Rivers with Griff Rhys Jones

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[edit] General Information

Nature Documentary hosted by Griff Rhys Jones, published by BBC in 2009 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

Actor and comedian Griff Rhys Jones explores how rivers have influenced, nurtured and powered our lives. From the powerful torrents of Scotland to the flatlands of East Anglia, he barges, canoes, swims and sails his way along this often hidden network which has been the lifeblood of the country.

[edit] Scotland

Griff starts his journey with the wild rivers of Scotland. He travels east, upstream from Kinlochleven, into one of the most remote areas of the country, then follows the fast and furious course of the water downstream to Perth. He milks fish for their eggs, goes canyoning, and canoes a fast-flowing river that fallen pine trees have turned into an obstacle course.

(Aired 26 Jul 2009)

[edit] North

Griff's journey continues as he travels from Liverpool to the Humber along Britain's working waterways. He attempts to swim the almost freezing Mersey, before travelling by barge through the canal network and going underground to help clean up Britain's secret rivers. He is also a guest at Chatsworth, and gets to grips with their unusual plumbing as the water that feeds the toilet hurtles down from a distant reservoir on the estate.

(Aired 2 Aug 2009)

[edit] West

Griff follows the mighty Severn from its source in the Welsh hills to the estuary 200 miles later. He also follows its neighbour, the Wye, which starts and finishes nearby. From drinking water to the iron ore that furnished the industrial revolution, he finds that rivers have provided for mankind over tens of thousands of years.

On his journey Griff attempts to bog snorkel, meets druids for a ritual water blessing, sleeps in a hermit's cave and builds a willow coracle similar to ones used on the river thousands of years ago.

(Aired 9 Aug 2009)

[edit] The Lea

Griff is in London. But instead of working his way up the Thames, he heads off for another river which has been vital in the city's history: the Lea. He meets the Sicilian cucumber-growing community of Essex, sails a gunpowder boat and trains with a team of veteran rowers. Plus, he explores the new Olympic site through which the Lea flows, and discovers the vital balance between water coming in to a city and its waste going out.

(Aired 16 Aug 2009)

[edit] East

The last leg of his journey takes Griff to East Anglia, the part of the country he knows best. He sees a traditional way of life still surviving in the man-made ditches of the Fens, revisits the romantic sailing boats of his childhood on the Broads, and follows the beautiful River Stour, winding its way through Constable country and finally bringing him home.

At the end of his journey, Griff assesses how the conflicting interests of farmers, anglers, canoeists, industrialists and nature lovers can be reconciled to ensure the future of Britain's rivers.

(Aired 23 Aug 2009)