Countryfile (9th August 2009) [PDTV (XviD)]

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Countryfile



Sunday 9 August 2009

7:00pm - 8:00pm

BBC One





Julia Bradbury and Matt Baker head to the Isle of Wight, home to the largest sailing regatta in the world. They take to the water to find out why the Solent is such a magnet for sailors, before heading inland to discover what is being done to protect the island's colony of red squirrels.



John Craven investigates whether planning laws are out of date when it comes to evicting travellers from greenbelt land and, down on the farm, Adam Henson tries to decide whether he is better off farming for food, or for environmental grants.



Plus Katie Knapman visits Ironbridge to find out why this tiny corner of the Shropshire countryside became the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution 300 years ago.





COWES WEEK



It’s Cowes week on the Isle of Wight – the longest running and biggest sailing regatta of its kind. Matt finds out why it’s believed to be the best place to race and Julia meets the competitors.





RED SQUIRRELS



Ever since the introduction of grey squirrels to the UK, their red cousins have really struggled. Plagued by disease and unable to compete with the more robust greys, their numbers have fallen to such low levels that they are now extinct in Southern England. However, one stronghold still remains on the Isle of Wight. Matt joins Helen Butler, a local expert, in search of red squirrels and hopefully with the help of hazel nuts - their favourite treat; we’ll spot a few of these rare creatures.





ISLE OF WIGHT CHEESE



Ever fancied a change of lifestyle? Well, Richard Hodgson did. He quit his job as a TV editor and moved back to the Isle of Wight to become the only cheese maker on the island. He's so suited to his calling, he’s already won a World Cheese Award within months of setting up. Julia finds out what it takes to make award winning cheese and takes the taste test to pick her favourite.





BRITISH SPACE PROGRAMME



It’s been forty years since Neil Armstrong took that "giant leap for mankind” and became the first man to set foot on the moon. But where was Britain in the race for space? Well at the height of the cold war we had our very own space programme near the Needles on the Isle of Wight. Matt Baker meets some former rocket men and finds out why the programme was suddenly shut down in 1972.





GARLIC



If you don’t like garlic, hold your noses as Julia meets up with the UK’s biggest grower, Colin Boswell. He believes the quality of light on the island is perfect for cultivating this pongy delight. And he should know as he travels the world looking for new types of garlic. Julia learns all about this powerful plant and uses it to cook up chutney to eat with her Isle of Wight cheese.





YACHT RACING



Sailing is sometimes seen as an elitist sport, but as part of Cowes week, a local company is trying to get ordinary people involved. They’ve opened their doors to anyone who wants to try it out. And Matt and Julia have taken up the offer - but who will come out on top?





TRAVELLERS AND GYPSIES



The numbers of gypsies and travellers setting up illegal caravan sites on land that they own has doubled in the past decade. Typically, farmland is purchased and a site is built over a weekend or bank holiday, when planning offices are closed. The owners then apply retrospectively for planning permission, and if it’s refused it can take years to exhaust the appeals procedures.



The vast majority of gypsies and travellers live on legal sites or are settled in houses. However, the thousands that have set up illegal sites say they are forced to take this drastic action because there is nowhere else for them to live. Critics, who are often people who live next to these sites, say they’re ignoring laws that the rest of the population have to abide by.





ADAM'S FARM



The wet weather has put the harvest behind schedule and Adam is busy checking his valuable crops to see how far off they are. The timing is crucial to how much he can make at market and he’s hoping for a better year than last. He also has a decision to make with his business partner Dunc: should they continue to set aside a portion of land which they get a government grant for, or put it back into production? Catch up with Adam to find out more.





IRONBRIDGE



This year marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of modern industry and it’s hard to believe that the tranquil Severn Valley in Shropshire kick-started it all. But its gorges, now a scenic attraction, were once filled with plumes of thick black smoke from Coalbrookdale ironworks. It was here that the very first iron wheel, iron rails and iron boat were built. Perhaps most famous of all is the iron bridge which crosses the valley and was the first of its kind.



But none of this would have been possible without Abraham Darby. He invented coke smelting, which replaced charcoal with coal -- a far superior way of producing iron. Katie Knapman visits Ironbridge to find out more about Darby’s legacy and observes first hand the smelting process that made this all possible.







Filesize....... : 499.28 MB (511,260 KB) (523,530,240 bytes)

Runtime...... : 0:59:00.96 (88,524 frames)

Video Codec : XviD 1.2.2

Video Bitrate : 1045 kb/s

frame size... : 608x336 (1.81:1)

Audio Codec : MP3 (LAME 3.98.2)

Audio Bitrate : 128 kb/s CBR

Sample Rate : 48 kHz, joint stereo



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Comedy: The Office, Peep Show, Coupling, Chef, Fawlty Towers, Only Fools and Horses, The IT Crowd, Brass Eye, Nathan Barley, Young Ones, Monty Python, Blackadder, Alan Partridge, Father Ted, Coupling, Little Britain, Mr Bean, Extras, Green Wing, Mighty Boosh



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Entertainment: Faking It, Derren Brown, Scrapheap Challenge, Strictly Come Dancing, Wife Swap



Game/Quiz Shows: Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Have I Got News For You, Deal Or No Deal (UK), Q.I.



Education/Documentary: Planet Earth, Horizon, Panorama, Mark Thomas (Comedy) Product



Food: Hell's Kitchen, Jamie Oliver, The F Word, Kitchen Nightmares, Masterchef, Great British Menu, Gordon Ramsay's Cookalong



Home/Property/Garden: Property Ladder, How Clean Is Your House?, Changing Rooms, Grand Designs, Homes Under The Hammer, To Buy Or Not To Buy



Motoring: Top Gear, Fifth Gear



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Kids: Teletubbies, Blue Peter, Tikkabilla, Andy Pandy, Postman Pat, Shoebox Zoo, Brum, Bob The Builder, Young Dracula, Sarah Jane Adventures, Shaun The Sheep