A Wild Year

The Fens of East Anglia are ancient wetlands that support the greatest diversity of wildlife found in Britain and have enriched the lives of people for thousands of years.

Water has always been the driving force in East Anglia - its ebb and flow has shaped the fenland. The ancient wetlands once covered hundreds of square miles, but today, well over 90 per cent has been drained and converted into farmland. Every winter, thousands of whooper swans return to the flooded pastures of the Ouse washes from their Arctic breeding grounds. On the Welney Wetlands, spring sees `mad" march hares boxing over mates. It was once thought these bouts were male hares boxing for dominance, but it is often the females throwing the punches to fend off the attentions of over-eager suitors.

An exploration of the upland area of North Yorkshire, where heather-clad uplands and sheltered dales have been shaped both by the elements and by its people. Hardy Swaledale sheep roam the high moors all year round only coming down to the lowlands for lambing and shearing. Red grouse feed and breed amongst the heather alongside curlews and other ground nesting birds and billions of purple heather blooms provide nectar for the bees, brought to the moors by beekeepers in the summer. Toby Jones narrates, as time-lapse camera techniques bring fresh insight into the restless rhythms of the region.