Birds Britannia (2010)
Birds Britannia is a four-part BBC Four television series about the birds of the United Kingdom, first shown in 2010. It was produced by Stephen Moss. Each of the four, sixty-minute episodes concentrates on one kind of bird: garden birds, waterbirds, seabirds and birds of the countryside. The series has no presenter, and is narrated by the Scottish actor Bill Paterson, with filmed interviews with a wide range of experts and bird enthusiasts, including David Attenborough, Mark Cocker, Jeremy Mynott, Tim Birkhead, Jane Fearnley-Whittingstall, Christopher Frayling, Kate Humble, Rob Lambert, Desmond Morris, David Lindo, Helen Macdonald, Andrew Motion, Tony Soper, and Bill Oddie. It has been announced that a book of the same title, by Stephen Moss, will be published by Collins in April 2011.
Seasons & Episode
This episode starts with an insight into how the robin became the nation's favourite bird, the relation between blue tits and milk bottles during the 20th century, and the decadence of the sparrow. Narrated by Bill Paterson, with contributions by Bill Oddie, David Attenborough, Tony Soper, Jenny Uglow, Chris Baines, David Lindo and Chris Frayling
Countryside birds like the skylark, pheasant and nightingale are amongst the most iconic of all Britain's birds. For centuries, they have been celebrated in music and poetry, used to forecast the weather and been hunted for food. They have not just shaped the British countryside, but also defined its nature.
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