Countryfile: Season 33

Countryfile celebrates cottage industries, with Ellie Harrison meeting a woman who sells hand-crafted products all revolving around fire.

The team are at Welney Wildlife Reserve in Norfolk. Charlotte Smith helps out with the international swan census, and Sean Fletcher hears how mini donkeys are helping residents of a Welney care home. Steve Brown is on the trail of the elusive cranes that live in the washes around Welney. Margherita Taylor sees how the reserve's staff control flooding on the wetlands, and Sean Fletcher hears how mini donkeys are helping residents of a Welney care home. Tom Heap investigates the threat posed by t

The team are in Ballycastle, a coastal community on the north eastern tip of Ireland that's quickly becoming known for its local crafts and artisan food and drink. Margherita Taylor is on a small ‘forward-thinking farm’ that produces ethical and sustainable produce from animals that would other be considered waste products in the dairy industry. Joe Crowley catches up with a couple who produce award-winning smoked salmon and dulse seaweed, a popular local delicacy. Charlotte Smith goes on a red

This week, Countryfile is in the heart of the Peak District, where the pub is most definitely the hub! Anita Rani hears how the locals here saved Bamford’s village pub. It is now owned by the community and seems to be the epicentre of village life. Anita meets some of the locals and puts her best foot forward with a group of ramblers that meet here before exploring some of the stunning countryside that surrounds it. Sean Fletcher meets Luke Osborne, who is a grocer with a difference. He pulls t

Although it's classed as Britain’s only 'desert' - and despite its bleak aspect in the depths of winter - the shingle headland of Dungeness is home to an incredible array of wildlife, plants and birdlife.  Matt meets Owen Leyshon, who's been the warden of the national nature reserve here for the past 25 years, to find out more about the rich and diverse species that make Dungeness their home. He also discovers that this is a landscape on the move – one that is growing outward at a rate of up t

Matt, Charlotte and Steve are on the Auchlyne Estate near Killin in Perthshire. It’s the first of four visits they’ll be making over the next year, charting life on the estate throughout the seasons. Matt meets Emma Paterson, the laird of the estate, to learn about its history and the plans for its future. He also gets a lesson in preparing their prized highland cattle for a show. Charlotte hooks up with Emma’s daughter Nicola for a spot of deerstalking and chats to gamekeeper Ian Dingwall abou

Sean is in Essex meeting a farmer who has taken diversification to the next level. David Eagle has let the sea inundate acres of his farmland to create vital saltmarsh habitat for migratory birds, and already thousands of brent geese are making the most of his hospitality. David is also on trend with his sea buckthorn juice, made from the berries of hundreds of sea buckthorn shrubs he has planted. But Sean finds out that they are not so easy to harvest. Sean then dons his running shoes to take

Matt, Ellie and Steve are in Shaftesbury in Dorset, where they take part in the town's celebrated snowdrop festival. Matt meets the growers and enthusiasts dedicated to the small white flowers. He discovers some of the rarer varieties and learns of the high prices some bulbs attract. Steve meets a potter whose snowdrop planters are in demand and who has his own special way of sourcing the clay he uses. Ellie finds out that there is more to spring flowers than just snowdrops. She goes on a season

This week the team are on the Gwent Levels. Matt Baker meets a group of fishermen who are still catching salmon the way it has been done there for centuries. Ellie Harrison is on the trail of a star species that has made an amazing comeback on the Levels. Tom Heap is looking at what is being done to ensure that those most in need in the countryside can access the healthiest fresh food, and it’s the calm before the lambing season storm down on Adam’s farm.

It’s International Women’s Day, and we’re in Somerset on the Holnicote Estate. Anita Rani meets Holly Purdey who farms with a baby on her back and her three-year-old as her farmhand. She’s part of a local Women in Farming group that aims to reduce the isolation often felt by women who live and work on farms. Meanwhile, Matt Baker finds out that the picturesque Holnicote Estate is at the beginning of an innovative river restoration project that is the first of its kind in the UK. It is also home

Countryfile visits Looe in Cornwall during Cornish Pasty Week. Margherita Taylor and Matt Baker meet the town's pasty makers and compete in a pasty-making competition. Margherita finds out more about the area's seal population and the fishermen who live and work on the shores. Adam Henson has his hands full as lambs start to arrive, and Tom Heap finds out if the UK's leading food-standards scheme is delivering when it comes to animal welfare.

Lake Vyrnwy in Wales is gearing up for the warmer spring days ahead, when there will be a huge increase in migratory birds and tourists. Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison immerse themselves in the landscape, discovering the history of this man-made Victorian reservoir. Ellie finds out about the bird species that make the surrounding forests and breathtaking moorland home. The Evans family farm the moorland for the RSPB, and Matt helps out as they gather in their ponies for health checks and get thei

Ellie is in the Lugg Valley in Herefordshire, where recent heavy floods have left their mark. Despite this, she is on the hunt for signs of spring - not least toads. She joins volunteers making sure the amorous amphibians can make it safely across main roads to their favoured spawning grounds. Ellie also meets members of the community who have just planted out their first forest garden, and she joins an artist who sees beauty in the flooded landscape.

It is all systems go in the lambing shed as Adam Henson and Helen Skelton work round the clock to help a Wirral farmer at one of his busiest times of the year. Meanwhile, Sean Fletcher is in Carmarthen discovering first-hand the rigours of lambing outdoors.

The Countryfile presenters take you on a trip down memory lane, as they pick out their favourite films from the archive, including Anita Rani surfing in Snowdonia, Ellie Harrison counting gannets, Matt Baker visiting an alpaca blood bank and Helen Skelton fell running. Adam will be on his farm finding out about the pecking order of his chickens, and as always, we’ll be celebrating the glory of the countryside that surrounds us and the people who make it so special.

In the first of a new-look Countryfile, Anita Rani is on her home patch discovering what the coronavirus lockdown means for Woodberry Wetlands and what the future holds for the animals of Hackney City Farm. Back at home, she gets stuck into reinvigorating her garden and cooks up a barbecue tandoori. Adam Henson is feeling the effects of the pandemic on farming, and Tom Heap investigates how a new British land army might work for our fruit and veg growers.

With the country still in lockdown, Matt Baker is on his home patch doing all the jobs he has not had time to do until now. He gets stuck in building a pond, meets a peregrine who lacks the confidence to hunt and gets crafty with the paint brushes in his back garden. Also in the programme, wildlife film-maker Jack Perks reveals the wonderful world beneath the surface of his garden pond, Adam has a lot of hungry mouths to feed on the farm, and in the first of a series of new films, Kate Humble t

Joe Crowley is on his home turf in north London, exploring the wonderful Lea Valley. He pays a visit to one of the UK’s biggest salad growers to see how Covid-19 is affecting them. He also heads to the mysterious gunpowder mills, its overgrown ruins a testament to past battles. As it is International Dawn Chorus Day, bird expert Adrian Thomas will be telling us what to listen out for. We hear from Hannah Jackson, the Red Shepherdess, about how she’s coping with the pandemic, and it is a race ag

Helen is staying close to home in West Yorkshire, finding out how current restrictions are affecting her community. She pays a visit to Harewood House to learn more about their conservation projects, and she drops in to meet some of the lonely residents of her local horse and donkey sanctuary, who are missing their regular volunteers. Local brothers and Olympic medallists Jonny and Alistair Brownlee demonstrate how to keep fit under lockdown, and Tom discovers how school closures have hit vital

Ellie Harrison is on her home turf in Gloucestershire. At the Slimbridge Wetland Centre she helps with important conservation work and gets a ringside seat to watch some kingfisher parents busy feeding their young. She also visits an ancient bluebell wood, exploring the treasures of the forest floor. Adam Henson reveals how his horses are helping to create a wildlife haven, and Tom Heap investigates how fly-tipping is blighting the countryside more than ever.

Sean Fletcher visits Hampton Court, not far from his west London home, seeing how the team there keep the gardens and grounds in top condition. There is no machinery here, though - it’s a team of magnificent shire horses that do the work. Sean meets the handlers and takes the reins as the horses start another shift, pulling and harrowing and preparing the grounds for the summer ahead. Back home, Sean gives us tips on how to stay fit during lockdown by building his very own home gym. Kate Humble

John Craven is at home in his garden where he gives us tips on what butterflies to look out for and how to get involved in a nationwide survey and he catches up with super fund-raiser Captain – now Colonel – Tom Moore to discover what role the countryside has played in his life. We also find out how Hannah Jackson, the Red Shepherdess, is getting on with her two new collie puppies as she puts them through their first paces as working dogs. And Adam Henson turns teacher as he brings his piglets t

Steve Brown explores one of his favourite local haunts, Elmley Nature Reserve on the Isle of Sheppey, where swallows and swifts are gathering in their hordes, heralding the arrival of summer. Margherita Taylor is on the hunt for an invasive species of moth which threatens not just the oaks on Hampstead Heath in London but walkers too. On the farm, Adam’s horses are getting a hoof health check, and he catches up with top trainer Jonjo O’Neill to see how his racehorses are coping with life off the

As well as tending to his crops, much of Adam Henson’s time on his Cotswold farm is devoted to caring for his animals. Each and every one of them is important to him, from his commercial flock of sheep to his chickens, his pigs and his ponies. Many have become much-loved Countryfile characters. We are dipping into the archive to rediscover some of Adam’s highs and lows with his marvellous

Anita Rani is in Epping Forest to find out about its past, its wildlife and to meet some of the people who look after it. She discovers the art of cattle whispering when she meets the herd of Longhorns that help to conserve the forest, and at dusk she goes on the trail of one of the UK’s rarest creatures. Wildlife film-maker Hamza Yassin gets up close to one of our best-loved seabirds, the puffin, near his home on the west coast of Scotland, Gareth Wyn Jones gives us a glimpse into his life as

As organisations like the National Trust open up to visitors again, Ellie Harrison is at Charlecote Park in Warwickshire, one of the great estates of the Elizabethan era. She’s rolling up her sleeves to help with Britain’s oldest managed flock of Jacob sheep and visits a working Georgian water mill that’s busier than ever, supplying the lockdown baking boom. Dwayne Fields investigates the challenges facing members of the BAME community living in the countryside, and Adam is judging entrants in a

Matt Baker explores the stretch of the Grand Union Canal that runs close to his home in the Chilterns. He meets those who live and work on the water and gets to grips with an engineering marvel that keeps the system flowing. Tom Heap investigates how farmers are adjusting to climate change, and with the help of Cerys Matthews and Simon King, John Craven launches this year’s Countryfile photo competition.

This week Anita Rani and Matt Baker are visiting The Blean, an ancient woodland in the heart of Kent, to get an exclusive look at a wilding project like no other. Matt comes face to face with the beast that will hopefully make this conservation scheme a reality – the bison - and Anita finds out about a sleepy success story: dormice are being breed here to boost the numbers in the wild. We also revisit the Auchlyne hunting estate in Scotland to catch up with Emma, the incoming laird. Deep in the

Ellie Harrison and Tom Heap are in the Shropshire Hills to find out about an ambitious project to create a nature corridor between the two peaks of Long Mynd and Stiperstones. Tom meets a farmer who has become a convert to environmentally friendly regenerative farming, while Ellie goes in search of some rare and much misunderstood wildlife. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and with Brexit on the horizon, Charlotte Smith tests the strength of Britain’s food supply system. And could the pi

Countryfile visits Chichester Harbour, the only Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the UK that’s managed by a harbour authority. Matt Baker and Anita Rani discover how you balance the needs of a very busy harbour with those of nature and wildlife. While Matt is out on the water doing the daily rounds with the harbour master, Anita finds out about projects that help to protect the local populations of oysters, terns and seals. And Adam Henson’s Highland bull Archie might not have long left on