Secret Garden (2026) s01e04 Episode Script

BIRDSONG
BUZZING
Across the British Isles there are
magical places,
our pride and joy - our gardens.
LAUGHTER
Yet, many of us are completely unaware
of the wild world
..right under our noses.
BUBBLE POPS
Amazingly, some British gardens
are almost as diverse
as a tropical rainforest.
And when our backs are turned
CHICKS CHEEP
..they come alive.
QUACKING
From the wilds of Scotland
STAG BELLOWS
..to a metropolitan oasis
..in each episode we will reveal the
extraordinary dramas
playing out within a single garden.
HIGH-PITCHED CRY
Welcome to a hidden world
right on our doorsteps.
OWL HOOTS
Hidden away in a Welsh woodland
at the bottom of a steep-sided
valley
..an old cottage.
Home to Robin and Laura.
- We fell in love with this property
because it was just nestled in this
sea of green.
- We just discovered it all a bit by
accident, didn't we?
We just bumped into this secluded
little valley
hidden in the Welsh countryside.
- PIGEON COOS
Robin is a wildlife cameraman
and spends much of the year filming
abroad.
- Sort of quite ironic that you
probably observe wildlife
around the world more than he does
here in his own back yard.
So this is our vegetable garden.
It's in the sunniest spot.
- We've got a brook that comes along
here, goes under the house,
and then runs down into the river at
the bottom of the valley.
And then, either side of us, we are
absolutely surrounded
by woodland.
- This is one of the most biodiverse
parts of Britain.
BIRD CHIRRUPS
But this woodland garden keeps its
secrets close.
Its wildlife goes largely unseen
by Robin, Laura and their two young
boys.
And there is one feature of this
valley that sets this garden apart.
- It's quite a unique garden in that
the light isn't here all the time.
The sun doesn't come up over the
trees.
- As the light changes from month to
month,
each garden resident
must await its moment in the sun.
BIRD CAWS
Late winter,
and direct sunlight hasn't reached the
valley floor for four months.
Sheltering from the cold, damp
conditions
..under a protective pile of leaves
..one of our most elusive little
mammals -
a hazel dormouse.
Her body temperature is barely above
freezing.
Her heart rate and breathing
is reduced to 10% of its summer rate.
She'll remain in deep hibernation
until spring.
Wake up too early,
and she risks hunger
OWL HOOTS
..and being hunted.
These trees are haunted by tawny owls.
HIGH-PITCHED CRY
HIGH-PITCHED CRY
The garden is an excellent hunting
ground for them.
Bare branches make very good
observation posts.
HIGH-PITCHED CRY
Owls have exceptionally good night
vision.
RUSTLING
And acute hearing makes this male a
top predator.
HOO
METALLIC GRATING
Bird feeders attract rodents.
MOUSE SQUEAKS
Among them, woodmice.
He just has to pick his moment.
SQUEAKING
Each rodent he catches is more than
just a meal.
It's proof that he is a reliable
hunter
..and a worthy partner for his
long-term mate.
OWL CRIES
She calls "too-wits".
HIGH PITCHED CALL
And he responds
HOOTING
.."too-woos".
TOO-WI
TOO-WOO
Few of us realise
that this is a duet.
if they're going to have a family,
they will need a home.
OWL HOOTS
Even in a woodland like this,
tree hollows are in short supply.
So Robin and Laura have installed a
large nest box, three metres up.
FLAPPING
Tawny owls breed early,
so that their chicks hatch in time for
the abundance of spring.
But the weather has to be right.
TOO-WIT, TOO-WOO
When the spring sun reaches deep into
the valley
for the first time
BIRDSONG
..the garden finally awakens.
In March, the leafless trees
allow the sun's warming rays to reach
the forest floor.
Woodland flowers bloom quickly before
the canopy closes overhead.
For Laura, the emergence of wild
garlic
means that spring is well under way.
BIRD CHIRRUPS
SNORTING
In the woods at the top of the
garden
GRUNTING
..the undergrowth conceals a growing
family
that has spent winter deep
underground.
There could be 400,000 of them in
Britain
but few of us have ever seen one
alive.
SCREECHING
Badgers.
A mother cautiously leads her
three-month-old cubs
out of their sett for the first time.
They rarely come out during the day.
But in an undisturbed woodland
they seem to feel secure enough to do
so.
Badgers may be Britain's largest land
predators
..but their diet consists mainly of
small delicacies.
GRUNTING
Invertebrates such as worms
..slugs
..and snails.
The forest is crawling with them at
this time of the year
..but badgers are learning that
gardens can offer bigger rewards.
BIRD CAWS
One of last year's cubs is eager to
explore.
He gathers his courage
..and sets off down a well-trodden
path
..towards the garden.
INSECT BUZZES
Here there is an abundance of food
LOUD BUZZING
..including a hive of around 40,000
honeybees.
BADGER GRUNTS
But this hive
..has strange guardians.
BADGER SNORTS
BEES BUZZ
Better to come back after dark.
CACOPHONY OF BUZZING
A thorough spring clean ensures that
by late summer
there will be enough honey for both
bees and humans to share.
Beekeepers like Robin and Laura
know their honeybees well.
But the wild bees in the garden
are easily overlooked.
There are 270 native species of bee in
the UK.
And one of them has been hibernating
underground for six months
..a buff-tailed bumblebee.
She is a queen.
Her fat reserves have sustained her
over the winter.
And now, it's down to her to build a
new colony.
Before tackling the hard work,
she needs to warm up.
She vibrates her flight muscles.
She may have to do this for 15 minutes
or so.
But once she reaches 30 degrees,
she's ready to go.
LOW BUZZING
BUZZING CONTINUES
Next, she must build up her strength.
BEE BUZZES
And she does so by collecting pollen
and nectar -
visiting thousands of flowers every
day.
After a week of foraging,
it's time to find a place to nest.
An old mouse hole will do nicely.
She has a major task ahead of her.
So she secretes wax from her
abdomen
..and moulds it into brood cells.
And then she lays a single
fertilised egg in each.
Now she keeps them warm
by vibrating her muscles once again.
The colony's fate depends on her.
RATTLING
Once the sunlight is strong enough to
warm the garden
..insect numbers suddenly increase.
Just in time for the 70 species of
woodland birds here,
many with chicks.
CHICKS CRY
But one parent doesn't need to share.
She lives largely unnoticed
down by the stream.
A dipper.
Her specialised feathers and strong
wings
give her access to another world.
She is an accomplished diver,
and is able to negotiate fast-flowing
rapids
to catch aquatic insects.
Insects that are beyond the reach of
other birds.
She can stay submerged for up to 30
seconds at a time
..and has transparent eyelids which
act like goggles,
so she can find her prey.
Her main competitors
..fish.
She needs to collect hundreds of
insects every day
CHILDREN LAUGH
..because hidden under the cottage,
away from prying eyes
..she has a nestful of hungry chicks.
CHICKS CHEEP
Her mate shares the workload.
BIRD CHIRRUPS
CHICKS CHEEP
But the waterways around here
aren't as clean as they once were
CHICKS CHIRP
..so catching enough insects
..is far from guaranteed.
OWL HOOTS
As night sets in,
the family is unaware of the drama
unfolding
in the surrounding oak trees.
TOO-WI
The tawnies' nightly duet has been
joined
by a less harmonious call.
SCREECHING
Inside their nestbox, it's
pitch-black.
But our infrared lights reveal the
source.
Two young owlets, just two weeks old.
Already there are signs of sibling
rivalry.
TWITTERING
The larger owlet, which hatched a few
days earlier,
is winning the fight for food.
SCREECHING
CHICKS CHATTER
To start with, earthworms will do.
But the owls have timed things well.
The garden is now full of prey.
The larger owlet is always first in
the queue.
He now wolfs down three rodents a
day
..And if left hungry,
he may eat his smaller sibling.
If food becomes scarce,
only the strongest will survive.
BIRDSONG
By late spring, the sun is high enough
to flood the valley with light.
CUCKOO CALLS
The garden is getting more productive
by the day.
BUZZING
The bumblebee queen has successfully
raised her first brood.
Her eggs have developed from larvae
into adult female worker bees.
The queen releases a pheromone which
suppresses their desire to breed.
They have other duties.
The smaller workers tend to yet more
of her larvae,
while larger ones venture out to
gather more food.
BEES BUZZ
Vital fuel for the growing colony.
But juicy larvae
..are a great prize
RUSTLING
..for badgers.
Their strong claws would enable them
to dig up a nest without any problem.
LOUD BUZZING
The workers' angry buzz is a warning.
Unlike honeybees, a single bumblebee
can sting multiple times.
Badgers are wary of people
..so the bumblebees are safe.
BUZZING
But to secure the royal line,
the queen needs to raise another
brood.
A few weeks without rain
and the garden's woodland starts to
dry out.
It's a tough time to be a badger.
PIGEON COOS
Earthworms, that make up 60% of their
diet,
burrow deep underground.
BADGER SNORTS
Two-thirds of badger cubs may die
in a dry spell like this.
But Laura's watering could be a
life-saver.
CRIES, HOOTING
Tonight, the year-old cub
waits for the cover of darkness.
RUSTLING
His sense of smell is extremely
sensitive
SNUFFLING
..and the garden is filled
LAUGHTER, CHATTERING
..with a cocktail of scents.
BADGER SNIFFS
The most alluring
..comes from the patio.
Peanuts.
A nutritious starter
..but not enough to satisfy the
appetite of a growing badger.
OWL HOOTS
Down on the lawn - the main course.
Laura's watering has brought the worms
closer to the surface.
Though it still takes muscle to reach
them.
A hungry badger can make quite a mess.
But it comes with the territory
..when you live in such a wild and
wonderful place.
By May,
the longer days are bringing the
woodland into leaf.
The canopy comes alive with insects.
Oak trees host over 1,000 species of
invertebrates.
Good news for pied flycatchers
that have travelled thousands of miles
from West Africa
to breed here.
But the dipper family is hungrier than
ever.
CHICKS SHRIEK
The chicks now need hundreds of
insects every day.
And their parents are struggling to
meet their demands.
So Robin comes bearing gifts.
Mealworms -
little packages of protein and fat.
They could make all the difference.
But with both parents away collecting
food
..one chick slips out.
CHICKS CHIRRUP
Its mother hasn't noticed.
And the chick is too young to fend for
itself.
The chick's call is hardly audible
above the rushing water.
CHICK SQUEAKS
HIGH-PITCHED CRY
But its mother is attuned to its high
frequency.
CHICK CHEEPS
An unconventional start
CHICK CHIRPS
..but its parents will continue to
look after it
..until it has learnt how to hunt for
itself.
Soon all the chicks will fledge,
and everyone can relax.
As the canopy thickens,
shadows cover large parts of the
garden.
BIRD WARBLES
WILD BOAR GRUNTS
Cover for cautious forest animals such
as wild boar.
OWL HOOTS
Only under the cover of darkness
BIRD CRIES, OWL HOOTS
..will the garden's sleepiest resident
dare to emerge.
OWL CRIES
The dormouse.
Even after seven months in
hibernation,
she has lost half her body weight.
And she needs food urgently
if she is to survive.
Even at night, she is dangerously
exposed.
OWL HOOTS
But some risks are worth taking.
Redcurrants.
BIRD CRIES
She needs to double her weight in just
five months
..before she curls up once again for
her long winter sleep.
On a warm summer evening,
another family gathering.
BIRD CRIES
Beyond the firelight,
two young brothers face the most
dangerous night of their lives
so far.
The elder, larger owlet is now
five times his hatching weight
CHICK SCREECHES
..because he's continued to consume
most of the deliveries.
Trapped inside the nest box
CHICK CHEEPS
..his younger brother is growing
weaker by the day.
HIGH-PITCHED CRY
Until, driven by hunger
..the little brother
..makes a bid to get out
..and pushes his older brother
CHICK SQUEALS
THUMP
..onto the ground.
CHICK CRIES OU
He's too young to fly.
FOX SCREAMS
If a predator finds him
..he won't stand a chance.
He must get backup there.
BADGER SNUFFLES
BADGER SNORTS
Fortunately, he is strong enough to
climb.
But he's not safe yet.
TELEVISION PLAYS
OWL SQUAWKS
His parents call to encourage him.
OWL SQUAWKS
HIGH-PITCHED SCREECH
Big brother is safe.
And his little brother's fortunes are
looking up.
With his sensitive eyesight,
it must be a magical view.
At long last, he gets the attention he
needs.
CHICK SQUEAKS
The parents' gamble of breeding early
has paid off.
The owlets have had their
difficulties,
but both look set to survive.
As summer comes to an end,
the family harvest the honey from
their beehive.
BEE BUZZES
But things are not so sweet for the
garden's other bees.
BUZZING
After laying hundreds of eggs,
the bumblebee queen is close to
collapse.
She can no longer produce the
pheromones
..that keep her workers in check.
So they start laying eggs of their
own.
And her larvae grow larger
..as they will become the next
generation of queens.
Her reign is over.
The old queen is dead.
With cold weather on its way,
her loyal workers will die too.
But soon, the new queens will head out
on their own.
If just one of them survives,
the succession will be secured.
And a new generation of bees
..will pollinate the flowers in this
garden and beyond.
Life in the garden is slowing down.
As the days shorten and the
temperature falls,
the trees absorb valuable nutrients
from their leaves.
Only then do they drop them.
A single tree can shed hundreds of
thousands of leaves.
Laura works hard to keep the patio and
the paths clear.
LEAF BLOWER HUMS
But the vast majority of leaves lie
where they fall.
They are what the soil
..and its inhabitants need.
A miniature clean-up crew
gets to work.
Slugs
..and woodlice return carbon and other
nutrients to the soil.
Their presence attracts predators.
Centipedes patrol this underworld.
Now it's time for the garden's most
important animal to get to work.
The humble earthworm
..lured from deep underground.
There may be hundreds of them in every
cubic metre of soil.
The worms in this garden will consume
tonnes of fallen leaves
..converting them into next year's
plant food in a matter of months.
Earthworms are essential.
They support not just plants,
but also many animals.
BADGER SNUFFLES
This year's badger cubs are now big
and strong.
BADGER CUBS CHATTER
And their older brother is still on
hand
..for some rough and tumble.
It turns out that a woodland garden
can provide for even a large badger
family.
Now they can prepare for winter.
A clean coat, extra fat
..and a pile of cosy bedding
..will see them through the difficult
months ahead.
Life in this wooded valley
is governed by its changing light.
It's vital for each plant and animal
in the garden
to get its timing just right.
And Robin and Laura do their best to
keep pace.
- Our garden's actually quite a small
part of the world,
but to us it's a big part of our
lives.
Probably not only does it drive the
wildlife and the nature around us,
to an extent it probably drives our
lives as well.
- This garden really is like a clock.
You know, the changing colours of the
leaves
and where the light falls in different
parts of the garden
and, of course, all the animals that
come and go.
- It's time to hunker down for winter.
Most animals retreat into the trees
or hide underground
..waiting until the sunlight
returns
..to reveal this garden's secrets once
again.
OWL CRIES
Homeowner Robin Smith has been a
wildlife cameraman
for over 20 years.
He's travelled the world,
filming some of the planet's most
exotic animals.
- Filming wildlife in the British
Isles is, I think,
can be more challenging actually than
filming wildlife in places
like the Amazon because we're a
relatively crowded, small island.
So our wildlife has got very good at
avoiding people.
- To film the secret life in his
garden,
Robin has re-purposed some domestic
technology.
- So these are basically adapted
security cameras
that I've set up to work alongside a
wireless network.
They've got a little solar panel on
top,
so we don't have to worry about
batteries.
- Robin has also rigged a large owl
box.
- We've just put this one up this
year,
and we've got a camera already fitted
inside that
that's rigged up to an infrared light
and it's all ready to go.
The trick is to try and think like an
animal if you can.
- While Robin leaves his new system to
record,
he returns to his trusty camera to
film a remarkable resident
living right under the house
..the dipper.
- We're super lucky to have dippers on
this stretch of the brook.
They're a pretty small and fast bird.
So they're quite challenging to film.
And we only get a relatively small
window of opportunity.
- Dippers only come to the garden to
breed for a few weeks a year.
- They can travel quite a long way.
They can be gone for 40 minutes to an
hour sometimes,
so you have to be quite patient.
Things can be fairly quiet for hours
and hours on end
with nothing happening.
- Filming wildlife always requires
patience.
But at least Robin only has a short
commute.
- I've spent many, many hours filming
in hides,
but this puts a whole new slant on the
whole working from home thing.
- A few weeks later, Robin and Laura
check in on the remote cameras.
At first, a series of what could be
called common or garden animals.
- Oh!
- A mouse.
Oh, there, look. Ha-ha!
- Oh, brocky badger.
- Badger, all right.
- Aw!
- LAURA SQUEALS
- Oh, no!
- Rats.
- Two massive rats.
- Luckily, one of the security cameras
also picks up the garden's rodent
control.
- Oh, that's cool.
Brand-new box, and straight away that
tawny owl's checking it out.
That's really good.
- And a surprise.
- Oh Oh, my God. Is that a boar?
- Yeah, it's a wild boar, yeah. Oh, my
word.
- Oh, my goodness.
- I've never seen them down this close
to the house before.
- These native mammals were eradicated
by hunters hundreds of years ago,
but escapees from farms are now
repopulating Britain's woodlands.
The boar aren't the only surprise.
- What is that? Hang on, hang on.
I've got to just look at that, I've
got to play that back.
That was really quick. Do you know
what that is?
- Yeah, I do.
- That's a pine marten!
- Oh, my goodness!
I cannot believe it.
- The presence of a rare predator in
Robin and Laura's garden
is a sign that their woodland is in
excellent health.
And so it seems, is the stream.
- What's really nice about having
dippers in our brook,
is they're a really good indicator
species.
If the dipper's around then we know
the insect life is good,
there's a good chance that we've got
fish life in the river.
- The dippers appear to be doing well.
CHICKS CHIRP
But then, one last surprise.
- Oh, my G Is that one of the
chicks?
- Yeah.
It's decided to make a break for it, a
little bit ahead of schedule.
- So will that chick be OK?
- Yeah, it should be fine. I mean
there's obviously a risk.
It's great that, you know, the parents
found the chick
andit all worked out in the end.
I just never get tired of them.
They're just such charismatic little
birds.
- Nationwide, dipper numbers have
fallen by almost 40%.
This pair follows the stream down to
the Wye,
which has been affected by widespread
pollution.
But with a little help, they've raised
three healthy chicks
and brought a great deal of pleasure.
- It's been so wonderful to be able to
film, you know,
wildlife on our own patch.
It's almost like we've got this cast
of characters that play out
this wonderful wildlife soap opera
just for us.
It's been super special.
- Next time
..a remote garden in the Highlands of
Scotland,
where a tough climate drives rare
animals
..to an unconventional sanctuary.
Discover the wildlife on your doorstep
with the Open University's Secret
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