Lira Valencia grew up in Croydon, the daughter of refugee parents from South America. In this programme she shows Martha Kearney around the Walthamstow Wetlands nature reserve in London, where she now works as a ranger. She tells Martha about the passion for wildlife which she has had ever since she was a small child. Growing up in a flat with no outdoor space, her favourite place was her grandmother's back garden in Streatham, where she discovered a fascination with snails which endures to this day. She talks about the barriers which she had to overcome in order to work in the conservation sector, and explains how she'd like to be a role model for other children from diverse and urban backgrounds with a passion for wildlife.Producer: Emma Campbell
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24:19
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24:19
Antony Gormley
Antony Gormley's sculptures on Crosby beach are one his best-known works. In this programme, he shows Martha Kearney around the sculptures, and talks about his relationship with the natural world - especially the sea. The artwork in Merseyside consists of one hundred male figures cast in metal, and based on Antony's own body. As they are submerged with the rising and falling tides, their form evolves and changes, and they become rusty and encrusted with sealife. He describes one of them as "a participatory artwork made by me and a whole community of barnacles." As they stroll along the shore listening to the seabirds, Martha asks Antony about the inspiration he draws from the natural world, and what it means to him.Producer: Emma Campbell
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24:28
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24:28
Charlotte Church
Charlotte Church rose to global fame at just eleven years old, renowned for the extraordinary purity of her singing voice. From growing up in what she describes as a working-class household in Cardiff, her career took her to the world’s grandest stages, performing for audiences which included the Pope and the U.S. President, and releasing best-selling albums. But that early fame also came with its own set of challenges, some of which, she explains, she is still "not quite grateful for, yet... but what teaching!" Today, Charlotte’s preferred concert hall is something entirely different: the vast and spectacular landscape of the Cambrian Mountains in mid-Wales. Here, she has established a rural retreat. Tucked away in the Nant Caethon Valley and framed by two waterfalls, it’s a place of healing – for herself and for those she welcomes.Charlotte serves as a guide to Martha Kearney, sharing why this place holds such deep meaning for her. She speaks about her efforts to restore and protect the Celtic rainforest she now calls herself a guardian of. Together, they reflect on Charlotte’s journey – from a child star with little connection to nature, to someone now deeply immersed in the natural world.Producer: Eliza Lomas
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23:47
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23:47
Raynor Winn
Author of The Salt Path Raynor Winn takes Martha Kearney back to walk part of it: the south west coast path from Polruan in Cornwall, where her story ended and where the new film of her book is set. She talks about what nature means to her and how it effectively saved her life, and that of her husband, Moth. They set out to walk the 630 mile coast path when they lost their home and livelihood, and Moth was diagnosed with a terminal illness. They walked through it all and came out at the other end with renewed hope.Raynor Winn is a long-distance walker and writer whose first book, The Salt Path, was a bestseller. Since then she's published The Wild Silence and Landlines, which also ends in Polruan, where she lived for some time. She grew up on a farm in Staffordshire and has always lived in the countryside. She tells Martha Kearney about her isolated rural childhood and how she feels most at home in nature. Her experience of homelessness changed her view of what home is. On a surprisingly blue and sunny but blustery day they walk the path as she and her husband did and Raynor recalls that time and reflects on how that experience has changed her. Producer: Beth O'Dea
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24:27
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24:27
George McGavin
George McGavin is an entomologist, author, academic and television presenter. In this programme he shows Martha Kearney around the university research woodland at Wytham, just outside the city of Oxford. He explains how the natural world came to take on such a significance in his personal and professional life. He tells Martha why insects hold such a fascination for him, and together they explore the flora and fauna of the woodland.Producer: Emma Campbell
In this new series, Martha Kearney explores the importance of the natural world in the lives of her guests.Each person she meets takes her to a location which means something to them, and describes the role nature has played in their life, explaining how it has shaped, influenced or fascinated them.In the process she gains surprising new insights from some well-known faces - from Cate Blanchett, who talks about her love of bee-keeping, to Martin Clunes, who takes Martha on a walk with his five dogs before rolling up his sleeves to scrub his horse's hooves in preparation for the village show. Delia Smith, James Dyson, Adjoa Andoh and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall are all on Martha's guest list.This series celebrates the power and mystery of the natural world, and finds reasons to be optimistic about its future.
Netherlands