BBC - Coast: Series 7 (2012)

COAST explores the edge of our lives, the coastline that marries us to the sea. It takes in the life of that coastline, the people who live there, the history played out upon it and the sea itself, a tempestuous and unpredictable bride that also brings food and comfort to those who visit its shores. Nick Crane is joined by a fascinated and fascinating team of expert presenters including Neil Oliver, Miranda Krestovnikoff, Mark Horton, Tessa Dunlop, Dick Strawbridge, Andy Torbet, Hermione Cockburn, Ian McMillan and Ruth Goodman as they discover the rich landscapes and lifestyles that appear along our shores

More info

Part 1: Mysteries of the Isles
Investigating the lifestyles, history and legends of Britain and its people, beginning with a look at the nation's islands. Nick Crane learns how Fair Isle's small community has become so well established and Neil Oliver visits Orkney to explore conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Lord Kitchener. Tessa Dunlop heads to the Western Isles to investigate an optical phenomenon called the green ray, and new presenter Andy Torbet becomes the first person to ascend one of the needles of the Isle of Wight. Plus, a performance by folk singer June Tabor.


Part 2: Life Beyond the Edge
Exploring the lifestyles and history of some of the most extreme locations in Britain. Nick Crane visits the Isles of Scilly, Ruth Goodman walks the dangerous path traversed daily by the Branscombe Cliff farmers in Devon, while Mark Horton investigates the Transatlantic Telegraph service, and Hermione Cockburn learns how the fossil of a large sea creature found at St David's Head, Pembrokeshire, shaped understanding of Earth's history.


Part 3: The Hidden History of Harbours
Exploring the history of Britain's harbours. Nicholas Crane visits Newlyn, Cornwall, where in 1854, a fishing boat set sail on the 12,000-mile journey to Melbourne, Australia. Dick Strawbridge explores the building of airships in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, in the early 1900s, while Tessa Dunlop travels to Portsmouth to investigate the history of body art. Ruth Goodman hears how Birkenhead's harbour led to the opening of the world's first municipal park and there is a look at naval warfare re-enactments by Scarborough council staff.


Part 4: Peril from the Seas
Nicholas Crane tells the tale of the Great Storm of 1703, which saw ships blown from British shores to Norway, while Ian McMillan discusses the fate of hospital ship Rohilla, which ran aground off Whitby, North Yorkshire, in 1914. Tessa Dunlop reveals the dangers of working in the dockyards where naval warships were built in the 19th century, and Dick Strawbridge is in Tiree in the Inner Hebrides, where he explains how the timings of the D-Day landings were determined by RAF weather forecasters. Andy Torbet searches for the elusive storm petrel on Alderney, in the Channel Islands.


Part 5: Riddle of the Tides
Exploring the tidal ebb and flow of the seas surrounding Britain. Nicholas Crane braves the dangerous rapids off the coast of Anglesey, and investigates a tidal predictor in Liverpool. Miranda Krestovnikoff visits Jersey's Seymour Tower to witness the marine life revealed at low spring tide, Tessa Dunlop compares the fashions in bathing suits favoured by different generations of beach-goers and Mark Horton travels to Poppit Sands, Pembrokeshire, to explore the remains of a 900-year old fish trap.


Part 6: The Secret Life of Beaches
Exploring the stories and histories of Britain's beaches. Nicholas Crane searches for leeches in the pebble-pools of Dungeness in Kent, and learns how the area was formed. Hermione Cockburn takes to the air to view sand art in Jersey, Andy Torbet visits one of the nation's most dangerous beaches, Tessa Dunlop inspects a steelworks built on the shore of Port Talbot, and in Aberlady Bay, East Lothian, Nick Hewitt unearths submarines that played a pivotal role in sinking the Tirpitz, one of Hitler's largest battleships. Last in the series.







Feel free to contact me when links are dead