BBC Countryfile Live National Trust Theatre Sunday 6 August
11.00-11.45 12.15-13.15 Mike Dilger’s Wild Guide to Nature The lunchtime debate: Presenting British wildlife in decline – how do we get a The One Show’s Mike Dilger is one of TV’s best- better balance between nature and farming? known wildlife presenters. He has birded, botanised Modern agriculture is constantly blamed for loss of and even entomologised all over the world, from natural habitats and the decline of farmland wildlife. here in the UK to Southeast Asia. His books include But landowners say they are helping nature to flourish Nightingales in November, RSPB Wildlife in Your again. So can producers work with conservationists to Garden and Wild Town. stop the the decline of British wildlife?
Mike will talk about where Joining us will be Peter Nixon, our Director of Land, his love of nature came Landscape and Nature, Professor Lord Krebs, Oxford from and the challenges University, Guy Smith, Vice President of the NFU and that go with being a Tim Breitmeyer, Deputy President of the Country Land wildlife presenter who is and Business Association. literally up-for-anything.
Find out how he picked up the title of ‘Britain’s most diseased man’, learn a few bird calls, then sit back and enjoy an insightful and hilarious guide to one of the trickiest jobs in television. Mike Dilger
BBC Countryfile Live National Trust Theatre Sunday 6 August
13.45-14.15 Spiders! With Gillian Burke BBC Springwatch presenter and former natural history producer Gillian Burke talks about her love of spiders and why you should love them too. Gillian will give a fascinating insight into the vast array of eight-legged creatures living in Britain today, many of them on – or inside – our own doorstep.
You’ll hear about her close encounters with these creepie- crawlies both at home and abroad, including filming the remarkable Ladybird spider for BBC Autumnwatch.
14.45-15.30 An audience with…Naomi Wilkinson Wildlife presenter Naomi Wilkinson has hosted a huge variety of natural history programmes for children, including Live’n’Deadly, Wild & Weird and Naomi’s Nightmares of Nature. She will talk about the incredible experiences that have allowed her to bring children face-to-face with some of the world’s most amazing animals.
Her adventures include abseiling onto one of the largest piles of bug-infested bat poo in the world, coming nose to nose with a crocodile in Australia and swimming with sharks without a cage. They say you should never work with children or animals but, as Naomi will reveal, working with Steve Backshall can be just as challenging. Gillian Burke (top) and Naomi Wilkinson BBC Countryfile Live National Trust Theatre Sunday 6 August
16.00-16.30 Nature watch – Simon King Simon King has filmed for some of the landmarks of natural history television, from Big Cat Diaries to Planet Earth, but you may not have seen his face until he appeared on Springwatch.
In this talk, richly illustrated with Simon’s photography and films, you will learn how to bridge the gap between the wild world and your own. Simon shares his unique, first-hand knowledge of animal tracks and signs, mimicry and observation skills, peppered with stories of wild encounters from the UK and beyond.
Simon King