Saving Planet Earth
Local programming
As part of the Saving Planet Earth season, 14 specially tailored local programmes are being shown on Wednesday 4 July focusing on the plight of the UK's endangered wildlife.
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Each programme gives details of how viewers can get involved in local conservation projects.
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Wildlife presenter Michaela Strachan fronts a five-part series on 91Èȱ¬ Two, featuring highlights from the 14 local Saving Planet Earth programmes.
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Saving Planet Earth – Scotland
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Tom Conti turns the spotlight on some of Scotland's most endangered animals as he travels around the country.
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The actor journeys to the Black Isle with film-maker Fergus Beeley to revisit the locations where he memorably captured Scottish wildcats on film. Experts believe there may be as few as 400 still in existence in the Highlands of Scotland.
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Next stop is Mull, where alongside David Sexton of the RSPB, he catches a breathtaking sight of sea eagles. The white-tailed sea eagles became extinct in Britain in 1918 and were only re-introduced from Norway in 1975.
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It took ten years for them to breed successfully. Now they have a haven in Mull, but face persecution from illegal poisoning if they stray towards the mainland.
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On the sea off the island, he finds out about the monitoring of dolphin numbers with conservationist Nick Davis.
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Tom says: "Like so many other species around the world, these Caledonian creatures need our help now."
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The programme also celebrates animals which are thriving, with a tour on the high seas with the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust to see coastlines teeming with wildlife.
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Saving Planet Earth – Northern Ireland
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Three of the nation's most endangered inhabitants are in the spotlight – the Irish hare, the kingfisher and, most elusive of all, the pine marten. Dennis Taylor uncovers how progress in Northern Ireland may have had an adverse effect on the pine marten's natural habitat.
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Dennis travels to Belfast International Airport, home to one of largest colonies of the Irish hare in Northern Ireland. There, the Irish hare is safe among the long grass and tall fences surrounding the concourse. Although they have been in Ireland since the last Ice Age, these animals seek shelter on the runway away from the harmful threat of predators and farmers.
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On the River Blackwater, Dennis meets presenter Darryl Grimason as they hunt out the striking kingfisher. These beautiful birds are becoming less and less spotted due to the diminishing quality of water and the frequent building developments springing up by river banks.
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On the shores of Upper Lough Erne, in County Fermanagh, Dennis visits one of the most important nature conservation sites owned by the National Trust. Here in the Crom Estate, he goes in search of the pine marten, a distant relative of the badger and currently a protected species in Northern Ireland.
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Dennis also investigates the natural inhabitants of Strangford Lough in County Down and goes night watching for deer in Randalstown Forest in County Antrim.
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Saving Planet Earth – Wales
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Goldie Lookin' Chain's Maggot travels the length and breadth of Wales to learn more about its endangered species.
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With the help of experts, self-confessed city boy Maggot learns more about the plight of the rare and threatened leather-back turtles, red squirrels, the grass snake and the lesser horseshoe bat.
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Featuring rare footage of the leather-back turtle, the programme tells how the polluted waters they live in pose a huge threat to their survival. The translucent appearance of some discarded plastic bags is often mistaken for jellyfish and, once ingested, they slowly and cruelly kill these gentle creatures.
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On the Glynllifon Estate in North Wales, Maggot is introduced to the lesser horseshoe bat, the aristocrats of the bat world, who are rather picky when it comes to choosing a place to roost.
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Expert Rhys Jones enlightens the nature novice about the habits of the common grass snake, eventually releasing a clutch of newborns into a back garden in Caerphilly.
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Saving Planet Earth – North East & Cumbria
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Chris Ryan, ex-SAS soldier, author and TV presenter, travels to Northumberland's Kielder Forest to find out what is being done to conserve wildlife in the region.
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His search begins with the red squirrel, which has been native to Britain since the Ice Age, but is now threatened by the stronger and more aggressive grey squirrel. It is thought that Kielder Forest is host to around three quarters of the red squirrel population in England.
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Chris also goes in search of one of the UK's rarest birds of prey, the hen harrier. There are fewer than 500 pairs left in Britain and only 14 of those are in England. At the RSPB Geltsdale nature reserve in Cumbria, Chris investigates why the birds are so persecuted, and sees what is being done to track them and monitor their nesting sites.
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Finally, Chris returns to Kielder Forest to track down Britain's only venomous snake – the adder. Change in land use has led to a loss of habitat for the adder and the species is under threat.
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Saving Planet Earth – Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
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Actor, author, adventurer and ecological campaigner, Brian Blessed, guides viewers around his "old stomping ground" of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire to see some of the UK's most rare and endangered species.
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Born in the small coal-mining community of Mexborough, in Yorkshire, Brian's first visit is to the coastal marshes of Blacktoft Sands on the Humber Estuary.
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Here, he manages to see the shy marsh harrier – one of the rarest birds of prey in Britain. There was only one breeding pair in the whole of the country 35 years ago, but now about 350 females are nesting.
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Brian then visits Filey Downs Nature Reserve and gets up close and personal with the great crested newt before moving on to Harewood House, near Leeds, with an ambition to spot the red kite. This magnificent bird of prey is a protected species and can boast wing spans of five feet.
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Finally, Brian takes a helicopter to the Lincolnshire coast to visit the unlikely saviour of the grey seal – Donna Nook National Nature Reserve. This unusual reserve is shared with the RAF's military bombing range and boasts the second largest colony of seals in England.
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Saving Planet Earth – North West
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Former Coronation Street star Shobna Gulati travels across the North West to discover what is being done to preserve some of the most threatened wildlife in the region.
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She is enthralled to discover the range of wildlife visiting and living on the Isle of Man – one of the most important coastlines in the world for grey seals. Returning home to Lancashire, she finds out more about one of our most endangered species – a little bird called the twite.
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Finally, Shobna visits the RSPCA's Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre, in Nantwich, where they rescue and then help orphaned polecats back into the wild.
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Saving Planet Earth – East Midlands
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91Èȱ¬ Sport's Jonathan Agnew embarks on an eco-friendly journey across the East Midlands speaking to experts who are fighting to preserve some of England's most threatened wildlife.
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Jonathan heads for the Derbyshire Peak District in search of the only surviving group of mountain hares in mainland England. The mountain hare is under threat from climate change and the lack of snowfall on the peaks makes their winter coat of white fur redundant as camouflage.
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Visiting the Lincolnshire coast for a glimpse of the little-known marsh moth, Jonathan joins renowned moth expert Dr Paul Waring for an evening of wine-roping – a process of soaking a length of rope in wine and sugar, which is then hung in trees to attract the moths to feed.
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On his final stop, Jonathan visits Nottinghamshire and the white-clawed crayfish, a native river species that is under threat due to invaders from overseas. Signal crayfish from America have introduced a deadly disease that has devastating effects on the white-clawed variety of the species.
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Saving Planet Earth – West Midlands
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The plight of the region's wildlife comes under the microscope as Toyah Wilcox takes a look at some of the unlikely creatures living in one of England's most densely populated areas. She discovers that all kinds of animals are struggling to survive in the West Midlands.
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Toyah travels to Staffordshire for a scarce sighting of salmon returning to the River Trent. She lends a hand with the re-introduction of the fish to the waterways – something that has not been seen in the Trent for nearly 80 years.
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From there, Toyah rummages around in the undergrowth of Worcester to help re-house the extremely rare slow worm – a species that is coming under further threat due to the destruction of their natural habitat.
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Toyah's final destination on her eco-journey is to seek out the water vole in Herefordshire. Once a common sight on the river banks of England, their numbers have dwindled rapidly from around seven million at the end of the Eighties down to fewer than 900,000 by the mid-Nineties.
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Saving Planet Earth – East
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In the East of England, pop star Myleene Klass tracks down the great raft spider at Redgrave and Lopham Fen in Suffolk. The large mysterious spider only lives in a few isolated pools in a handful of locations in the UK.
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At RSPB Minsmere and Lakeneath Fen, Myleene searches for the elusive bittern, a secretive bird that is more likely to be heard than seen, as it hides away in wetlands with dense reed beds. She discovers that climate changes are causing existing coastal wetlands to be destroyed and meets the people creating a new wetland reserve for the bitterns.
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A night time expedition in Thetford Forest brings Myleene face to face with the UK's biggest land mammal – the red deer. Numbers are carefully monitored and culling is necessary to protect the fragile forest habitat.
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Saving Planet Earth – West
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TV presenter Josie D'Arby is on a mission to highlight the plight of endangered local wildlife and meets some of the region's conservation heroes striving to protect our most threatened species.
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Twenty years ago, the barn owl population plummeted in the UK. Josie meets the local wildlife expert who discovered that owls were travelling along the motorway network to the West Country but then had nowhere suitable to hunt or breed.
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His detective work prompted the authorities at Portbury Docks to donate 30 acres of land, creating a suitable habitat. Now, the region is a stronghold for a growing barn owl population.
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In Cheddar Gorge steps are being taken to protect the humble hazel dormouse, one of the rarest mammals. Josie learns that the mice need hedgerows to travel along to connect them with other dormouse communities and to allow them to breed. And she meets the man who exploded the myth that the dormouse can only survive in woodland.
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Her travels also take her to the spooky, gothic Woodchester Mansion in Gloucestershire where a team of volunteers are monitoring and caring for an important colony of greater horseshoe bats. In the mid-Eighties, numbers had dropped to about 60 adults. The species was literally on the point of extinction but, thanks to the volunteers, the bats are now 180 strong.
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Saving Planet Earth – London
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Comedian and animal lover Sean Hughes is used to boarding a plane to see animals in the wild, but, for his latest trip, he doesn't need to show his passport. London is teeming with wild animals – not just foxes and swans, but exotic and endangered animals, too.
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Sean tracks down three fascinating animals, and, along the way, he meets experts and volunteers who are helping London's wildlife.
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First stop is Battersea power station where Sean finds the fastest animal in the world – the peregrine falcon. Their numbers diminished during both world wars, as pigeons were essential message carriers and the peregrine falcons were mercilessly shot.
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Travelling on down the River Lea, in East London, he follows in the little footprints of London's intrepid otters. In 1991, six captive-bred otters were released just north of the M25.
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Now, there are eight otters steadily moving further into London as the water quality is improving and there are more fish in the rivers for them to feast on. The trail of otter droppings finally leads Sean to Hackney.
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The final stop is Hammersmith, where Sean locates the long-eared bat, which is becoming very rare in London due to their susceptibility to light pollution.
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Saving Planet Earth – South
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What happens when one of Britain's top comedians is left alone in the dark? He goes a little batty. Armed only with a string of garlic, Rory McGrath's quest is to have "a close encounter" with Britain's rarest bat – the barbastelle. The challenge takes him above and finally below ground for a dramatic encounter.
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Rory injects his own brand of humour as he meets some slippery customers. On a moonlit night, he tries to get to grips with the European eel and learns how, despite swimming thousands of miles from their spawning grounds around Bermuda, this creature faces its greatest challenge in the South's rivers.
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Rory is released back into the sunlight to discover why Salisbury Plain provides the perfect habitat for one of Britain's heaviest flying birds.
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The great bustard has been missing from our landscape since the last one was spotted – and shot – more than 150 years ago. Rory witnesses first hand what a monumental undertaking it is to reintroduce an extinct species.
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Saving Planet Earth – South East
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Cheryl Baker dons her wellies and explores the incredibly diverse habitats of Kent and Sussex, taking a trip through what she describes as "my homeland, the beautiful South East".
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Her journey to meet some of the region's most elusive residents begins in a 130 acre conservation area in Kent on the trail of an animal that was last seen in the wild in England some 450 years ago – the beaver.
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While watching the beaver in its wetland habitat, Cheryl discovers how, with patience, you can witness the most amazing wildlife sights. And her search for the endearing hazel dormouse is no exception, as she joins mammal experts checking dormice nest boxes in Larkey Valley Wood with astounding results.
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In seeking out the adonis blue butterfly, Cheryl again finds out how humans are the biggest threat. Whilst at Malling Down Nature Reserve, in East Sussex, she witnesses how going back to basics is the key to survival.
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Saving Planet Earth – South West
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At the start of his journey, TV presenter Dick Strawbridge tries to track down basking sharks off the Cornish coast. The biggest fish in our seas, and protected by law, Dick is keen to learn how to observe these gentle giants without disturbing them.
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On Dartmoor, Dick meets a bug expert who introduces him to two beetles whose existence is threatened by loss of habitat. The Kugelann's ground beetle is rare, but the blue ground beetle is even rarer and they are both found in just a small area of the moor.
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The cirl bunting, a sparrow-sized bird once common across the UK, is now only found along a small coastal area between Exeter and Plymouth. Dick gets involved with a project to relocate 75 cirl buntings from Devon to a specially prepared area of farmland in Cornwall.
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After helping take down the temporary aviaries that housed the birds on their arrival, he checks to see how the relocated cirls are settling in to Cornish life.
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Back across the Tamar, in Devon, Dick learns how to become an "otter-spotter" on the River Dart. For years, otters teetered on the brink of extinction in the UK due to pollution, hunting and our busy roads. But, fortunately, they are making a comeback.
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Being very careful with his impressive moustache, Dick discovers that the best way to monitor their continued revival is tracking down and sniffing their uniquely fragranced droppings!
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