Meet Wendy Douglas

Wendy presents the local programmes at the end of The British Isles: A Natural History.

You'll see her every Wednesday on BBC One from 9pm (29 September to 17 November 2004).

Q: You filmed all over the Midlands for the programmes - how diverse is our region in terms of natural history?

Wendy: The Midlands is the biggest region in the country, so we covered a lot of terrain and a hugely diverse landscape. Our journey starts in Beacon Hill in Leicestershire where we examine the volcanic rock formation which dates back 640 million years ago. From there we go fossil hunting in Much Wenlock in Shropshire and we look at how the Ice Age gave us the amazing Stiperstones. Gibraltar Point in Lincolnshire reveals what happened to the coast line after the Ice Age. We visit the infamous Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire to get an insight into what the wild forests may have looked like thousands of years ago. We also looked at how lead-mining changed the look of the landscape in Derbyshire, and how man is giving nature a nudge at Gwen Finch in Worcestershire and Willesley in Leicestershire. So as you can see the Midlands is extremely diverse in terms of its natural history!

Q: Will we see the Black Country in the regional programmes?

Wendy: Yes - we filmed at Wrens Nest Nature Reserve and Seven Sisters cavern.

Q: You went into the old mines in Dudley. What did you see down there?

Wendy: We couldn't go right inside the Seven Sisters cavern because the pillars of the cavern are quite fragile in places. But I got far enough to see how mining has created this incredibly beautiful structure. It definitely possesses the "wow factor"!

Wendy at the Mailbox

Q: Is this just another BBC nature show? Why should we watch it?

Wendy: This is not just another BBC nature show. What makes this programme different is the way it is presented. We want the audience to be informed and educated about the natural history in their area, but we also want them to see how much fun you can have discovering what's there and that's where I come in :-)

Q: What would you say to people who think geology/natural history is boring??

Wendy: Watch British Isles: A Natural History! BBC One, 9pm on Wednesdays from 29 September to 17 November 2004.

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