BBC - Coast Series 10 (2015)

COAST continues to explore, unearthing the unknown stories of our coastline to delight and regale us. This series brings new faces alongside the familiar, all bringing passion, skill and knowledge to reveal eye-opening coastal secrets. As the experts travel the length and breadth of the British Isles they explore why we all like to be beside the seaside and why it inspires such ingenuity, from the birth of British commercial radio to hiding our ships in plain sight during the First World War; they discover incredible bounties on home shores including an archipelago known as ‘nature’s larder’; investigate how the Irish Sea has shaped our island story and connected our isles; learn how we overcome and work with the challenges of wild waters; and delve into the wealth of natural wonders that is our coastline’s caves and coves. Join Nick Crane, Mark Horton, Hermione Cockburn, Tessa Dunlop, Ian McMillan, Andy Torbet, Helen Arney, Brendan Walker, Dick Strawbridge, Cassie Newland, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Ruth Goodman as they discover how the coast enhances our lives and wellbeing.

Part 1: Our Holiday Coast
The desire to escape the daily grind and head off on holiday is something many people crave - but why do so many still make a beeline for the beach? Nick Crane and the rest of the Coast team embark on a quest to find out. He begins by following a centuries-old tourist trail to Margate, revealing that the beach has a biological effect on people's stress levels. Miranda Krestovnikoff experiences a camping safari on Shell Island in north Wales and Ruth Goodman finds out about an explosive episode of pre-war politics that put sleepy St Leonards on the front pages.

Part 2: Bounty from the Sea
The team explores some of the incredible riches within the seas and the surprising stories of how people use them. Nick Crane heads offshore to the Faroe Islands, an archipelago known as nature's larder, where he gathers all manner of bounty for a traditional feast. Mark Horton is in Denmark, finding out why Stone Age man preferred to fish at night, Hermione Cockburn delves into the microscopic world of plankton that fascinated the Victorians and Tessa Dunlop hears about a man who turned seaweed into a balsa wood replacement destined for use in the Mosquito bomber during the Second World War.

Part 3: Ingenious Isles
Nick Crane follows the Welsh coast path around Anglesey, presenting tales of inspired thinking and coastal ingenuity. Tess Dunlop reveals how a small French fishing village gave rise to the birth of British commercial radio in the 1930s, Brendan Walker investigates why the 1970 collapse of Pembrokeshire's Cleddau Bridge changed the engineering world for ever, Dick Strawbridge is in Portsmouth, where he tells of a novel First World War plan to disguise British ships by hiding them in plain sight.

Part 4: The Irish Sea
The team focuses on the Irish Sea and its surrounding land, with Nick Crane finding out about a unique seasonal phenomenon of this sea - a current called `the gyre' which provides the perfect environment for Dublin Bay prawns to flourish. Mark Horton explores the archaeological discovery of two Roman temples and an early Christian church in Maryport, across the water from Dublin, and Tessa Dunlop reveals how one small yacht changed the course of British and Irish history. Cassie Newland and Miranda Krestovnikoff tell the tale of RMS Tayleur, a ship that sank on its maiden voyage with a great loss of life, and singer Ruth Keggin tells the story of the Irish Sea god Mannanan.

Part 5: Wild Waters
The team explores nature at its most perilous on the wild waters of Britain's coast. Nick Crane reveals why the first lifeboat station was founded on the north-east coast at Bamburgh Castle, Mark Horton finds out how ferries cope with stormy seas, and Miranda Krestovnikoff explores the jellyfish of Dublin Bay - and how both swimmers and scientists are seeking an antidote to its excruciating sting. Dick Strawbridge investigates one of the strangest stories of the Second World War - did the Germans really invade the south coast in 1940?

Part 6: Caves and Coves
The team explores the caves and coves to be found on Britain's coastline. Nick Crane follows in the footsteps of the Victorians as he seeks out sea caves in Jersey that took nerves of steel to reach, and Ian McMillan is on Scotland's Ayrshire coast where he delves into the story of Sawney Bean, asking whether this cave-dwelling cannibal was simply the product of a wild imagination. Andy Torbet travels to the Shetland Isles to carry out a 3D survey of Britain's longest sea cave, and Helen Arney meets scientists in a mineral mine off the Cleveland coast who are searching for Holy Grail of physics - dark matter.