Sat, May 12, 2012
Nick Crane signs on as a deck-hand with a tall ship. He hopes to fulfill a childhood ambition by setting foot on tiny 'Fair Isle'. This is the most remote populated outpost in the British Isles and home to just 70 hardy souls. At Scapa Flow on Orkney, Neil Oliver explores the conspiracy theories surrounding the mysterious death of Lord Kitchener. Neil meets locals on Orkney who believe tales of suspicious events on the fateful night of the wreck. Historian Tessa Dunlop hopes to witness an extraordinary and uplifting sight that is special to the Western Isles of Scotland: the mysterious Green Ray. On the Isle of Wight Coast newcomer Andy Torbet finds himself scaling slippery new heights on the Needles. There is a special appearance by legendary folk singer June Tabor who tells the tale of the mysterious Selkie, a mythical creature that can take the shape of man or a seal.
Sat, May 19, 2012
Coast ventures to the furthest flung reaches of the British Isles to discover the most extreme locations, lifestyles and challenges of 'Life Beyond The Edge'. Nick Crane explores the exotic Isles of Scilly - 28 miles beyond Land's End, these are England's final full stop. To discover what life is like on this extreme edge, Nick visits the last house on the very tip of the most westerly inhabited isle. On precipitous slopes, beyond the edge of Devon, Coast newcomer and social historian Ruth Goodman follows in the footsteps of the remarkable Branscombe cliff farmers, who for generations followed a hardy way of life that's now gone with the sea breeze. Mark Horton explores the cutting edge of Victorian information technology in a celebration of one of Britain's most audacious engineering achievements. The titanic struggle to create the transatlantic telegraph service between Britain and America would eventually herald the birth of global communications, the transatlantic cable. Mark and the team rebuild the ingenious invention which, in 1865, finally made the transatlantic cable a glorious reality after ten years of tragic failure. And, on the dramatic rocky edge of St David's Head in South Wales, Hermione Cockburn explores the very limits of life on the planet to reveal the astonishing fossil of a large sea creature - one which lived 300 million years before the dinosaurs.
Sat, Jun 2, 2012
Nick Crane tells the astonishing tale of the Great Storm of 1703. The Great Storm of 1703 was one of the most severe storms or natural disasters ever recorded in the southern part of Great Britain. The storm came in from the southwest on 26 November 1703 (Julian calendar) or 7 December 1703 in the current calendar. Observers at the time recorded barometric readings as low as 973 millibars (measured by William Derham in south Essex), but it has been suggested that the storm may have deepened to 950 millibars over the Midlands.
Sat, Jun 9, 2012
This week, Nicholas attempts to brave the dangerous rapids off the coast of Anglesey, and learns about a tidal predictor in Liverpool. Miranda takes a look around Jersey's Seymour Tower to see the marine life revealed at low spring tide. Tessa compares the fashions in bathing suits favoured by different generation
Sat, Jun 16, 2012
Nicholas looks for leeches in the pebble-pools of Dungeness and finds out how the area was first formed. Hermione takes is in the air to view sand art in Jersey. Andy Torbet takes a look around one of the country's most dangerous beaches. Tessa is at a steelworks built on the shore of Port Talbot.