Wild Kingdom: The Great British Year

Starting on New Year's Day, this episode follows Britain in the grip of winter as it experiences the coldest temperatures of the year. All wildlife must cope with the cold. Red Kites track the farmers as they plough the hard ground uncovering grubs and worms. Owls use their super sensitive hearing to dive on voles through the covering of snow. As spring moves in a visible line across the country, woodland floors are carpeted with snowdrops. In London, the grass is growing and people rush to mow garden lawns.

Late March signals the start of a battle for light. Timelapses show billions of plants, shrubs and trees racing to be the first to make use of the sun's life-giving energy. Bats and bees come out of hibernation and birds and animals begin their own perilous race; to breed. As spring becomes summer the rising temperatures trigger plankton blooms in the sea. Mayflies hatch in their millions attracting attacks from acrobatic brown trout in the rivers below and duckings leap from the water to pluck the mayflies from the air.

The country is at its warmest. It's boom time for the insects - the air above a summer meadow is thick with the sound of them. The latest thermal cameras reveal the ghostly and mysterious displays of the nocturnal nightjar birds on Dorset heaths. While millions of people celebrate in summer, billions of ants take to the skies on flying ant day. The departing swallows pause for one last wash in the river before leaving Britain's shores, signaling the end of summer.

The fading sun brings an energy change to Britain and powerful storms batter the shores. The trees go dormant, but not before a final burst of colour. For animals, the shortening days are a cue to act: sika deer battle for supremacy while dormice curl up for a winter snooze. Seals risk life or death in the stormy seas, while on land there are some who thrive like earthworms, fungi and mysterious slime moulds. Dark December allows the first snow to fall and the country transforms into a winter wonderland.