RSPB Bempton Cliffs and its amazing seabirds are set to take a starring role in comedian Bill Bailey's new series about birdwatching.
On Thursday, 21 January, viewers can see what happened when Bill hosted two celebrity teams in a series of tough, competitive birdwatching challenges at the nature reserve near Bridlington.
The programme, filmed last year, is the third in Sky 1 an
d Sky1 HD's brand new six-part series, Bill Bailey's Birdwatching Bonanza, which starts this Thursday, 7 January at 9pm.
Throughout the series, Bill is joined by a pair of eager team captains. Heading up the brown team is movie and music buff ALEX ZANE, who has harboured a passion for birdwatching from a young age after he was introduced to the hobby by his grandmother.
The blue team captain is stand-up comedian JEFF GREEN, who describes himself as 'a keen amateur birder', who's enthusiastic and has a strong competitive streak.
For the Bempton challenge, birding novice Stephen K Amos joins Alex's team and Strictly Come Dancing expert Camilla Dellarup joins Jeff's team
Their first day sees the teams exposed to howling gales as they photograph gannets using a digiscope. Day 2 sees them orienteering, as Bill challenges the team to make 'field notes' (drawing each bird they see) along a coastal path.
As well as visiting RSPB Bempton Cliffs, the challenges took the teams out to sea on a boat with RSPB seabird research officer Ruth Porter and onto Flamborough Head.
Captured in stunning high definition, Bill travels the country visiting the best birdwatching locations. From the tranquility of Rutland Water to the incredible spectacle of thousands of migrating geese in the Solway Firth; from the seething flocks of North Norfolk to the rugged beauty of the Isle of Mull, Bill and the teams will be embracing the great outdoors.
Bill oversees the two teams as they get back to basics and commune with nature, setting up camp at each location and settling down around the campfire in the evenings to reminisce on their birding exploits.
Bill commented: "I've always had a passion for wildlife and birds in particular, so I relished this opportunity to camp out in some lovely corners of Britain and spot some beautiful birds.
"Hopefully, this show will encourage more people to celebrate our extraordinarily diverse birdlife, while at the same time enjoying the great British countryside. One of the great pleasures of doing this show, is seeing our guests, many of whom have never been birdwatching, finding out that they love it, and what a fascinating and rewarding pastime it can be."
Every spring and summer, RSPB Bempton Cliffs is home to more than 200,000 seabirds, including gannets, kittiwakes, puffins, razorbills and guillemots. But even when the last birds have left the cliffs in autumn, Bempton is still a wonderful place, with breath-taking cliffs plunging into the seas below.
Ian Kendall, site manager at RSPB Bempton Cliffs, said: "It was great to see Bill and his teams braving the autumn weather and experiencing for themselves the wildlife spectacle that this wonderful place has to offer. Not just our amazing seabirds, but the awesome views of a truly wild part of the Yorkshire coast.
"We're looking forward to seeing the seabirds return anytime soon and we are delighted that this incredible spectacle will be shared with so many Sky viewers throughout the country."
