agriculture,

to set up the Women's National Land Service Corp.

Initially, 800 women were trained, but by 1916,

it was clear they needed thousands more...

and so the Women's Land Army was born.

But, surprisingly, recruitment drives paraded city streets,

not rural lanes.

-FEMALE VOICEOVER:

-Women of England,

wake up and answer your country's urgent call for help.

30,000 are needed for the Women's Land Army

and where could you be doing nobler work than on a farm?

Right, shall we get into the spirit of things?

Definitely. These look lovely.

So where were they recruiting the ladies from?

So ladies mainly came from your kind of educated, middle class,

urban areas, who basically hadn't done any work on the land before.

They kind of looked at the propaganda posters

and wanted to have that outdoor life.

That seems quite a surprise. Why didn't they go for rural girls?

Basically, a lot of the rural women

had experience of working on the land.

They had done, first-hand, a lot of the hard work

and some women saw it as quite degrading

and actually inferior to that of domestic service.

So they really weren't as taken in by the propaganda posters

and basically had the reality of working on the land.

The country had to become more self-sufficient or face

starving into surrender.

The city girls quickly found their farming feet.

But it wasn't just the men who'd been lost to fight in battle -

many horses were drafted into the cavalry.

The land girls had to find alternative beasts of burden

to help feed Britain to victory.

Even circus elephants made an appearance in some fields.

So this is what the ladies would have read

when they came in off the land, The Landswoman.

Yeah, the official journal of the Women's Land Army

-and the Women's Institute.

-Fantastic.

So these were the outfits they wore? They're really smart, aren't they?

It was the first time that they were allowed to wear breeches,

which really was quite revolutionary, really.

One person who felt this freedom was Valerie Linda's mother Dorothy.

She was 18 when war broke out

and signed up to be a land girl on a dairy farm in Peterborough.

-So this is your mum's armband here.

-Yes.

-Wow.

Yes, they've got them on here.

Are there photos of your mum here? Which one's your mum?

-There.

-Oh, there.

So your mum, what was her role when she was in the Land Army?

-What did she do as her job?

-Delivered milk.

Delivered milk.

"Here we are, two Gunthorpe girls delivering milk in a downright

"businesslike fashion." THEY LAUGH

I think they suddenly discovered women were far more important

than they thought they ever were.

And very competent.

And very competent and very capable, thank you very much.

And what did she think of the uniform?

-It's...

-She liked it.

-Did she?

They were wearing trousers.

They were not feeling restricted by the clothes they were.

She said many times it was the happiest time of her life.

She thoroughly enjoyed it.

100-odd years later,

the small organisation from which the Women's Land Army grew

are still helping people who want to retrain for a life working the land.

The Work and Retrain As a Gardener Scheme

is their latest recruitment drive.

It's transforming Debbie and Nora's lives,

just like the land girls before them.

Does it scratch that itch for you?

Definitely. It's changed my life totally.

So what do you think you'll do

when you've finished your placement in this garden?

I'm going to do a part-time horticultural course

-and do business in gardening.

-Lovely.

-Keep working the land.

-Yes.

-The war-time spirit.

-Definitely.

-Ah-ha! Lovely. I'll leave you to it.

-Thank you very much.

From humble beginnings, the work of this Cirencester-based organisation

has revolutionised opportunities for those who want to work the land.

The only real difference over the past century...

..men can now sign up too.

Back at the County Show,

our Countryfile Corner is offering its own window onto the rural world.

From watching wool make its journey from fleece to jumper...

to something quintessential summer pastimes.

Like the show itself, we've been embracing traditional

and modern ways of country life...

..and witnessing it all with us have been our friends from the north,

poet Ian McMillan and cartoonist Tony Husband.

Now, with our big cricket match looming, there's a chance to

take time out and see what they've made of our day in the Cotswolds.

The poem's got a chorus, which we'd like you all to join in with.

Meanwhile, my friend Tony Husband will show the cartoons

he drew for each item. Right.

Well, it makes you think and it makes you smile,

I refer or course to...

-ALL:

-Countryfile!

Yes, it makes you smile and it makes you glow,

-Countryfile at the... ALL:

-Cotswolds Show!

Matt and Ellie shoot the balloon, Matt's arrow flew to a distant moon,

Ellie let go, well, far too soon

and the shot shot into a small front room in Cirencester.

Tom had a heap of fun in a tree,

got five minutes sleep at ten past three,

was lolling in a branch, just feeling free,

but where do you go when you need a...slice of toast?

Food is good for body and soul,

keeps the mind and spirit whole,

but you want a chef who's in control,

that's why I've got a belly like a rugby ball.

A wondrous sight is a racing ferret,

with style and grace and speed and merit.

There's nothing to which you can compare it,

if a creature needs a metal, Adam's one should get it.

LAUGHTER

Thunder, lightning, rain and snow all make John Hammond's experiments grow.

There's no weather facts that he don't know,

from gale force winds to ten below.

Every group needs a presiding spirit with the past

and the present contained within it,

whose enthusiasm knows no limit, the Countryfile King John Craven is it.

And there's one thing you need before you go to bed,

that fills with hope or fear or dread,

the five-day forecast for the week ahead.

Well, it makes you think and it makes you smile, I refer of course to...

-ALL:

-Countryfile.

APPLAUSE

We've been celebrating the best our countryside has to offer

at the Cotswold County Show.

But summer just wouldn't be, well - cricket - without

the unmistakable crack of leather on willow.

And, as our practising has proven,

the inaugural Countryfile versus Guests six-a-side match

could be a truly unique spectacle.

Right, ladies and gentlemen,

we're about to begin this epoch-making cricket match

between the Countryfile presenters and the visitors.

Lord Bathurst will be the umpire.

Before we can begin, poet turned cricket commentator

Ian McMillan evens up the opposition with a few late entries,

including city slicker Liz and another familiar face in the crowd.

I can see a fellow who's turned up in his cricket whites.

I bet he's come for a match.

Oh! Hang on a minute! What's going on here?

You look a bit like that fellow, Matthew Hoggard, who used to play for Yorkshire and England.

-Ah, lad. That's the one.

-Come and join us, for goodness' sake.

Matthew Hoggard, ladies and gentlemen. The great Matthew Hoggard.

Bowled a googly from the off,

with an Ashes winning cricketer now facing us, things could be tricky.

Luckily, Countryfile rules means, like the rest of us,

he can only bowl and bat for one over.

MUSIC: Theme from "Test Match Special" - Soul Limbo

So, Matt and Ellie are walking out now.

Looking confident, I think, with a frisson of absolute terror.

With Ellie and me in to bat first,

and rugby star Phil Vickery facing us, it's game on.

Come on!

RECORD SCRATCHES

I enjoyed that. It was kind of poetic.

There was skill involved and a certain "je ne sais quoi",

as we say in Barnsley.

'It's a slow start, but Matt "The Bat" Baker

'and Ellie "Hacker" Harrison soon get into the swing of things.'

Good. Wait, wait!

This is like when they first invented cricket.

And weren't sure what the rules were.

-Run!

-They're running, they're running.

Ellie's running, Matt's running.

That's good that they're both running.

Notching up an impressive nine not out.

Well done!

It's time to hand over the reins, to let the others have a crack at it.

After some dubious decisions...

There's a wide. Matthew's having a word with the umpire,

he's discussing the abolition of the peerage.

..and mixed performances...

A valiant effort by John Craven.

..fearless investigator Tom finds himself on the end

of Matthew Hoggard's swing.

When I said you were past it, I didn't really mean it, all right?

HE CHEERS

Oh, he wasn't out.

After a lucky escape,

it isn't long before the King of Swing gets his wicket.

All out for 49.

'Time for a well-earned half-time tea break.'

-Cake!

-This is the best bit!

'As we swap cricket bats for cucumber sandwiches...'

-Cheers, everybody!

-49 to beat!

'..over in ex-England cricketer Matthew Hoggard's side,

'it's a tough team talk, rather than a genteel tea party.'

Play yourself in walking in.

-And then you smack it straight back over their heads.

-Yes, boss.

-I thought you took it very easy first over.

-I was trying to be fair.

When you were under Michael Vaughan, was he as bullying is this?

He was actually quite nice.

'Our more laid-back approach hasn't gone unnoticed.'

They might not come out. They were just having a cup of tea. Oi oi!

A good game's a quick game! Come on!

'And before John can finish his cupcake, the visitors are getting a little restless.'

Quick turnaround!

Stop stuffing your face full of chocolate cake.

Drink your tea. Let's get out there and play cricket.

With a score of 49 to defend and two ex-sportsmen coming into bat,

if we want to win this, it's time to show what we're really made of.

Tiny terror, Adam's son Alfie,

is the first to bowl against city slicker Liz.

-Oh!

-First ball. Goodness gracious me!

And he gets our quest for Countryfile glory

off to a smashing start.

Next up, though, he faces a David versus Goliath battle

against rugby legend Phil Vickery.

He runs. Phil's looking nervous.

What a bouncer that was!

No wicket, but it's the big man who looks more shaken by the encounter.

Quick!

The helmet was in the way!

'With the scoreline closing faster

'than Adam Henson's wallet at the bar...'

Oh!

They're up to 37 now.

'..it's time for Baker to turn bowler...'

Come on!

'..as Matt enters the fray in true Countryfile style.'

Baker's going to bowl up in his special northeastern pumps.

It's the old Whitley Bay flip-flops he's wearing today.

Oh! Yeah!

With our weatherman's wicket well and truly bowled over,

Ashes legend Matthew Hoggard steps up to the crease

and our Matt unveils his lethal long run-up.

Matt runs. He throws.

It's landed in a marquee that's selling very expensive kitchenware.

Still, Lord Bathurst will pay for it.

Maybe sometimes you can set your sights too high.

And with the visitors needing three runs to win,

facing Countryfile King John Craven,

Matthew Hoggard finally goes the full hog.

Six runs, which means the visitors have won the match.

-Well played.

-Thank you, sir.

-Well played. Very good.

'We might have lost the cricket, but we've had

'a cracking summer's day out here at the Cotswold County Show.'

-Hip-hip.

-Hooray!

-Hip-hip.

-Hooray!

-Hip-hip!

-Hooray!

Well, that is it for our summer special from the Cotswolds.

Thank you to everybody for making us feel so welcome.

Next week, we will be in Northern Ireland.

-I hope you can all join us then.

-Bye-bye!

-See you later.

Right, I tell you what, them cucumber sandwiches were nice,

but, Phil, have you got any more of that steak left?