Hugh's Wild West

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall explores the wildlife of the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean. Hugh uncovers the extraordinary life of the dipper, the UKs only aquatic songbird.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall celebrates the wildlife of the West Country and the people who care for it. In this episode, he explores the ancient woods and valleys of Dartmoor.

This time Hugh is in the Somerset Levels to witness one of our greatest wildlife spectacles - huge winter flocks of starlings swirling in the sky as they come in to roost. The reedbeds where they seek refuge have been created from old peat quarries and thanks to dedicated volunteers they are now a haven for rare bitterns and great white egrets.

This time, Hughs journey takes him across Dartmoor, from the granite peaks to the sea. Hugh follows the fortunes of a buzzard family as their single chick fledges and heads towards independence, he seeks out salmon as they migrate upstream to breed, and he helps marine biologists to survey dolphins off the Devon coast.

This time, Hugh is in the Wye Valley hoping to come face to face with an animal that has intrigued him since boyhood - the barbel, also known as the Prince of the River. With the help of local angling guide, the appropriately named Adam Fisher, Hugh wants to fulfil his dream of swimming with these large, regal fish.

Hugh visits Worthy Farm, the home of Glastonbury Festival, to see how the wildlife copes when a quarter of a million festivalgoers descend on the countryside, and discovers that the badgers seem pretty unfazed by their new neighbours.