REEP - What's On - TV & Radio Listings

Saturday 4 September

Nature's Great Events

7:00pm

The Great Migration. The annual migration of wildebeest, gazelles and zebras away from the Serengeti grasslands, and how their departure affects a pride of lions left behind, which struggles to survive without a ready source of prey. Not only do the females have difficulty finding food for their young, but a fire destroys the cover they need to ambush the few animals that remain - and the number of cubs gradually dwindles to just two.

Lonesome George and the Battle for Galapagos

8:00pm

The Galapagos Islands are at a critical point in their history. Threatened by illegal fishing, a booming population and an ever-expanding tourism industry, their unique wildlife includes only one remaining giant tortoise on Pinta Island, Lonesome George. When he dies his race dies with him. This film follows his sad story and that of the islanders, fiercely intent on preserving their particular creatures and turning around the fortunes of their tropical paradise.

Sunday 5 September

Living World

6:35am

Peat Bog Gremlins. Lionel Kelleway travels to the RSPB's Forsinard Reserve in Sutherland, Scotland, to discover how carnivorous plants in the region's blanket peat bogs ensnare their prey. Head warden Norrie Russell introduces him to sundews, which use sticky globules of moisture to attract insects, and demonstrates how the butterwort employs slimy leaves to catch its meals. Lionel also encounters the bladderwort - an aquatic plant which sucks its prey into a vacuum trap. Last in the series.

A Guide to Coastal Birds

2:45pm

Off-shore Islands. Brett Westwood offers advice on identifying birds that dwell on Britain's off-shore islands, including the common eider duck, puffin, Manx shearwater and Arctic tern. He is assisted by sound recordist Chris Watson and bird-watcher Stephen Moss. Last in the series.

Countryfile

7:00pm

Ellie Harrison learns why the source of the Thames is not always in the same place, before travelling up one of its tributary rivers to visit Blenheim Palace. John Craven heads to the south coast to discover how inspectors ensure the quality of the UK's imported food, and Adam Henson returns to his farm to see how the summer weather has affected his crops and livestock.

Monday 6 September

Uncertain Climate

9:00am

Roger Harrabin concludes his examination of the arguments surrounding climate change by finding out how decisions can be taken in the face of increasing scientific uncertainty. As a trend emerges in climate policy for resilience - systems that will cope regardless of weather conditions - he also investigates where the public's money should be invested.

Tuesday 7 September

Saving Species

11:00am

Brett Westwood provides coverage of the European cranes being released at Somerset Levels, marking the first time the birds will have populated the region for 400 years. He provides a recap of how the waterfowl were raised for the task, and reveals how workers at the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust have prepared them to be wary of predators in the wild.

The Essay

11:00pm

Land and Sea and Sky. In the first in a series of essays by artists who live in places where land, sea and sky all meet, poet Katrina Porteous discusses her home in the Northumbrian village of Beadnell. Recorded on the rocks, in a fisherman's hut and the ruins of an ancient headland chapel, her essay reveals how the meeting of land and sea and sky has shaped life in the community, and her own approach to artistic creation.

Wednesday 8 September

Costing the Earth

9:00pm

Oil and Gas - Back to the Land. The Deepwater Horizon disaster proved the dangers of searching for oil and gas in ever more challenging environments. Could they be found nearer to home? Tom Heap explores the pitfalls and potentially enormous prizes of finding land-based fuels.

Thursday 9 September

Open Country

3:00pm

Conservation Grazing in Cornwall. Helen Mark heads to Cornwall, where the recent decision to allow cattle to graze on Penwith Moors has caused controversy. An archaeologist voices his concerns about the damage that non-native Longhorn cattle have apparently caused to the Tregeseal Stone Circle, while others express their upset at the arrival of barbed wire fences on the moors. However, representatives of Natural England and the National Trust argue that the grazing scheme is an important way of maintaining the area's landscape, and a farmer shows how his father's land deteriorated when cattle were removed from it 40 years previously.

The Essay

11:00pm

Land and Sea and Sky. Poet Jeremy Hooker recalls his early life on the south coast, looking across to the Isle of Wight, in wartime. The sea and sky were fascinating, and dangerous, and the land fractured, revealing remnants of earlier creations and their stories. Out of these the poet was himself made. Hooker considers other poets of the south country, Tennyson and Thomas Hardy, whose work has a Victorian melancholy that he resists in his own writing.

Friday 10 September

Cheetah Kingdom

8:00pm

New series. Exploring British wildlife cameraman David Houghton's efforts to return rescued cheetahs to the wild on a 40,000-acre reserve in Namibia. His team deals with an emergency when one of the animals overheats during a health check and risks brain damage unless its temperature is lowered.

The Essay

11:00pm

Land and Sea and Sky. Dramatist and singer Lizzie Nunnery brings an urban eye to bear on the meeting of land and sea and sky in an essay recorded at the pierhead on the Mersey and on the streets of Liverpool, which recalls the pleasure of growing up in a city with beaches she took for granted.