Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

Isle of Wight

Matt and Anita explore the Isle of Wight. Matt abseils down the walls of Carisbrooke Castle, while Anita is on Ventnor Downs helping to round up feral goats.

Matt and Anita explore the Isle of Wight. Matt dons a harness and abseils down the walls of Carisbrooke Castle to help root out the overgrown ivy. He then heads to the castle's well, the deepest on the island, to meet Jack and Jill - the Carisbrooke donkeys. Donkeys have been used to draw water from the well for centuries, but when Jack refuses to budge, Matt has no option but to do it himself.

Anita has her hands full on Ventnor Downs. It's the day of the annual feral goat round-up, and Anita is joining the human chain of volunteers trying to catch the animals. She also visits the vineyard where the owner is growing red grapes - only possible because of the island's mild climate.

That mild climate has also made the Isle of Wight a great place for exotic plants. Naomi is at Ventor Botanic Gardens, where the backdrop is more like southern Europe than southern England.

Adam meets the commercial deer owner looking to genetics to breed the best deer he can and, as supermarkets and catering companies pledge to put an end to eggs from caged chickens, Tom Heap asks if this victory for animal welfare is all it's cracked up to be.

1 hour

Goat Round Up

Goat Round Up

They鈥檙e fast, they鈥檙e wild and they鈥檙e smelly. It is the National Trust鈥檚 annual round up of the Isle of Wight feral goat population. Anita Rani joins an army of volunteers as they herd more than 30 goats over 200 acres of very steep terrain. The goats roam an area of the Ventnor downs to tackle the burgeoning problem of Holm Oak, a Mediterranean tree brought to the island by the Victorians. Ian Ridett from the National Trust and the team must tactically round up the goats for their annual health check.聽But as Anita soon finds out, goats rarely stick to the script.

Caged eggs

Caged eggs
Tom Heap's investigating the pledge from most of our supermarkets to stop stocking eggs from hens in enriched cages by 2025. He meets the teenage campaigner who convinced Tesco to stop selling them and looks into which system, caged or free range, is really better for the birds.聽

Carisbrooke Clear Up

Carisbrooke Clear Up

Carisbrooke is an old motte and bailey castle, built on a mound with a central tower and an enclosure.聽 It is one of the most picturesque castles in the country, and the key to its longevity is maintenance. To keep it looking good, Matt Baker joins English Heritage and contractor James Preston for a spot of extreme gardening. Hanging off the walls we reveal why removing ivy is more than just cosmetic, and how conservationists are able to check on the stone work.

Ventnor Botanic Gardens

Ventnor Botanic Gardens

Cacti, Agave, Palms are not your typical outside British plant species.聽But Naomi Wilkinson discovers how the micro climate of Ventnor mimics a tropical island at one of the most successful botanical gardens in the country. Head groundsman Chris Kidd explains that the gardens location means it鈥檚 possible to grow plants from all over the world here. Naomi also finds out the gardens was also once the location for a leading Chest Diseases hospital during the Victorian era.聽

Deer Gene

Deer Gene

While Anita chases goats, Adam's helping round up deer! But these are not any old deer. Julian Stoyel is the deer park manager at Houghton Hall in Norfolk. Here he鈥檚 been cross breeding the best attributes of Fallow Deer from all over the world and he鈥檚 developed some of the best bucks in the business.聽 With many ancient herds up and down the country needing new bloodlines to breed from - it鈥檚 time for a shakeup!

Roman Vineyard

Roman Vineyard

The small village of Brading on the east of the island is a remarkable plot. 聽Wine grower Russell Broughton owns one of the UK鈥檚 longest running vineyards, experimenting with different grape varieties, including a black grape more commonly found in tropical Asian countries. 聽Anita Rani joins Russell as he begins the harvesting of these grapes and then pops next door to to one of the finest Roman sites in the UK with its own wine-making history.聽聽

Carisbrooke Donkeys

Carisbrooke Donkeys

Matt meets up with one of Carisbrooke's laziest residents.聽Donkeys were used for centuries to draw water from the castle鈥檚 deep well by walking round a 360 degree treadmill, 聽but聽these days Carisbrooke鈥檚 donkeys only do the very occasional turn drawing water for tourists,聽but only if you can get them to and to be fair Jack the donkey isn't really that keen. Who can blame him? Maybe Matt and Anita can do a better job!

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Matt Baker
Presenter Anita Rani
Presenter Naomi Wilkinson
Presenter Adam Henson
Presenter Tom Heap
Executive Producer William Lyons
Series Producer Joanna Brame

Broadcasts