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The River: A Year in the Life of the Tay

Author Helen Macdonald follows Britain鈥檚 greatest river over four seasons, encountering salmon, beavers and the microscopic creatures helping to answer science's biggest questions.

Writer and naturalist Helen Macdonald traces the dramatic journey of Britain鈥檚 greatest river, the Tay, over an entire year. Mixing natural history, cutting-edge science and historical biography with a spectacular travelogue, the film is a celebration of our largest river as it transforms from melting Highland snow to a vast torrent flowing into the cold North Sea.

Following the river鈥檚 course from Ben Lui in the west to Dundee in the east, Helen explores the Tay鈥檚 magical landscapes, encounters its rare and beautiful wildlife and traces the epic lifecycle of its iconic Salmon population across four spectacular seasons. Spring鈥檚 mountain glens reveal hardy lifeforms, honed for life in rushing water, from the Dipper, the world鈥檚 only swimming songbird, to a mayfly nymph that mimics the shape of a racing car鈥檚 aerofoil to withstand fast-flowing streams.

Helen continues her travels with a visit to the remote Tay tributary, whose riverbed rocks led to an 18th-century man of science, James Hutton, becoming the first person to fully grasp the Earth鈥檚 true age, sparking the 鈥榟eretical鈥� concept of deep time. As spring moves into summer, Helen studies a newly introduced wild Beaver colony to see how this controversial returnee is transforming the Tay鈥檚 landscape. She also takes a fascinating look at the microscopic life that fills the sun-drenched waters in a lab where these tiny green algae are helping to answer one of life鈥檚 great questions: how multicellular bodies like ours first evolved.

Autumn鈥檚 cooling air creates darker, richer waters as the Tay鈥檚 riverside trees shed millions of leaves. This huge influx of nutrients threatens to upset the delicate balance of the river鈥檚 ecosystem. But Helen meets an unlikely saviour: the unassuming freshwater pearl mussel. As winter starts to grip, Helen鈥檚 journey reaches Perth, the point where the river begins to mingle with the sea. In the brackish water downstream lies the UK鈥檚 largest reed bed, a sanctuary for one of our rarest birds, the bearded tit, a wonderful example of man and nature working together to support each other. As the river finally becomes the North Sea beyond Dundee, Helen reflects on the extraordinary legacy of local polymath D鈥橝rcy Thompson, whose insights a century ago revealed how simple mathematical rules can explain the complex beauty of the natural world.

Interwoven with Helen鈥檚 journey downstream is the story of the Tay鈥檚 most iconic species: Atlantic salmon. The majestic king of Fish has suffered a rapid decline in recent decades. Helen will meet the river guardians striving to save these wonderful creatures, and the scientists using new technology to solve the mystery of why they are disappearing. More than just the Tay鈥檚 stunning natural and geographical highlights, Helen also seeks to understand how rivers enter our imaginations. The story of the Tay interweaves history and nature, human endeavour and misadventure, and ultimately captures how the fine balance of our complex lives is reflected in its constant winding silver thread.

1 hour, 29 minutes

Last on

Mon 19 Feb 2024 02:20
主播大秀 Four

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:09

    Mark Brandis - Raumkadett

    Tatort Astronautenschule - Teil 05

  • 00:15

    WAS IST WAS

    Nicht Nur Ein Traum

  • 00:19

    Colleen

    Babies

  • 00:29

    Va

    Aukai - Colorado

  • 00:41

    Aphex Twin

    Jynweythek

  • 00:43

    Agnes Obel

    Falling, Catching

  • 00:49

    amiina

    Rugla

  • 00:53

    Nils Frahm & 脫lafur Arnalds

    20:17

  • 00:56

    Jon Hopkins

    Echo Dissolve

Credits

Presenter Helen Macdonald
Editor Emeka Onono
Editor Laurence Williamson
Executive Producer Belinda Cherrington
Executive Producer Rory Wheeler
Director Nathan Budd

Broadcasts

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