Video Documentaries

In the Beechgrove Garden, Carole and George have a tough job of taste testing the new super-sweet tomatoes and thin-skinned cucumbers in the tender veg polytunnel.   Jim visits Glasgow Botanic Gardens - now in their 200th year of existence - to see how the new young gardeners of Glasgow are being trained through a unique apprenticeship scheme. George is in his horticultural element as he visits Rosa Steppanova in Lea Garden at Tresta on Shetland. This extraordinary garden is 12 hours and 200 miles by sea from Beechgrove, and yet it is an astounding display of plants from all around the world. In Beechgrove Garden episode 18 2017:  1. Mulch Observation Jim was revisiting his mulch observation which was set up earlier in the year. It was time to check on progress and see which was the most effective and the cost involved. Mulching suppresses weeds and conserves water. The same plant, Kolkwitzia amabilis ‘Pink Cloud’ or the Beauty Bush, had been planted in the middle of each metre square

James creates recipes with clever shortcuts, using time saving ingredients to make those midweek suppers a breeze. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/jm-ep.10.mp4"][/video]   He is joined by special guest Gennaro Contaldo. James Martin - Speedy Suppers dishes:  1. Heritage tomato tart with blow-torched tomato salad [caption id="attachment_1681" align="alignnone" width="300"] Heritage tomato tart with blow-torched tomato salad[/caption] This lightning quick tomato tart is a delicious summery option for when unexpected visitors come calling. 2. Cauliflower cheese with maple syrup pancetta [caption id="attachment_1682" align="alignnone" width="300"] Cauliflower cheese with maple syrup pancetta[/caption] Thought cauliflower cheese couldn’t get any better? Salt-sweet pancetta takes this comfort food classic to a new level. 3. Ricotta and herb capp

From his home kitchen, James Martin perfects the classics and shares his secrets, from the ultimate Victoria sponge to the best fish baguette you have ever tasted! [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/jm-ep.9.mp4"][/video]   James is joined by special guest Brian Turner James Martin - Back to Basics dishes:    1. Beef ragu with linguine [caption id="attachment_1673" align="alignnone" width="300"] Beef ragu with linguine[/caption] James Martin's classic winter warmer is comfort food at its best - and great for making ahead of time.  2. Victoria sponge with mixed berries [caption id="attachment_1674" align="alignnone" width="300"] Victoria sponge with mixed berries[/caption] For a special teatime treat we have this fancy Victoria sponge filled with fresh cream and syrup-coated berries  3. Battered pollock baguettes with mushy peas and lemon m

In the Beechgrove garden, Jim and Carole enjoy a red cabbage success story. Chris plants a range of hostas in the Beechgrove cottage garden. Since hostas are usually tasty morsels for slugs and snails, Chris also tries out a range of preventative measures. George visits Fiona and Euan Smith's garden at Kierfiold House on Orkney. The garden is a lesson on how creating shelter allows for planting in exposed conditions and is home to a large collection of hardy geraniums. In Beechgrove Garden episode 17 2017:  1. Red cabbages This week at the Beechgrove garden it felt as if there was a ‘whiff’ of autumn in the air as it was drizzling with grey skies when Jim and Carole welcomed us to the Beechgrove. We have planted 10 different varieties of red cabbages to assess them for flavour, holding ability, tightness of head and yield.  2. Decking potatoes This week it was time for Carole and our head gardener Mairi to harvest second early potatoes on the decking, as it has been 15 weeks since

The whole Beechgrove team are on the ferry to the Orkney Isles this week. Famously a place of only two seasons, 18 hours of light or 18 hours of dark, with constant winds but mild and with little or no frost. The assumption always is that nothing much grows on Orkney in those conditions, but Jim, Carole and George find that is far from the case as they discover the determined gardeners of Orkney and how much they have achieved, to the extent that there is a thriving Orkney Garden Festival across the islands. Jim, Carole and George host a Beechgrove Gardeners' question and answer session in Kirkwall and visit a host of good gardens on South Ronaldsay. In Beechgrove Garden episode 16 2017: Jim, Carole, and George were on the road this week on the first of four special Beechgrove Roadshow programmes this summer. It was the beginning of July when the team visited Orkney and the weather was absolutely stupendous for our entire stay. To start the programme the presenters were overlooking

In Beechgrove Garden episode 15 2017, life is a way more than a bowl of cherries at Beechgrove this week as Jim and Carole harvest bucketfuls of ripe cherries in the fruit house. Carole visits two passionate showers and growers who are entering the Dundee Flower Show. Alistair Gray in Brechin is a show vegetable grower and winner of the 2016 World Potato Championship, while Bruce McLeod in Meigle grows champion chrysanthemums. Jim visits Philip and Marianne Santer at Langley Park near Montrose. With little previous gardening experience, they have reclaimed the long-neglected garden to create a haven of colour. To their amazement and delight, the garden has been attracting visitors to what they call their little piece of paradise. More in Beechgrove Garden episode 15 2017:  1. Begonia Propagation In Carole’s 6x8 greenhouse, the Coleus were looking much smaller than Bruce’s in Meigle, however they were grown from seed. The variety is ‘Chocolate Covered Cherry’ and the foliage was beautif

Part 5: The Great Japanese Train Ride [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/The-Great-Japanese-Train-Ride.mp4"][/video]   Documentary series in which Chris Tarrant explores the world's most extreme railway lines. Chris journeys a thousand miles across Japan to find out if Japanese railways really are the best in the world. Along the way he meets one of the great architects of the bullet trains, a singing conductress and atomic bomb survivors who kept wartime trams running. Part 4: Guantanamo Bay Chris attempts to cross the length of Cuba, the only island in the Caribbean to boast an extensive railway network, from Havana in the west to the far east of the island. Part 3 : Ticket to Siberia Chris continues his exploration of the world's most extreme railway lines. Chris sets out to reach the northernmost railway station on Earth in an epic 2000-mile adventure from Moscow into Arctic Siberia. TV and

James Martin rustles up food that is both inspiring and achievable for the less canny in the kitchen. From a classic fish pie to a simple but scrumptious meringue roulade, even a novice cook can produce delicious meals for their loved ones.   [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/jm-ep.8.mp4"][/video]   James is joined by special guest Alex Jones James Martin - Cooking with Confidence ep.8 dishes: 1. Chicken piperade with pilau rice [caption id="attachment_1655" align="alignnone" width="300"] Chicken piperade with pilau rice[/caption] This delicious chicken stew is an easy dish to bung in the oven, the pilau rice adds fragrant depth of flavour. 2. Classic fish pie with peas [caption id="attachment_1656" align="alignnone" width="300"] Classic fish pie with peas[/caption] This traditional fish pie recipe makes a great family meal and is easy to pr

Chef James Martin proves that a hectic lifestyle is no bar to delicious home-cooked food with a menu of meals that can be prepared in advance. Recipes include a slow-cooked chicken chasseur and the perfect pork loinstuffed with chestnuts and sage.   [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/jm-ep.7.mp4"][/video]   There is also a visit to former French chef Thomas Maieli, who has said goodbye to his LA lifestyle cooking for the rich and famous to pursue his personal passion - creating the very best homemade duck confit. Chef James Martin dishes: 1. Salmon and watercress pan bagnat [caption id="attachment_1644" align="alignnone" width="300"] Salmon and watercress pan bagnat[/caption] Once prepared this rustic bread stuffed with salmon, peppers, red onions and watercress pesto will keep for days. Perfect for a large picnic party. 2. Chocolate truffles with cinder toffee [caption id

In Beechgrove Garden episode 14 2017, Jim is investigating the mysterious death of a hedge. He suspects foul play, and has a water diviner on hand to search for clues. Carole is in Ardersier for the second visit to see how Mari Reid and her friends are getting on in Vegetable Gardening on a Budget. Recent research suggests that we could all save £1,500 a year by growing our own. Mari and her friends are putting that theory to the test. Jim takes the high road to Ballinluig, where Ian and Christine Jones have created a hidden gem of a garden at 600ft above sea level. More in Beechgrove Garden episode 14 2017:  1. Apple Pruning We do keep going on about the weather at Beechgrove but it’s important as sunshine and rain spurs on the growth in plants. It was summer pruning time for the cordon apple trees as they are full of green, fresh vegetative growth, and if we don’t prune now then there be a smaller crop. The first job of the day for Jim was to prune all lateral or side shoots so that

In the Beechgrove Garden episode 13 2017, Jim takes a look at progress of his favourite cutting flowers and adds an easy staking system to the beds to keep flower heads up. Last week, Brian visited Pitmedden Gardens to see how they deal with the threat of box blight on their six miles of hedging. This week he is experimenting with a range of slow-growing, small-leaved evergreens as potential alternatives to using box. Carole visits David and Laura Gill in Dunblane to see the garden that David has created from scratch over the last eight years. The garden's centrepiece is a beautiful pond that provides a floral oasis of calm in a busy life. In Beechgrove Garden episode 13 2017:  1. Chrysanthemums From squash to Chrysanthemums, Jim had ordered some rooted Chrysanthemum cuttings which had been delivered to Beechgrove however they were very small plants. Because of this, Jim had decided to plant them in grow bags in the greenhouse. This will allow them to grow on enough to give us some

In the Beechgrove Garden, Jim is growing tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers side by side in his domestic-sized greenhouse. They shouldn't work together, but with limited space you have to make it work, and Jim is determined to find a way. With pruning saws at the ready once again, Carole and George take the Woodland Garden in hand as, at the moment, you can't see the wood for the trees. Brian visits the meticulous Pitmedden Gardens in Aberdeenshire to find out how head gardener Susan Burgess tackles the problem of box blight, with the six miles of clipped box hedging to maintain. In Beechgrove Garden episode 12 2017:  1. Decking Garden In September 2015 Chris and Carole sowed a border full of seed which had been collected around the Beechgrove Garden. The range included: Aquilegia – black seeds in brown seed heads - Red campion – an early flowering plant with magenta flowers - Polemonium (Jacob’s Ladder) - Thalictrum - Digitalis (foxglove) - Astrantia Aquilegia vulgaris Astrantia

For Mexicans, their most revered dishes come from the south and their Mecca is undeniably Oaxaca, where locals still dress in traditional costume, bringing to life the enduring descriptions of writers like D H Lawrence, who fell in love with the area. This is the land that coined the phrase 'people of the corn', the former site of the desert empire of the Zapotecs, and the home of Mexico's national cheese queso oaxacana. Totally off the beaten track and across the Chinantla Mountains, the muggy breezes of the Mexican Gulf transform eastern Oaxaca from desert to a tropical paradise. Rick delights in exploring this hidden land where you can smell the tropical fruit from roadside stalls long before they come into sight, where vanilla still grows wild and cacao orchards are harvested to make superb chocolate.  1. Chilli chocolate truffles (Trufas de chocolate y chile pasilla) [caption id="attachment_1622" align="alignnone" width="300"] Chilli choc

There's nothing like the taste of home when you're feeling a bit under the weather, and in this episode chef James Martin serves up his own pick-me-ups, including a nourishing squash and lime soup and a vitamin-packed poached haddock with egg. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/jm-ep.6.mp4"][/video]   Wild pig farmers Roy and Sarah Hunt visit the kitchen with a selection of their New Forest bacon for James to create his own take on a comforting cheese, tomato and bacon snack. And historian Ivan Day recreates our ancestors' answer to convalescence food - an alcoholic posset. James Martin – Pick Me Ups ep.6 dishes 1. Bacon rarebit with apple chutney [caption id="attachment_1613" align="alignnone" width="300"] Bacon rarebit with apple chutney[/caption] James whips up a quick chutney to make a meal of cheese on toast. 2. Butternut squash soup with flowerpot bread [

The Art of the Potter ep.3 Towards the end of the 19th century, a group of craftsmen decided to break the monopoly of the great ceramic factories. Studio pottery was born, a movement that celebrated traditional artisanship and decorative flair over the monotony of the production line. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ceramics-ep.3.mp4"][/video]   Through practitioners like William De Morgan, Bernard Leach and William Staite Murray, studio pottery was soon recognised as a powerful and uniquely British contribution to the story of modern art, drawing disciples from all over Europe. In the second half of the 20th century, female ceramicists like Lucie Rie and Alison Britton re-energised the movement. The programme ends with portraits of Grayson Perry and Edmund de Waal, two of the greatest potters working anywhere in the world today. The Age of Wedgwood ep.2 This second film charts the rags to riches-to-

Over 12 billion miles from Earth, a gangly ship sails through interstellar space. It is, by far, the most distant object made by human hands. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Voyager-Spacecraft.mp4"][/video]   In 1977, NASA launched twin Voyager spacecraft. An emotional, cinematic documentary, The Farthest tells their story through first-hand accounts from the passionate men and women who built the ships and guided their journeys. Negotiating a series of perils on its Grand Tour of the outer planets, Voyager beamed back spectacular images of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. But their moons offered bigger surprises - volcanoes, geysers, and a liquid water ocean. On the chance of discovery by intelligent aliens, each spacecraft carried a Golden Record with music and spoken greetings. The mission has earned its place in the pantheon of human achievements. Long after our sun has flamed out, the Voyag

James devises perfect recipes to replace those ready meals for one. On the menu is an easy-cook steak and chips with homemade bearnaise sauce, and a quick salted caramel cheesecake. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/JM-MfO-ep.5.mp4"][/video]   Historian Ivan Day recreates kippered salmon, a dish popular with single scholars who relied on quick and easy meals in their university lodgings. And cake maker Serena Whitefield explains how her love of making healthy flourless cakes has grown into a flourishing business. James Martin - Meals for One ep.5 dishes: 1. Chocolate and salted caramel banoffee cheesecake [caption id="attachment_1598" align="alignnone" width="300"] Chocolate and salted caramel banoffee cheesecake[/caption] A ten minute dessert that combines salted caramel, banana and cheesecake flavours. This is a truly indulgent dessert for the lone diner. 2. French onio

Monty demonstrates that it is not too late to start growing vegetables by showing which types to sow now, and he adds some summer colour to the Spring Garden by sinking plants in pots into the borders. A hosta National Collection holder shares the secrets of his propagating success, and Rachel de Thame pays a visit to the garden of theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh. In Gardeners World episode 16 2016:  1. Rose Roses are one of the most popular garden plants. These beauties come in a range of colours, many with scented blooms, and they can be grown in borders, containers, over arches, pergolas and as groundcover. They are easy to grow and live for a long time, if looked after.  2. Hosta Hostas are one of the best foliage plants for light to medium shade and are deservedly popular. These resilient and easy-to-grow plants are available in a wide range of leaf colours, sizes and shapes, and are also valued for their flowers, which are often fragrant. Both flowers and foliage are as

Plants that have a head for heights come under the spotlight this week. At Craigieburn Garden in the Scottish Borders Gardeners' World discovers a unique collection of Himalayan plants, and visits a nurseryman in Hebden Bridge who has been growing alpines since he was a teenager. In Gardeners World episode 15 2015:  1. How to make an alpine trough Michael Mitchell has been growing alpines since he was a teenager. Here he demonstrates how to make an alpine trough from scratch using nothing more than a bucket, some sand and cement.  2. Thin developing apples In early summer, many trees will naturally shed their fruit, a phenomenon known as the ‘June drop’. Despite this, in a good growing year, a fruit tree may still carry too many fruitlets which, if left, will develop into small fruit. With apples, thinning these fruitlets to two per spur will help to improve their final size.  3. Harvest garlic Garlic is ready to lift as soon as the foliage starts to turn yellow. Using a fork, gent

Gardening show packed with good ideas, tips, advice from experts and timely reminders to get the most out of your garden, whatever its size or type. (20 episodes) Spring is in the air and Gardeners' World is back for a new series. Through the coming spring, summer and autumn, Monty will be in his garden, Longmeadow, with a host of timely tips, ideas and inspiration that we can apply to our own gardens. As usual, Monty is joined by Carol Klein, Rachel De Thame and Joe Swift. In this episode, Carol is looking at one of the gems of early spring - the crocus, and meets world-renowned crocus expert Brian Mathew. Over the next few weeks, Joe is looking at gardens that thrive despite their extreme locations. He starts in west Wales in a bog garden; looking at plants that love the rainfall and soggy soil. Rachel visits a fabulous rose garden, home to over 2,500 different varieties and the perfect place to see how our tastes and fashions in roses have changed over the 20th century. Meanwhil

In the Beechgrove Garden, Jim is attempting to turn yellow into green as he tackles the lawn, which has turned a washed-out yellow after all the rains of winter. And continuing the theme of upgrading the 20-year-old Beechgrove Garden, Jim takes on an unloved corner of the low-maintenance garden, removing a rotting fence and pruning a wayward quince. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/BG-ep.4-2016.mp4"][/video]   Brian Cunningham visits the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, which is home to one of the most impressive alpine collections in the world, for inspiration as to how to recreate that in miniature back in Beechgrove. In Beechgrove Garden episode 4 2016:  1. Spring Bedding The wet winter weather that we have had at Beechgrove has definitely affected the spring bedding display in the trials plot. Things like the Violas and pansies used as ground cover have suffered although in the planters they wer

Everything is blooming rosy in the Beechgrove Garden as Jim, Carole and Chris catch up with progress of Beechgrove's new/old rose garden. [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/BG-ep.18-2015.mp4"][/video]   And finding out a bit more about the science of plant genetics, Jim is at Dundee Botanic Garden taking a walk through plant history in their Evolutionary Garden. George is with Lee Street in Bonchester Bridge creating an edible, fruiting hedge as a windbreak to protect her existing productive raised beds.  In Beechgrove Garden episode 18 2015:  1. Cauliflower Comparison Jim was in the Main Vegetable Plot admiring the brassicas which have done well in the cool, wet conditions we’ve had this summer so far. In one part of the brassica beds, Jim has been growing two types of cauliflower – F1 hybrid vs open pollinated. ‘Clapton’, is an F1 hybrid which is described as club root resistant. The beautiful he

The Age of Wedgwood ep.2 This second film charts the rags to riches-to-rags epic of Stoke-on-Trent, a city built on clay and the heart of Britain's once world-beating ceramics empire. On the back of the 17th century phenomenon of tea, pottery in Britain exploded into a cutting-edge industry and a source of enormous national pride. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ceramics-ep.2.mp4"][/video]   We meet the key characters responsible for putting British ceramic art on the map: from Josiah Wedgwood, innovator, artist and marketing genius, and Josiah Spode (who made it his life's work to invent a British version of Chinese porcelain and came up, aged 60, with bone china, which revolutionised the industry of ceramics) to the great 20th century ceramicists Clarice Cliff and Susie Cooper. We see how demands for cheap labour since the 1980s have forced the closure of all but a handful of these great fa

In a two-part series, Rob Bell explores the work of Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, exploring his complex personality as well as his prolific achievements. Part 1: Thames Tunnel In the opening episode, Rob examines Brunel's first major project, the Thames Tunnel, before he went on to secure the post of official engineer to the proposed Great Western Railway. More than 100 workmen died during the building of the Box Tunnel in Wiltshire, Brunel’s clever, but in human terms, harrowing solution to a hill that blocked his London-to-Bristol Great Western Railway. At the time it was the longest tunnel in the world. Part 2: SS Great Britain Rob Bell concludes his two-part documentary series on the great British engineer with the story of his two masterpieces of ship design - the SS Great Britain, the great-great-grandmother of all modern ships, and the SS Great Eastern. By the time he had finalised the latter's design, the ship was 692ft long and weighed nearly 19,000 tons.

In the Beechgrove Garden it's fire and water as Carole and George don waders and climb into the pond to clear the blanketweed, while Jim also wages war on weeds with a new flamethrower. Brian and George plant up a new alpine wall with blue and white plants that will create sky beyond the alpine mountains. Carole is in the water again as she visits Julia Young's unique garden in a quarry at Blebo Craigs, near Strathkinness, as Julia has a small rowing boat to weed and plant around the quarry. In Beechgrove Garden episode 11 2017:  1. Biennials It’s hard to believe that only 2 weeks ago we were taking out the spring bedding and putting in the summer bedding. It’s now time to be thinking ahead and sow biennials for next spring’s bedding display. Biennial means that they can be sown this year and they will flower next year then it either dies or is discarded.  2. Alpine/Secret Garden George and Brian were marrying the top of the Alpine Garden with the Secret Garden behind it. The s

James shows how anyone can impress their dinner party guests with some simple home-cooked recipes that look like restaurant dishes. He cooks a stylishly simple beef wellington, a show-stopping passion fruit delice, and a clever custard souffle using ready-made custard as a cheat. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Dressed-to-Impress.mp4"][/video]   Historian Ivan Day looks at macedoine jelly, a Victorian dessert with the real wow factor. Norwegian artisan producer Ole Hansen explains how his family's passion for perfect smoked salmon led him to start his London-based business. James Martin recipes: 1. Teriyaki mushroom risotto with red mullet and lime leaf foam [caption id="attachment_1549" align="alignnone" width="300"] Teriyaki mushroom risotto with red mullet and lime leaf foam[/caption] Jazz up a mushroom risotto with a fried fillet of red mullet and some Japanese

The film explores Iguacu National Park on the Brazilian-Argentine border, home to some of the largest waterfalls on Earth. The story follows animals native to this Atlantic rainforest habitat, including kamikaze-like swifts who live behind and fly through the thundering masses of falling water, as well as spotted jaguars and a family of coatis. The film also shows the struggle of park rangers to defend this threatened reserve from opportunistic exploitation. Some of the largest waterfalls on earth guard a precious secret. In one of the last Atlantic rainforest refuges, spotted jaguars prowl and playful coatis cavort. Breathtaking photography reveals how great dusky swifts risk their lives gliding through tons of falling water, while park rangers risk theirs to fight off Iguaçus impending destruction.

Part 4: Guantanamo Bay [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Extreme-Railway-Journeys-Guantanamo-Bay.mp4"][/video]   Documentary series in which Chris Tarrant explores the world's most extreme railway lines. Chris attempts to cross the length of Cuba, the only island in the Caribbean to boast an extensive railway network, from Havana in the west to the far east of the island. Part 3 : Ticket to Siberia Chris continues his exploration of the world's most extreme railway lines. Chris sets out to reach the northernmost railway station on Earth in an epic 2000-mile adventure from Moscow into Arctic Siberia. TV and radio presenter Chris Tarrant journeys by rail through some of the world's most challenging terrain. Part 2 : Crossing the Andes Chris continues his exploration of the world's most extreme railway lines. From the tiny coastal town of Tocopilla, Chris rides one of the steepest railways

Around 360 B.C., the Greek philosopher Plato recorded the legend of Atlantis, the great civilization swallowed by the sea. For centuries, adventurers and archaeologists have searched in vain for the lost city. But now, an international team of experts has uncovered evidence of an epic catastrophe that wiped out a technically advanced and wealthy Mediterranean civilization 3,500 years ago. Join us as we detail a devastating natural disaster and the cataclysmic events that changed history and inspired a myth.

The Story of Clay ep.1 Ceramics are where art meets function - one of our oldest and most fundamental art forms, that sits at the centre of our homes. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ceramics-ep.1.mp4"][/video] The first film in this three-part series looks at a history of domestic pottery in Britain from Tudor times onwards, tracing the evolution of its different techniques and styles, and examining what our pots can tell us in intimate detail how preceding generations lived and saw themselves. Whether it's for celebrating birth, marriage and death (our own or royal), eating and drinking or showing the world our social status, ceramics contain more than just our tea or coffee - they contain something of our lives, our social DNA, and reveal a lot about our taste and habits as a nation. They become, in effect, snapshots in clay. Contributors include David Attenborough, Edmund de Waal, Grayson Per

Part 6: City of Man City of God In the last of the series, archaeologist and historian Richard Miles examines the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Ancient-Worlds-City-of-Man-City-of-God-ep.6.mp4"][/video]   At the height of its power, the Roman Empire extended the benefits of its civilization to a 60 million citizens and subjects in a swathe of territory that extended from Hadrian's Wall to the banks of the Euphrates. Even under the rule of mad, bad and dangerous emperors, the imperial system proved to be robust, buttressed by the support of elite families in the far-flung corners of the empire whose loyalty was ensured by a system of cultural aspiration, economic opportunity and military coercion. But the material benefits of the 'good order' delivered by Roman rule provided its citizens and subjects with the security to ask profound questions about the

The Beechgrove team take a break from the garden to be at Gardening Scotland, the biggest gardening show north of the border. The cream of British growers will be there, with everything from pansies to pelargoniums, and cacti to clematis in a stunning floral frenzy. We will see those who are growing for gold including those exhibits showing off their medals from last week's Chelsea Flower Show. Beechgrove will be concentrating on the Scottish talent and Scottish plants but we'll join them all for a sneak preview, as well as sampling the unique atmosphere of Gardening Scotland.

James shares the recipes that remind him of his Yorkshire childhood, including his grandmother's roast shoulder of pork and her indulgent bacon sandwiches. [video poster="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/JM-ep-3-mp4-image.jpg" width="640" height="360" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/JM-ep.3.mp4"][/video]   Historian Gerard Baker delves into the history of childhood favourite gingerbread, and Vietnamese cook Uyen Luu explains how memories of her native grandmother's beef noodle soup have inspired her to start a supper club business in her London home.  1. Slow roast shoulder of pork with roasties and apple sauce with hispi cabbage [caption id="attachment_1515" align="alignnone" width="300"] Slow roast shoulder of pork with roasties and apple sauce with hispi cabbage[/caption] When roast pork is combined with duck fat roasties and homemade apple sauce you really can

Part 3 : Ticket to Siberia Chris continues his exploration of the world's most extreme railway lines. Chris sets out to reach the northernmost railway station on Earth in an epic 2000-mile adventure from Moscow into Arctic Siberia. TV and radio presenter Chris Tarrant journeys by rail through some of the world's most challenging terrain. Part 2 : Crossing the Andes Chris continues his exploration of the world's most extreme railway lines. From the tiny coastal town of Tocopilla, Chris rides one of the steepest railways in the world as he scales the first 1,000 metres of the Andes. Part 1: Railroad to Mandalay  In the first episode Chris begins with a trip from Bangkok in Thailand to Mandalay in Myanmar. Chris traces the route of the notorious Burma-Siam Railway, a 250-mile line built by the Japanese during the Second World War using enslaved Asian workers and Allied prisoners of war, visiting the famous site of the Bridge on the River Kwai along the way.

Part 5 : The Republic of Virtue How did an insignificant cluster of Latin hill villages on the edge of the civilised world become the greatest empire the world has known? In the fifth programme of the series, archaeologist and historian Richard Miles examines the phenomenon of the Roman Republic, from its fratricidal mythical beginnings, with the legend of Romulus and Remus, to the all too real violence of its end, dragged to destruction by war lords like Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://video-clump.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Ancient-Worlds-The-Republic-of-Virtue-ep.5.mp4"][/video]   Travelling to Sicily and North Africa, Richard tells the story of Rome's century-long struggle for dominance with the other great regional power, Carthage. It was a struggle that would end with the total destruction of this formidable enemy and the transformation of landlubber Rome into a seapower, and the Republic into

This edition of the programme is bursting with colour and packed with information. At Longmeadow, Monty Don celebrates the arrival of summer by making a start on his new scented border and offers a few suggestions for what to be getting on with for the weekend ahead. In Gardeners World episode 15 2015:  1. Cut back hardy geraniums If you want a second flush of flowers from your hardy geraniums, then June is a good time to chop them back. The foliage of some species, like Geranium phaeum, can look tatty by midsummer, but if you give them a quick haircut now, this will stimulate fresh growth giving you new blooms in about a month’s time.  2. Sow kale & winter cabbage Plan ahead for winter by sowing brassicas such as kale and cabbage. You can sow them in pots, modules or trays and leave them outside to germinate. As the seedlings start to grow, keep a look out for the tiny yellow eggs of cabbage white butterflies which are often laid on the underside of the leaves.  3. Pull out bienni

Monty Don is reaping the rewards of the summer when he begins to harvest crops from the vegetable garden and gives tips on extending the flower season in the borders.   Carol takes a trip to the seaside to discover why some plants thrive despite being assaulted by salt-laden winds and we make a final visit to Sissinghurst to catch up with Troy Scott-Smith and see the changes that have been made to the garden. In Gardeners World episode 15 2016:  1. How to stake perennials Perennials in borders often put on strong lush growth that makes them vulnerable to collapse, especially after heavy rain or strong winds. Staking them early in the season will help avoid disaster. In particular; tall plants and hybrids with large flowers require additional support.  2. How to thin fruit In favourable conditions fruit trees set more fruit than is ideal. Fruit thinning involves removing excess fruit to improve fruit size and quality. It is carried out on apples, pears, plums, peaches and nectarines.

Rick heads to the capital - a melting pot that encapsulates a country that, despite its narrow stature, crosses three time zones. For that simple reason, locals casually refer to the city as 'Mexico', and not much has changed to the food that fed the former seat of the Aztec Empire. Scenes captured by Diego Rivera in his murals still come alive in the city's bustling markets, and working men's taverns still offer pulque, the alco-pop of the ancients. But the most precious Aztec legacy are the chinampas - floating vegetable gardens found in the criss-crossing intersections of canals to the south of the city. They are an inspiration to the city's top chefs, including Eduardo Garcia, endearingly known as chef Lalo. Heading south from the capital, Rick travels to the city of Puebla, which conjures up images of Cortez and the Spanish conquest of Mexico. It is a city with impressive European architecture, talavera pottery and the home of mole, Mexico's most famous mea

It's bedding plant time and Jim, Carole and George are planting out a bevy of beautiful bedding in the Beechgrove Garden. Scotland's number one bedding plant is the begonia, and Carole checks on the progress of her fertiliser observation using begonias as the test plant. Brian Cunningham responded to a cry for help from Susan Bulleid in Newton Mearns, who has a problematic dry shady spot under a mature beech tree. Brian uses the beech to its best advantage and creates a new woodland garden fit for purpose. Carole visits Hamish and Sue MacIntosh in Balnabuel, near Dalcross airport. The couple have carved this one-acre mixed garden full of choice plants out of a fissure of land to create many growing environments. In Beechgrove Garden episode 9 2017: Main Vegetable Plot After talking about frosted tatties, Jim was earthing up our tatties to protect them. This involved mounding up the soil around the emerging foliage - this also makes them easier to harvest in a ridge. The action

We are a nation of houseplant givers and buyers but do we know how to care for them once home? Carole the houseplant doctor dispenses advice. On a similar theme, in the Beechgrove Garden, trying to keep our own house in order, Jim, George and Carole struggle to rescue some pot-bound camellias. Jim is back visiting the inspirational Firpark School in Motherwell. Firpark has 150 pupils with a range of additional support needs and pupils learn to take produce from fork to fork from garden to bistro. And Carole visits Simon McPhun's deceptively informal cottage style garden near Huntly. In Beechgrove Garden episode 8 2017:  1. Repotting Camellias A few weeks ago the presenters were looking at the beautiful flowers on the Camellias. They have however been in these pots for 5 years now and need repotting. Carole had lifted the plant straight out of its pot with some help from Mairi, the Head Gardener. Jim put his pot on its side and eased the plant out of the pot on his own by rolling th