Episode 1

Winterwatch returns to its year-round home in the heart of the Cotswolds - the National Trust's Sherborne Park Estate - to see how the animals there have fared since autumn, and bring a week of the very best of winter from up and down the country.

Chris Packham, Michaela Strachan and Martin Hughes-Games host from Sherborne, where after a disappointing spring and autumn for badger activity, things are starting to look up this winter. They've also been catching fascinating infra-red images, complete with haunting sounds, from the UK's smallest deer species, the Muntjac.

Martin continues to delve deeper into the Sherborne landscape, getting his feet wet again in the Sherborne Brook where he looks for evidence of spawning trout.

Gillian Burke is on Islay, off the west coast of Scotland, tracking down a family of otters who live around one of the island's famous whisky distilleries. It's a rugged place, and Gillian explains some of the tricks of the trade that these mammals use to get through the bitter winters.

Wildlife cameramen Neil Anderson brings us winter's arrival from his home in the Scottish highlands, the work being done to help conserve a small brown bird is celebrated, and Chris and Martin go head to head in our brand new Game of Crows spectacular.