Lives in a Landscape

Alan Dein travels to Nottingham to meet with the 4th & 5th generations of a family firm of Funeral Directors (with a 6th generation already on the horizon). When furniture maker and dealer Arthur William Lymn started 'undertaking' funerals with his son Harold Percy in 1907, their first premises were on Goosegate - next door to a man selling potions and lotions. Although Arthur and Harold could not match the subsequent success of their next-door-neighbours, the Boots Pure Drug Company Ltd, AW Lymn did have to move to larger premises in 1915. And in the hundred years since they have continued to grow, now operating out of 25 offices, employing 110 staff and conducting 3,500 funeral every year. Last year a brain tumour forced Harold's grandson, Nigel Lymn Rose to hand over the reins of the company to his son Matthew while he underwent brain surgery and recuperated. This summer, fully recovered and back at work, this temporary arrangement was made permanent. As Matthew and Nigel work out the parameters of their new roles within the company (alongside Matthew's aunt, Jackie, and sister Chloe - all also involved in the family firm), Alan Dein goes behind the scenes with them to discover what goes on beyond the formal funeral attire of top hats and tails and Roll Royce hearses. With them he visits the hospital morgue to pick up recently deceased 'patients', enters the world of the firm's embalmers and observes them in the chapels of rest - to find out what it's like to deal with death on a daily basis. Producer: Paul Kobrak.

The Boleyn Ground, Upton Park. Home to West Ham since 1904. No one would call the stadium, or indeed the streets that closely bind it in the borough of Newham, beautiful but it has echoed to one of football's oldest anthems 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' since the 1920's. Now that song and the stones & grass that have been an arena for legends like Hurst, Moore & Peters will not just fade and die but be demolished. Very soon the club will move from E13 to E20 & the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, no longer owners but tenants in a very different space. Match days around Green Street and the other roads that bind the stadium to the area will be like every other day. But for these last few months the pavements still reverberate to the returning tribes of Essex, their family ties strong in a place that has greatly changed since Bobby Moore and his other '66 immortals made West Ham a global name. Amidst the throng on match day, Alan Dein weaves his way through the streets to chronicle lives enfolded by the stadium. On the corner of the ground stands Our Lady of Compassion, in fact it was the church that originally sold the ground to the club. Now their Saturday services are shaped by the footfall of match day. Directly opposite the stadium live two nuns with a new found affinity for the Claret & Blue. Standing on a step ladder, shouting to the arriving crowds a scary looking skinhead offers wise insight into the passing of time and place. Inside Queen's Market, flogging his apples and pears, Bradley is waiting until the clock hits 2.30 before he pulls on his replica shirt and dives out into the thickening crowds making their way towards the big match. Producer: Mark Burman.

When pensioners Viv and Fred Morgan read about a teenager committing suicide clutching her teddy, they decided to act - turning their home into a school to help other bullied kids. They took their Bed and Breakfast in Hatton, Warwickshire and turned rooms into classrooms and built recreation and therapy facilities in the grounds. Now they have 17 pupils attending, more than half of whom have tried to take their own lives in the past. Children aged between 11 and 16 can be referred by their local authorities and most stay for about a year. At first they often struggle with the curriculum but gradually they join classes - with 22 full and part time teachers covering everything from Science and English through to Photography GCSE. Fred was 90 when they founded Northleigh House School but even now, four years on, he has no interest in retiring and Viv agrees: "We're not people who sit back and do nothing. When we heard of the situation facing youngsters we just knew we should try and help." Alan Dein meets pupils and also those who have successfully taken their GCSEs and moved back into mainstream for 6th form. Ruth was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome when she was 12 and struggled so desperately with school that she wanted her life to end. When she eventually arrived at Northleigh it took her weeks to develop the trust and build up the energy needed to attend lessons. Now she has her sights set on applying to study law at University: "When I first walked in here it was like being at a friend's house. I didn't know what to expect but I saw the fire in the grate and the welcoming feel of the place. It has been the best thing that has happened to me coming here and I wish others knew it existed and could help them as well." Producer Susan Mitchell.

Lives in a Landscape reports from Penistone, where Claire Throssell is being helped by her community after her sons were killed by their father in a house fire exactly a year ago. As well as killing his sons and himself, Darren Sykes also destroyed much of the house, lighting fires throughout the terraced home and luring his boys into the loft with the promise of a new train set. He had cancelled the home insurance before the blaze and Claire faced both the devastating loss of her sons and also the terrible reminder in a home she couldn't sell because of such extensive fire damage. Local people wanted to stand firm against such 'evil', according to a local singer and archivist, Dave Cherry, who has helped raise money. Teams of volunteers organised by Reverend David Hopkins at St John's Church and both the Rotary and 41 Clubs, have overseen the rebuilding of the home. Whilst nothing will replace her loss, Claire tells Alan Dein that such community support has helped her focus on creating a legacy for her sons. Jack, who was 12 when he died, was a promising trumpet player and his younger brother, Paul, was only nine and already showing considerable athletic talent. She has set up awards in their name and wants to ensure that their lives are remembered. The volunteer project manager is Ged Brearley, who has coordinated 480 plus volunteer hours and manages a core team of 40 through house clearance, stripping back the walls to complete rewiring, re-plastering and re-plumbing. Dave Cherry was one of the first to offer to help: "That man destroyed everything. Her house, her kids and her life. If we don't do anything then he wins. If we can help this lass then we can stop him from winning." Producer Susan Mitchell.

For every stand-up comedian that's a household name, there are dozens of hard-working, funny, committed comedians who haven't quite broken through into the national consciousness. Christian Reilly is a musical stand-up, a wandering minstrel, whose comedy material is delivered through song. He's a popular and successful act who's in great demand on the comedy-club circuit. His diary is packed: Some weeks he'll do two gigs in one night, in two different cities. It's an exhausting schedule. His year, along with so many others, reaches its peak at the Edinburgh festival in August. In this week's Lives in a Landscape Alan Dein hears Christian's story and travels with him to gigs in Manchester, Liverpool and, ultimately, Edinburgh. From behind-the-scenes at comedy venues, to the share-house Christian rents for a month in Edinburgh with fellow comedians, Alan discovers what motivates Christian, what his ambitions are, and whether he believes he can achieve them. Producer: Karen Gregor.

Alan Dein joins African and Afro Caribbean Catholics from Bristol as they take part in the annual pilgrimage to the ancient abbey at Glastonbury. On board the pilgrim bus, parishioners share their life stories, and explain why they are all drawn to worship in the church of St Nicholas of Tolentino. Producer: Chris Ledgard

Alan Dein tackles the picturesque but crowded stretch of the River Cam that winds in and out of Cambridge. Here, house-boats, punts, rowing boats and cruisers fight for space on what is, the river manager says, the most crowded stretch of river in Britain. Producer: Chris Ledgard.

In the last few years, 'adoption activity days' have gathered momentum in the UK, where children waiting to be adopted meet prospective adoptive parents at a party. The children are often 'hard to place,' either because of medical issues, their age, or behavioural problems. The hope is that once the families meet them face to face, they will get a much better idea of the children, rather than from paper and photo alone. For these children, the party day is often their last chance to find a family, before they are put into long-term foster care. Alan Dein joins couples Rob and Sarah, and Emma and John, and single adopter Rachael, as they look for a child. Producer in Bristol: Sara Conkey.

Alan Dein meets farmer Steve Graham as he sells his herd of 1000 dairy cows - the largest UK sale this year. Having woken at dawn for 35 years to milk the cows, he has decided to sell - but how will he adjust to life without them? Steve's life has been governed by the relentless pattern of milking twice a day, and the pressures of rearing the cows from birth and caring for them throughout their lives. On his farm in Devon, he says "There are a lot easier ways of making money than milking cows. But if you don't look after them, they won't look after you." Alan joins Steve on the farm on the final days with his herd and travels with him to the market. When the cows hit the ring, it is not just them being judged, but Steve's reputation on the line. At auction, Alan hears from fellow farmers about the state of the dairy industry and the pressures put upon them by a falling milk price. But Steve reveals that his reasons for leaving the industry are more personal. Producer: Clare Walker.

Ms Pope runs a tight ship in her class of 27 at Bowling Park Primary School: she has little option given her pupils come from 18 different countries, speak 31 languages between them and have to all pitch in on the frequent occasions when classmates leave and new ones arrive Maja tells me that teaching her Mum English is one of the hardest things she has ever attempted: she's given up now! She learnt from class-mate Casper, who has taught others in the class. Maja is now teaching L'Annee, who arrived from the Congo and speaks no English at all. This system of catch-up operated by the pupils and ensures that all new arrivals can quickly integrate into Bradford life. Producer: Sue Mitchell.

Alan Dein meets the modern residents of the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. While the recorded history of of the place can be traced back to the 6th century and includes the followers of St. Aiden and St Cuthbert, the current residents try to maintain a way of life that has existed for hundreds of years. Where the monks of Lindisfarne had contend with the Vikings and the Reformation, today's residents face an annual invasion of half a million tourists. With the help of residents - both young and old - Alan Dein explores their options... whether they should stay on island and keep the old industries going, or leave and discover what the wider world has to offer. Fishermen Andrew and Stuart Johnson, farmer Alison Brigham and retiree Brian Paterson have always lived on the island... recent school-leavers Molly Luke and Joel Rain are planning to leave in the autumn... and island shop keeper Gary Watson left only to come back. But what is the draw of the place? When the tide is out coachloads of tourists and pilgrims flood onto the island. But when the tide comes in and the island is cut off from the mainland, the visitors disappear and silence descends. Producer: Paul Kobrak.

In the start of the new series of Lives in a Landscape Alan Dein discovers that instead of prescribing tablets local GPs are writing out prescriptions for a few weeks of Titan therapy: watching rugby games, attending weekly lunches and fitness classes. The pensioners are sitting alongside the players as they train and even as they strip down for next year's fund-raising calendar. Titan therapy, at Rotherham Titans rugby club, has been so successful that many of those initially given funding for six weeks are still attending. Those like 82 year old Grace couldn't be happier: "Tuesday morning and the weekend games are the highlight of my week - I was close to taking my own life when the doctor arranged for me to come here. But now it's changed my life completely." For Match Day Captain, Tom Holmes, the idea has its roots in the club's long history of encouraging community involvement: "We need this more than ever in this area now and we all look forward to Grace and the others being here. I haven't told them this, but they are sort of like my own grand-parents. We've christened them the Conservatory Choir - on match days they sit there in our VIP section and you can hear them chant through the game." Val is 70 and when her husband died just over a year ago she was hit by loneliness and ill health as she adapted to her new life. Coming to the Titans every week gives some structure to her week: "The players look out for me and they're the first to notice if I'm looking ill or down. The loneliness of the four walls is really hard. I loved my husband very much and it's so hard being without him. We get treated so well here - I love the lads and they sit with us for hours chatting and eating. I don't know how I'd have managed without this." Producer Susan Mitchell.

In 1602 Sir Richard Carew saw fishermen catching oysters with 'a thick strong net fastened to three spills of iron, and drawn to the boat's stern, gathering whatsoever it meeteth lying in the bottom of the water, out of which... they cull the oyster'. When Les Angel and Timmy Heard show Alan Dein how they catch oysters in the Fal today he finds that, in four centuries, nothing's changed. The last wild native oyster beds lie in this beautiful Cornish estuary. In 1876, in an early example of conservation legislation, Truro Corporation passed byelaws forbidding the mechanised harvesting of oysters. The Fal oystermen use gaff-rigged cutters, some over a century old, the last in Europe to fish commercially under sail. Upstream they dredge with punts; not what see boys in blazers and girls in muslin poling along the Cam in, but hefty rowing boats. Twenty years ago mussel farming was introduced. Ropes are suspended from rafts, obliging molluscs attach themselves and grow, and grow. The methods are simple, the times, complicated. Carol Thorogood and David Robertson of Cornwall Port Health Authority take Alan up the Fal, explaining how they have to test shellfish. This summer some readings showed E coli present in concentrations above the limit; sections of the fishery were closed for a time, threatening fishermen's livelihoods. Out on the water Alan Dein meets Les Angel and Timmy Heard. The oysters have grown well; they're optimistic. But mussel-farmer Gary Rawle has abandoned the Fal, moving his rafts out to sea. The Fal has always flowed through farmland and towns. Is the water quality deteriorating, or being tested more rigorously? Alan ponders the future of the oystermen's precarious, wonderful way of life. Producer: Julian May.

Jam, Jerusalem and an Awful Lot of Glitter When Jeannie joined her local branch of the Women's Institute in Liverpool, she hoped for a bit of distraction from an ongoing, long term illness. But what she found there was a whole lot more than jam and Jerusalem. Before you could say Victoria sponge cake, she was sashaying down a catwalk dressed as a space alien, complete with ray gun, 8 inch heels and 3 inch red eyelashes, in front of a screaming audience. Welcome to the Vogue Ball - Liverpool's 21st century version of a phenomenon that swept the streets, and then the underground clubs of New York back in the 1980's. You might remember the Madonna song "Vogue" which spread the word - but this dance movement originated in the world of excluded black, gay street kids. Vogueing was an escape from a world which was set up to exclude them. It was all about fantasy, taking on a role for one night only of your dream persona; a Wall Street Banker; a glamorous diva; a film star, or even a creature from another galaxy. In "Lives In A Landscape", Julie Gatenby follows two teams competing in the Vogue Ball - the House of Lisbon, represented by Stephen the bartender, and The House of Twisted Stiches - made up of the entrire committee of the the Iron Maidens WI, while compere of the ball, Rikki Beadle-Blair fills in the history. Producer Sara Jane Hall.

Alan Dein visits an old mariners' home on the banks of the River Mersey. Mariners' Park in Wallasey is home to over 150 former Merchant Navy seamen and their wives or widows. Many of them set off on their maiden voyage as young sailors from Liverpool, passing the home on their port side as they embarked on a life of discovery, adventure and hard work at sea. Now, having "swallowed the anchor", they settled here in retirement and watch the occasional vessel pass up and down the river. But, as Alan discovers, life on dry land has given many of these sailors a new lease of life. They track ships on the internet, take the ferry across the Mersey and throw themselves into a sports day. But he also finds a reflective side to the Park and a very strong attachment to its own history. The Merchant Navy is often overlooked in Remembrance services, but not at Mariners' Park. Producer Neil McCarthy.

Bradford Council regularly monitors horse numbers on its Holme Wood estate, with workers and police carrying out late night raids to round them up. Alan Dein meets the animal owners and explores their bitter battle with the council as they tether horses in parks, alleys and even their own gardens. Gaz has tried dogs, cats and guinea pigs. Last week when his seven kids wanted a new pet he picked up a £50 horse form a mate on the street. The horse is now in his back garden and during the day he risks the council's wrath by moving it into the park outside his home. It is a huge council estate but his home is let by a private landlord and although he has no income he's asking that landlord if he can build a stables for Sausage in his garden! The estate is literally teeming with horses and no one bats an eyelid at one more joining their ranks. Across the road Pip is engaged in a game of cat and mouse with council officials as he tries to hide his horses. Eviction notices have been served on his parents and he's received an anti-social behaviour order for having horses loose on the estate. His Mum won't have him back home after a bitter argument which ended with the police being called. He's now homeless and out of school. And then there's nine year old Holly Leigh who has long dreamed of owning a horse. That dream has just come true and Billy is now in the garden of her small council home. The Holme Wood estate is home to about 10,000 people and pets of all variety, from horses to pigs, snakes, lizards and monkeys. But it's the horses that are causing the problems... Producer: Sue Mitchell.

In February 2014, the worst storms in a generation hit the south Devon coast. Among those affected were the owners of five beach chalets at Branscombe. The sea took away much of the beach and eroded the earth banks on which the chalets stood, exposing the foundations and making some of them uninhabitable. Before the storm, the chalets were worth up to £250,000 each but now they are virtually unsaleable. The owners would like to rebuild them, and move shingle back up the beach to protect them from future storms. But there's a problem: Branscombe beach is part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and falls under the control of Natural England. Natural England won't let the owners move shingle, partly because the upper shoreline is home to the very rare scaly cricket. They also adhere to a "Shoreline Management Plan", which says that there should be "no active intervention" to protect the beach from erosion. There is a stand-off between the owners and Natural England, but the clock's ticking: without urgent action, the chalets could fall into the sea in the next big storm. Some of the chalet owners are not wealthy - they have mortgages on their chalets and depend on the income from letting them out in the summer. Now, with an entire season's income gone, some of them are staring at financial ruin. One man in particular, Philip Trenchard, was brought to the chalets by his father when he was a child, and now brings his own family every year. This continuity is a key part of his identity, and he'd expected to be able to continue using the chalets for many more years. But the coastal erosion, which is more severe than anyone predicted, has thrown all his assumptions about time scales into doubt. Presenter: Alan Dein Producer: Jolyon Jenkins.

Alan Dein meets doulas in Lewes in Sussex - people working in palliative care from all walks of life who have learned how to be companions for people who are dying. They also are involved in consciousness-raising about the end of life and run Death Cafes in Lewes. We follow doulas Polly and Jane as they reveal their motivation for being involved in this work, talk to people about end of life directives, and describe what a doula does in the room of a dying person. Producer: Sara Conkey.

Alan Dein follows the fast-moving story of a squatter who takes over a pub in Luton - he says for the benefit of the local community. The Roman Way is a sprawling 1960s pub at the centre of the Lewsey Farm housing estate. The landlord of fourteen years, Declan, made the decision earlier this year to give up the business and return to Ireland to start a new life. But, just as Declan is leaving, on his very last morning in the pub, Biggs turns up; a larger-than-life local character determined to take over the pub on behalf of the newly formed Lewsey Farm Community Action Group. Dressed in a hoodie and bandana and carrying a heavy chain, he negotiates his way past police and a representative from the pub's owners, and - in his terminology - 'legally occupies' the building. Over the next few weeks the story takes many unexpected twists and turns, and draws in bailiffs, security guards, police and the local community. Alan Dein watches as the story comes to a conclusive end. Producer: Karen Gregor.

74 year old Myf Barker is turning her enormous home into a wedding venue in the hope that it will make money. Kate Lamble meets the family and uncovers memories amid the chaos. Purton House has been lived in by Myf, her late husband and her children for decades. It's a rambling family mansion with grounds, and an organic farm attached. But Myf has an eye to the future and wants to leave the house to her children as a viable business. So she's working to turn the property into a venue where weddings can be held and bridal families can stay the night. Her main job is to convert the upstairs rooms so that they meet the standards of the most exacting couples. Old furniture has to be renovated, walls have to be painted and new bathrooms are being put in. Myf will even have to move out of her own bedroom which is being turned into a sitting room. It's a daunting workload. Will it be ready on time? Kate Lamble meets Myf, some of her grown up children including daughters Rowie and Talia and also Glenn, the son she fostered. She hears about the renovations and finds out what the house and its landscape symbolises for all of them, especially since the death of Rowie's husband Alex several years ago. Producer; Emma Kingsley.

Wrestling, which used to draw millions of viewers to the box on Saturday afternoons in the 1970's, is still going strong in theatres up and down the country. Characters like Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks have given way to The Avalanche, Tony Spitfire and Thunder who throw each other about and continue to delight and appal passionate audiences. Alan Dein follows Gareth Pugh, a young wrestler touring the UK circuit. Known by the Welsh name Caden Lay (Spirit of Battle), Gareth is breaking into the big time having just turned professional. Alan takes a wild ride from the booming ringside along endless motorways into changing rooms and training gyms to Gareth's village in mid-Wales. There, in the family home, he discovers the source of Gareth's spirit of battle and learns how his dream to become a wrestler was born. Producer Neil McCarthy.

Jade has a dream - to run the best beauty parlour in the business. Just off Oxford Street, shopping mecca of London's West End, Jade's salon paints nails to perfection, massages faces, and does intimate waxing with aplomb. Intimacy with the clients is also what Jade is good at - knowing her customers, helping them make the most of their bodies, and their day. "Women come in to have their nails done," she tells Sangita Myska, "And they tell me I have saved their lives!" A teenage rebel, she had a child at 14, and her life has had ups and downs. Growing up in Southampton she swore she would never move to London, but a chance encounter at a rave in Hackney, with a handsome Greek Cypriot, Angelo, changed her mind. Now she's married and hoping for another child - just as soon as she can find a like-minded beauty technician to share her passion for perfection. Getting new talent is an up-hill battle - but if she can find the right person, the sky's the limit. Presenter: Sangita Myska Producer: Sara Jane Hall.

Alan Dein follows Pat & Hayley Mallon - a husband and wife singing duo - around the pubs of Bath. The show must go on - even as 69 year old Pat prepares for major surgery on an aneurysm. Bath's pub circuit is a far cry from the packed houses that Pat was playing with his 5 piece Country & Western band back in the 1980s. His has been a life well-lived. During those heady days, he was on two bottles of whiskey and 100 cigarettes a day. But now Pat's facing the prospect of major surgery. Fearing he may not be able to return to gigging, he's grooming wife Hayley - 23 years his junior - to take over. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

It's Friday night in Hornsea, a small village in East Yorkshire; the air is cold and the stars seem to go on forever. Just off the High Street, a small accountancy firm is closing up; Andy, a man who loves the challenges of VAT, has finished the filing, and is having a cup of tea, chatting on the phone to a friend about the plan to save the Floral Hall. Suddenly a siren blasts out. It's coming from a mobile phone, connected directly to the ambulance service. Andy is not a paramedic, but he is a Community First Responder - someone trained in life saving techniques, who has volunteered to drop everything to go and be the first on the scene in an emergency. The actions he takes over the next few minutes could mean the difference between life and death. Within seconds he's donned a high-vis jacket and, weighed down with a rucksack of life saving equipment, is running for his car. By the time the ambulance services arrives from the nearest hospital he may have been at the scene for some time - administering life-saving first aid. First Responders come from every walk of life, and are all highly trained volunteers. But it's a huge commitment, and responsibility, and over Christmas and New Year, a busy one. So what motivates someone to take on such a role? Good Samaritans on the surface, but is it the adrenalin rush many say they feel that makes them addicted to saving lives? Julie Gatenby meets the Community First Responders of East Yorkshire. Producer: Sara Jane Hall.

As the Royal Family sit down to their festive dinner on the Queen's Norfolk estate, Alan Dein invites Radio 4 listeners to spend Christmas at a rather different Sandringham - the Sandringham Hotel in Weston super Mare. Alan joins the seafront hotel's 'Turkey & Tinsel' celebrations as three coachloads of revellers - mostly retired people - head south to celebrate Christmas in November. "We're not the bees' knees, we're not the finest hotel in Weston super Mare..." says Ken Perrett, the hotel's owner. And it's true - the hotel is a little rough around the edges. Yet Ken must be getting something right - nearly a hundred people have checked in for five days of early festivities. Amidst the laughter, turkey and tinsel, a bittersweet story emerges - as Alan discovers many are here celebrating without the ones they love. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Alan Dein present's Radio 4's series of documentaries telling out-of-the-ordinary stories from contemporary British life. In the Sheffield auction room they see it all, from miners' welfare centres, to country manors and repossessed bowling alleys, and whatever state the buildings are in there's nearly always someone willing to bid for them. The process is largely overseen by Adrian Little, whose own father was a livestock auctioneer. His right hand man is Mohammed Mahroof, whose father came from Pakistan to work in the steel works and had no intention of staying in his rented accommodation where he slept twelve to a room. Over a four week period viewings take place on a welfare centre in Grimethorpe, a council library in Sheffield and homes in various states of disrepair. That doesn't seem to deter. Scores of people come and dream about the type of home they can make for themselves in this desirable area of the city. Others don't view at all - preferring to turn up at the auction room to snap up anything which can provide them with a rental income or a conversion possibility. As Mahroof drives round the city he can't resist reciting the value of nearly every building he passes: a habit he clearly inherits from his Dad. And for those in Grimethorpe, the auction represents the end of the days of community provision. Dot watches developers peer and poke their way round the galleried rooms: all of them want to bulldoze the site and erect flats in place of the meeting spaces she remembers from the miner's strike: 'it's sad to see these buildings lost to us,' she says, 'but that's the way it is - the old times have gone for good.' Producer/reporter: Sue Mitchell.

Alan Dein returns with more extraordinary stories of ordinary life in Britain. In Rooms for Rent, he meets Helga and her daughter Melody in a small Norfolk town who, ever since husband - a Cliff Richard impersonator - upped sticks and left, rent out rooms. They've got two men in situ, and a newcomer has just turned up. But as the 'family' gather round the communal dinnertable, they dream of a fulfilling future beyond this often noisy house of song and dance. And how will the five of them get on as the Christmas season sets everyone on edge? Producers: Sarah Bowen and Simon Elmes Also in this series: The Auction - sale of the century, Yorkshire style, and Christmas at 'Sandringham' - a popular seaside hotel puts up the streamers and doles out puds by the Santa-sackful... But are the guests having fun?

Alan Dein meets the "free miners" of the Forest of Dean, still digging coal in their seventies. They're a dying breed, but one woman's attempt to join the club has stirred up strong feelings. Once a major industry, coal mining in this corner of Gloucestershire is down to a handful of diehard individualists, who relish the freedom that comes from owning your own coal mine in the woods, and being answerable to no one. "Free miners" have ancient birthrights that date back to Edward II - rights that have persisted through coal nationalisation, privatisation, and closure of almost the entire coal mining industry. One man, Robin Morgan, is still digging coal at the age of 78. Robin tried to turn one of his mines into a tourist attraction, but got few visitors, lost a lot of money, and has now returned to doing what he loves best: hewing coal from narrow seams in much the same way as his ancestors did. But tradition says that only men can be free miners. When Elaine Morman tried to become one, the miners still active were almost unanimously opposed. Mining is no job for a woman, they say, and in any case, Elaine is not a true miner, since she works in caves that are a tourist attraction, where she does not dig coal, but scrapes small quantities of ochre for artists' pigments from the walls. Thanks to equality legislation, Elaine has succeeded in having her name entered on the free miners' roll, but is shunned by the male free miners. So on the one hand, we have Robin, with his failed tourist mine and his deep attachment to tradition. On the other Elaine, with her successful tourist caves, and her determination to apply 21st century values to ancient customs. Who is the true free miner? Producer: Jolyon Jenkins.

In the shadow of Liverpool's Anglican cathedral sits St James' Gardens, an oasis of green space in the heart of the busy city. The Gardens have been several things over the centuries. It was first a quarry from which the docks and much of the city of Liverpool was built. Once all the rock that could be removed had been excavated, a large hole was left and so in 1829 it was consecrated as a cemetery for the city. Young and old, rich and poor, the city's dead ended up here. Between 1829 and 1936, nearly 58,000 bodies were buried in the cemetery. But by 1936 the cemetery was considered full and it became a garden. Over time the garden fell into a state of disrepair and became derelict: a haven for the homeless, drug dealers, prostitutes, drinkers and addicts. It was a no-go zone for most people of the city. But ten years ago a plucky bunch of locals decided to take matters into their own hands. Robin Riley, a local sculptor, organised a group of friends and neighbours and over time cleaned the park up, restoring it to the beautiful setting that it is today. Now it's a place people go to find peace and tranquillity, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Alan Dein visits St James' and meets Robin and the team that have reshaped the space, plus the band of dedicated dog-walkers who meet daily in the park. Among the walkers Alan meets Tommy, Frank and Aaron, a trio who met at the park and have since forged friendships. Aaron shares his experiences of living near and using the park and tells Alan how visiting St James' has been therapeutic, not just for him in helping him in the tough times he's been through, but also for his mother who is suffering from leukaemia. Alan also meets harmonica-playing Kevin: the last of the park's rough sleepers, Kevin inhabits one of the garden's abandoned catacombs. Presenter: Alan Dein Producer: Martin Poyntz-Roberts.

Mimi and Ryan are getting married. Alan Dein presents a fly-on-the-wedding cake documentary that follows them through the day, from waking up with a hangover to chucking-out time at Sale Rugby Club. In between there's a church wedding, a christening (their daughter Isabella is six months old), photographs, confetti, a lavish home-made buffet, speeches (ranging from tearful to inappropriate), dancing and a lot of laughter. 'We want to be a proper family,' says Ryan. 'It's the biggest party I'll ever throw in my life,' says Mimi. 'It started out as a budget wedding but it got a bit out of hand.' Producer: Peter Everett.

It's rambling, but not as we know it. Every year the Long Distance Walkers' Association organises a 100 mile walk. It has to be completed in 48 hours, which for most people means walking through two nights with no sleep. By the end, hallucination is common, and many of the 500 who started out drop out or by the time they finish can barely walk any more. Lives in a Landscape follows two participants in this year's walk, from Wadebridge in Cornwall to Teignmouth in Devon. One, George Foot, is 76, and has done 24 100-mile walks already. The other, Josh Wainwright, is 18. This is his first 100. Will either of them complete the walk, or will they have to "retire" early? As George walks, he talks to presenter Alan Dein about his long-dead father - a distinguished public school headmaster. It becomes clear that George has spent much of his life in his father's shadow, feeling that he was a permanent disappointment to him. As a child, George was told by his father that he was "a bad walker". Now, completing the 100 mile walk is a way of redeeming himself in his father's eyes. Josh, on the other hand, is walking the 100 miles with his father, Dave, a 21st century parent. Will Dave be more forgiving of failure, and more willing to praise success? An exploration not just of the challenges of walking and endurance, but of the changing nature of fatherhood. Producer: Jolyon Jenkins Presenter: Alan Dein.

Location, location, location - it's everything for idyllic Castle Cary Station, a quiet, sleepy commuter stop on the Great Western train line - because this particular sleepy station in Somerset just happens to be the closest station to Worthy Farm - home of the Glastonbury Festival. For 11 months and 3 weeks of the year all is peaceful and quiet, chattering birdsong in the hedgerows the only disturbance to a day-in-the-life of station master Paul Mitchell. Then, as Paul puts it - "Glasto comes around", and as no less than the Rolling Stones, Mumford and Sons, Portishead and the Arctic Monkeys pitch up in a field nearby, everything changes. Normally manned by one station master at a time; Paul is one of three railway employees on rota - their duties include every aspect of station keeping; maintenance, guard duties, ticket sales, sweeping up and planting flower beds - and it is a job well done; they have even won awards for best kept station. Sangita Myska follows the transformation of the station, peering through the well-polished ticket office window with station master Paul Mitchell, from quiet normal week to well managed chaos, as tens of thousands of wellie-wearing, tent carrying, over-excited music fans pour out of packed trains on their way to a weekend of mud and music. And then they all go home again, and Paul gets back to his hanging baskets - checking to see if anyone has popped any mysterious and unexpected green plants in with his petunias. Presenter: Sangita Myska Producer: Sara Jane Hall.

We're all at it - from the very wealthiest amongst us to the very poorest: buying and selling on eBay. And no one knows better than Dave and Gary what's involved in shifting the items traded up and down the country. The idea was simple: the depression in the building trade left Gary casting round for an alternative occupation. He's quite entrepreneurial and when someone suggested buying a van and cashing in on the eBay boom he decided to do just that, roping his uncle Dave in on what is now a family business. They operate from a garage on a council estate in Cottingley, on the outskirts of Bradford, but for most of the week they're on the road - picking up and dropping everything from household goods to wool and even ornamental fountains! Their job takes them up and down the country and in just one journey they pick up a bed from the Speaker's wife, Sally Bercow - who has sold it on eBay to someone in the North - and drop off a rusting metal bench from Salford to a new owner in the South who hopes it will net him many thousands of pounds. This might not be the future they once envisaged: Dave spent thirty years as a metal worker but when he topped 26 stones in weight his knees gave in and he lost his job. He has had gastric surgery and lost a third of his body weight but is sticking with the van driving for the time being. His nephew, Gary, needs him: he has a baby on the way and thinks he's identified an opportunity to make money from our national obsession with bargain hunting. Producer: Sue Mitchell.

In the second of two programmes, Alan Dein follows the mixed fortunes of a new primary school on a housing estate just outside Peterborough over the course of a year. As the school opens its doors, the school is still struggling to attract the number of children headteacher Jackie Ashley hopes for. She leaflets the entire estate in the hope of boosting numbers. Alan speaks to parents and joins the school at key moments in its first year from the Christmas play to the end of year disco. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

To kick off the new series of Lives in a Landscape, Alan Dein presents a two part special following a year in the life of a new primary school just outside Peterborough - from initial construction to the end of the third term. For headteacher Jackie Ashley, the opening of St Michael's Church School will be the culmination of her life in teaching and probably her last role before retirement. She's keen to see the school grow to its full capacity of 210 pupils under her leadership. But as building work continues, there are concerns it may not open its doors on time and Jackie only has five children confirmed to start in September. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

"Pusher needed for Silly Old Fart in Wheelchair". When Terry Chambers had to use a wheelchair after a stroke, he needed someone to push him through the streets of Crouch End in North London. He already had one carer but it wasn't enough. So he placed this jokey advert in the local newsagent's window and found Robert. Terry may describe himself as a silly old fart but he used to be a highly successful photographer. He took pictures of the Royal Family and many other famous faces. He would travel the world, going wherever the work was, too busy for a wife or family. And he was a regular in the wine bars and restaurants of the West End of London. But three years ago his career was ended by the stroke. He can't walk and has limited movement in his hands. He needs help with everything. However, Terry still wants a semblance of the life he had before- the wine bars, the alcohol and the good lunches in particular.He can't get as far as he used to, so he stays around the area of Crouch End where he's lived for over 40 years. That's where Robert comes in- helping him get out and about. Robert didn't start out as a carer. For decades, his work was in construction, building roads and pavements and refurbishing offices. Then a friend suggested he would be good at looking after people and he never looked back. At the start of the day he helps Terry wash, gets him dressed and prepares medicine for him. Then it's time to push the wheelchair out of the flat for the day for Terry to visit a wine bar- perhaps two- have a good lunch and some fun in the afternoon. Alan Dein follows the pair of them as they navigate the streets and finds out how Terry's stroke has altered his landscape. How has his view of the world changed now that he is sitting in a wheelchair? And what are the qualities that make a really good pusher....? Producer: Emma Kingsley.

Providing pastoral care is key to his role as head of year eleven at the London school and he does this by combining a no nonsense approach to bad behaviour with a sensitive handling of some of the difficulties encountered by his fifteen and sixteen year old charges. This is their GCSE exam year and although Dave left school in the 1970's with just one CSE in English he recognises the difficulties faced by those struggling with exam preparations and a lack of direction in today's tough economic climate. Well versed in policing mixed communities the former East End officer thought he had pretty much seen it all - that was until he entered the corridors of this showpiece academy. For Dave the behaviour issues he first encountered in the job were a reflection of poor parenting, with many adults unsure about how to instil a sense of right and wrong in their children. A total of five former police officers were brought into the school: each appointed as a year head and providing pastoral support and care. Their job is not an easy one but David Clifford tells Alan that it brings rewards, challenges, frustrations and excitement in equal measure. Having joined the police force at 19 he was due to retire at 49 when he saw the advert for "behaviour managers" at the academy. That was eight years ago and he and other four retired officers were quickly promoted to heads of year, where they have successfully tackled a whole range of issues in the school "What I wasn't prepared for was how vulnerable some of the kids are - for all their talk of street life they really don't have the resilience that I and my friends had when we were young. There are huge contrasts in the job and I see everything from the funniest moments to some of the most distressing." As Alan Dein tracks Dave Clifford through a school day he sees at first hand some of the challenges involved: a pupil who appears to have just dropped off the radar and another desperate to be in school but too ill to attend. He is called on to deal with a group of girls who swallow cinnamon for fun and he tracks down the culprits when chicken bones are discovered on the canteen floor. And in amidst these episodes there's an album to record and an outburst over a text book to resolve: it's all part of the working day for Dave Clifford. Producer: Sue Mitchell.

The people of Muchelney, Alan Dein discovers, have an intimate relationship with water. They live on the flood plain of the River Parrett in the Somerset Levels. The name of their ancient village, from the Norse and Old English, means 'growing great island', and, despite the draining of the marshes, it is not unusual for Muchelney to become an island again, and the four roads leading to the village inundated. Alan Dein visits in a time of flood and finds the villagers take it in their stride: farmer Graham Walker fires up his old tractor, puts a sofa on his trailer, and runs a bus service, ferrying people to the far shore so they can get to work and to school. He picks up food and mail. There's no traffic. People stop and talk. They look out for one another. It's not just the children who love it. Widgeon, teal, geese, swans and gulls appear in flocks of thousands to the fields that become a lake of tranquil beauty. No one worries, the houses are old, built cannily on land always a few inches above the flood levels - until now. In November the flood waters rose higher than anyone could remember. The potter John Leach describes how, for the first time, the water coming into his house and kiln. Michael Brown, eel smoker, who has lived by the river for decades, recounts his battle to keep the stealthy enemy out. Thatcher Nigel Bunce is thankful that his son's crying, as the waters approached the child's cot, woke him in time. Shirley Gove's beautiful barn conversion is wrecked. Whenever it rains now, she tells Alan, she will be scared. Something is changing, and Alan Dein finds that the people of Muchelney, after centuries of living on their occasional island, much preoccupied, and some considering their options. Producer: Julian May.

In a rain sodden valley, close to the fresh winds of the Irish Sea, a leopard marches back and forth through the mud. Close by, capuchin monkeys chuckle as they cling to the bars, and in the warmth of a dark glass tank, a 14 foot python is being moved for feeding. These are unwanted animals - some born in captivity, some abandoned and some just too big for their owners to keep. They've all found a home with Jean and Alan Mumbray, at The Animalarium, a small private zoo close to the fishing village of Borth, west Wales. When Jean and Alan bought the property, they were given the keys by the previous owner, who left without a backward glance - throwing them into the world of zoo keeping without training or experience. 12 years later, full of enthusiasm for the place they have created and made their own, they are putting the zoo up for sale. It will be a hard move to make. Jean has a close relationship with many of the creatures - such as the lynx she calls 'Baby', and who will sit on her shoulder and purr as she strokes him fondly. Jean and Alan have also fostered 42 children over the past 25 years. "Animals for love - fostering for income". They specialised in difficult teenagers - not unlike the 'naughty monkeys' that they have as pets. These are the children most unlikely to find foster homes - but Jean actually prefers them. 'They're more independent, more idealistic, more interesting." She says, "And they don't want love or cuddles. They want respect, and they want approval." As the zoo goes up for sale, Alan Dein visits in the depths of Winter, to find out why the couple found themselves drawn to both professions - fostering and zoo keeping. What has the rearing of disturbed children taught them? Can they find the right people to take over their family of animals? Producer: Sara Jane Hall.

Alan Dein visits a Hastings allotment and finds that a plot of land means a lot more to people than a place to grow vegetables. He joins various allotmenteers as they tend their plot and hears how differently they use it. A young family have created a haven where the children learn about nature; a teacher who tended the land as a means of combatting depression and two friends meet under a full moon to await the wild original inhabitants of the allotment. Produced by Sarah Bowen and Neil McCarthy.

Burdiehouse is a council scheme on the outermost tip of Edinburgh and it's here, hidden away from the world outside, that Alan encounters the pigeon, or doo men, locked in a constant battle to capture each other's birds. These men are neighbours but when it comes to pigeons the battle lines are drawn. This is an old game: 'doo flying' has been practised in Scotland since Victorian times. Hundreds of doo men fly 'horseman thief' pigeons from lofts, bedrooms and sheds. The aim being to lure and capture the pigeons of their rivals.The doomen's pigeons mean a lot to them - they are groomed, their feathers dyed and combed to make them look their best. Some families have kept doos for generations. It's a passion passed on from father to son. In Burdiehouse Alan talks to Paul who comes from a long line of doo men. Paul gave up the birds and moved away from the scheme when he got married, but since separating from his wife has moved in with his mother Anne and built a doo hut in the garden. Central to his new life as a doo man is the swap shop, a bird auction held every week in the local pub. This is where the flyers go to trade birds and gossip over a pint. Paul runs the night with Iain, a long-time doo man and self-proclaimed sheriff of the scheme, who often has to step in to prevent the fierce rivalry over pigeons becoming violent. Despite suffering chronic health problems as a result of keeping birds since he was a boy, Iain says he will never give up his pigeons. This is a story of escapism, gamesmanship and family set against the backdrop of the elusive sport of doo flying. Producer: Caitlin Smith.

The Longest Commute in Britain Geoff picks up a copy of "Horse and Hound" for his wife and strides toward Euston Station; Angus heads for the lounge car, where a whisky is ready and waiting; Mary leaves the offices of 'Country Life', and joins the London rush hour crowds wearing sturdy walking boots; meanwhile Ann Marie has taken up her position at the end of the platform 15, to await the longest train in the UK - it will be her job to unlock the doors, and ready the train for departure. This is arguable the longest commute in the UK - the Caledonian Sleeper - which at a quarter of a mile long, is also the longest train. Walkers, climbers, shooting-parties and Americans tourists are regular fare, but week in week out, the same faces return, the band of commuters who live in the Scottish Highlands, but work in London. Would you, given the choice, choose to spent two nights a week on a train? Two nights of camaraderie in the lounge car; two nights of friendly exchanges, unwinding with late night whiskies; but two nights also of jolting rails, beds just a mite too short for the tallest folk, and the notorious uncoupling at Edinburgh. Alan Dein rides the rails with the experts, through the long night of the long distance commuter, to find out where home really lies. Producer: Sara Jane Hall.