Hugh's Wild West

Lifelong wildlife enthusiast Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall celebrates the natural world of the West Country and the people protecting it. This time, Hugh is in the Wye Valley hoping to come face to face with an animal that has intrigued him since boyhood - the barbel, also known as the Prince of the River. With the help of local angling guide, the appropriately named Adam Fisher, Hugh wants to fulfil his dream of swimming with these large, regal fish.

It is not just the river that is teeming with life - the cliffs around Chepstow are home to one of the fastest birds on the planet, the peregrine falcon. Thanks to eagle-eyed birdwatchers, the nests of these rare birds are being protected from persecution. In the north of the valley, Hugh helps to re-introduce tiny harvest mice on a wildlife-friendly farm, and after a day with spider enthusiast Tone Killick, Hugh manages to overcome his arachnophobia, turning his fear into fascination.

Nature lover Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall continues his wildlife adventures across the West Country. This time, Hugh discovers how the people and animals of Dartmoor live alongside each other in this challenging landscape. He visits an ancient hill farm with dozens of nesting house martins and swallows that thrive thanks to the careful farming practices of tenants Mark Owen and Naomi Oakley.

In the town of Buckfastleigh, Hugh spends an evening surrounded by bats as they forage for insects, but local bat enthusiasts are keen to track down where they give birth so they can protect these important maternity roosts. And Hugh joins Dru Butterfield, who has dedicated her life to the Dartmoor pony to see how these hardy creatures can help retain and restore the biodiversity of the moor.

Wildlife enthusiast Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall meets the creatures and nature lovers that make the West Country so special, this time exploring the Somerset Levels. Hugh visits Worthy Farm, the home of Glastonbury Festival, to see how the wildlife copes when a quarter of a million festival goers descend on the countryside, and discovers that the badgers seem pretty unfazed by their new neighbours.

Nearby, Secret World Rescue Centre rehabilitates animals that need a helping hand and it is time for Drift the otter to return to the wild, but can he survive on his own?

Hugh also visits Steart Marshes on the Somerset coast, where a vast area of farmland has been reverted to saltmarsh to provide a haven for all kinds of birdlife and one of Hugh's favourite fish, the eel. European eels have suffered a huge decline in the past few decades but, with this new marsh and the help of the local community, their future is looking brighter.

In the final episode, nature lover Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall pays tribute to the wildlife heroes who are protecting the West Country's creatures. He meets Beryl Casey, who has transformed her home into a hedgehog hospital, nursing sick and injured hogs back to health. The UK's hedgehog population has halved since the millennium so every animal counts and Hugh helps return one of Beryl's patients to the wild.

Across the region, Hugh discovers volunteers working hard to safeguard their local wildlife - whether that is helping amorous toads to cross busy roads in the breeding season, keeping watch over precious gull nests or creating space for nature in a bustling caravan park. And one Somerset teenager, Mya Rose, is determined to recruit the next generation of wildlife guardians by enabling inner city kids to get into the countryside.