As part of Big Blue Week, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and a team of marine enthusiasts follow the animals arriving and thriving in UK waters.
1) Whales Dolphins
In this first programme, Hugh finds out where we can meet the UK's dolphins and whales. Killer whales, humpbacks and a superpod of over 300 bottlenose dolphins are all in the team's sights. This summer, an extraordinary wildlife gathering is occurring all around the UK; our seas are attracting marine life from across the globe - and everyone wants a glimpse of our megafauna. Lindsey Chapman is following a superpod of 300 dolphins feeding in Cardigan Bay. She's joining locals hoping to spot the sea's biggest show-offs. Further north, the whales are arriving. Humpback sightings are on the increase, but how easy is it to catch one on film?
2) Sharks
Big Blue Week continues as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall takes his daily dip into the UK's extraordinary marine life. Hugh and the team are celebrating the arrival of our sharks. During summer over 30 species are found in the UK - including blue sharks, smoothhounds and basking sharks - so where and how can they be spotted? Lindsey Chapman is on the hunt for mermaids' purses - shark-egg cases that are washed up on our shore. Can she also find live shark embryos in amongst Devon's seaweed?
3) Seabirds
Hugh celebrates the amazing marine life found in the UK's seas as Big Blue Week continues. In this episode, Hugh's focus is on our seabirds. From gannets to guillemots, puffins to storm petrels - eight million seabirds descend on the UK coast every summer. Hugh meets the cutest of all - puffin chicks, known as pufflings. He also catches up with the Big Blue Live team in America. Richard Taylor-Jones corrects a commonly held misconception - there is no such thing as a seagull. Instead, the UK is home to eight distinct species of gull. But why have these birds become our feathered foes? Richard tries to change their reputation as the scourge of the seaside.
4) Seashore
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Hugh and the team focus on the UK's seashore. What secret sea life is waiting to be discovered on our island's edge? From seahorses to hermit crabs, otters to oysters, limpets to jellyfish - our shore is full of weird and wonderful creatures. Hugh looks back at film footage from his childhood, reawakening his passion for rock pooling. Wildlife cameraman Richard Taylor-Jones goes on the hunt for a marine monster - the barrel jellyfish. He discovers that some of the tiny creatures found on our beaches are, in fact, our sea's superheroes - raising the alarm to scientists investigating the gradual rise in temperature of our seas.
5) Seals
Nearly half of the world's grey seals choose to live in the UK. Hugh heads to the island of Lundy to find out why grey seals are so attracted to life in the UK. Lindsey Chapman is helping to return a stranded seal pup to the sea, and wildlife cameraman Richard Taylor-Jones is tracking down a group of common seals living in a surprisingly urban setting. Summer is pupping season for the common seal, but can Richard get a shot of these shy and skittish creatures?
