The Wonder of Britain - Season 1
Season 1
Episodes
Our Beautiful Buildings
In episode one, Julia looks at our beautiful buildings. Julia sees Britain's architecture as a glorious mess; a wildly differing mix of styles, design and influences borrowed from all over the world and her list captures some of this extraordinary variety and the genius of the people who created them.
Our Industrial Story
In episode two, Julia looks at our industrial story. Without coal, the revolution would never have taken place. And Julia visits the Caphouse Colliery in Yorkshire, which operated continuously for two centuries before closing in 1985. She meets fourth generation miner Gerry Starkey who spent nearly 40 years working underground and shows her the conditions he used to work in. Until 1842, mining was a family affair and children as young as six worked in the mines with their parents. Gerry takes Julia 460 feet underground to show how early miners worked in spaces less than two feet high and how families would pull together.
Our Coastal Story
In episode three, Julia looks at our coastal story. Britain's coastline stretches for over 19,000 miles and is longer than that of India. Julia's list of coastal wonders celebrates everything from our wildlife and scenery, to industry and our coast's role in keeping Britain safe. She begins in search of puffins on the Farne Islands, one of Britain's most bird-rich archipelagos.
Our Royal Story
In episode four, Julia looks at our Royal story. Britain has an almost continuous monarchy stretching back over 1000 years, which give us a unique royal story that has shaped our national identity. Julia's list reflects this long running royal soap opera and begins with the supposed home of legendary King Arthur. Real man or myth, the ruins at Tintagel mark the birthplace of our Royal story and here Julia learns the sword skills any Dark Age king would have needed.
Our Countryside Story
The final episode finds Julia exploring our beautiful and diverse countryside. From the dramatic volcanic past of the Isle of Skye to the towering cliffs of Cheddar Gorge and from a gorgeous lavender farm in Kent to one of Britain's most stunning birds of prey, the barn owl.
In her final wonder of the series, Julia revisits one of her favourite childhood places, Derbyshire's Peak District, in the company of her Dad, the person who did the most to introduce her to our great outdoors.
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