Original subtitles

Good evening, sir. Where to?

Richmond, please. Richmond it is.

Throughout my life,

I've had the good fortune to travel the world,

witnessing many great natural spectacles.

But this is the place to which I've always returned.

A sprawling megacity

may seem no home for a nature lover like me.

But there is a wild side to London.

My city is surprisingly alive

with all sorts of animals...

..and full of remarkable natural spectacles.

Even in the centre of town,

animals can not only survive, but flourish.

Over the years,

I've come to appreciate what I find on my own doorstep.

So, when it comes to discovering the wonders of nature,

there really is no place like home.

This is it. Thank you very much.

London.

Nine million people.

2.5 million cars.

And 600 square miles of concrete, tarmac and steel.

But the city has a surprisingly rich wildlife.

And my journey begins between

an unassuming row of houses in north London.

I've come to this allotment in Tottenham

to meet a notoriously elusive resident.

It's now around 8.30 in the evening,

and if all goes to plan, they should show up any minute now.

Oh, here we are.

Hello.

And here's another one. Two.

Even though there are more wild foxes

in London than almost any other big city,

it's still a huge thrill to see one suddenly emerging from the bushes.

Totally wild creature.

Hello.

An encounter like this feels very special.

But in London,

you're usually far closer to a fox than you might think.

These cunning creatures are experts

at operating under our radar

through stealth...

..adaptability...

..and an appetite for almost any food...

..foxes thrive in surprisingly high densities.

In the open countryside,

there are one or two per square kilometre.

In London, there can be 30.

So, their biggest challenge is competition with one another.

This vixen has secured a prime territory in Tottenham.

With plenty of options for food.

But another female is sniffing around her patch.

It's the breeding season

and the demand for territories is intense.

If she's to keep her home, she'll have to fight.

FOXES SCREECH

These battle cries may be a familiar sound,

but few of us get to witness fights as fierce as this.

Neither individual can afford injury,

so they try to intimidate.

Finally, her rival submits.

The better the territory a female attains,

the greater will be her success as a mother.

Even so, she'll need help.

FOX SHOUTS

The call from her mate.

Time to regroup.

In the allotment at the heart of their territory,

they steal a moment together.

Raising a family in the city

will depend on the strength of their bond.

In this highly urbanised environment,

the only animals that flourish

are those who know how to work the system.

Like most Londoners, I used to get the tube to work

and there was one animal that always brightened up my day.

Hammersmith station.

An excellent breakfast spot for peckish pigeons.

Once this platform is cleared of food,

it's on to the next station.

And why waste energy flying when you can travel by tube?

TANNOY: This train is ready to leave.

Please mind the doors.

Pigeons probably first hopped onto trains

following trails of crumbs dropped by commuters.

Getting home is no problem either.

Pigeons use the sun and magnetic fields to find their way.

In urban areas, they also use landmarks,

roads, and even train lines.

However, it's the ability to rub along with us humans

that makes them so good at navigating London life.

TANNOY: Mind the gap between the train and the platform.

Pigeons are so streetwise, they can thrive right in the city centre.

But they're not alone.

Peregrine falcons.

Towering buildings are a good substitute

for their natural cliff habitat.

They're excellently adapted

to soar amongst London's concrete canyons.

And there are one million of their favourite prey.

Peregrines are agile pursuit hunters

and here, they need to be.

Manoeuvring through London's skies is challenging

and pigeons use it to their advantage.

But for the world's fastest animal,

there's plenty of opportunity to make a killing in the city.

At Charing Cross Hospital,

these new parents face a daunting feeding schedule.

Working a relentless relay,

they take turns fetching lunch

and baby-sitting.

Trying to keep up with their chicks' insatiable appetites.

The chicks need to grow 25 times bigger before they fledge.

There are now over 50 pairs of peregrines nesting in London,

from hospitals to factories by the Thames,

and even here

on the Houses of Parliament.

This pair have nested among these spires for ten years.

Their latest chicks are four weeks old

and it's time to check on their progress.

What a lovely thing.

Yeah, there we are. There we are.

When I first moved to London in the 1950s,

peregrine falcons were practically extinct in Britain.

But now they're thriving here

in greater numbers than almost any other city in the world.

Even so, chicks like this little one

are still rare and precious,

and the ring that we're putting on it now will help us follow it

as it seeks its fortune in the big city.

So now we can recognise you anywhere.

Yes.

Yes, you.

London's peregrines are now doing well, thanks to our help.

Meanwhile, others need no encouragement at all.

Dawn in Harold Hill, on the eastern edge of the capital.

The scene is set for an invasion.

Fallow deer.

Before the pandemic, only a few would brave the city.

But when the streets fell quiet, they came as a herd.

Once they acquired the taste for it, the habit stuck.

Now, even prized roses aren't safe.

Fallow deer were first introduced to Britain by the Romans

nearly 2,000 years ago.

And in east London, their numbers continue to grow.

When the human world wakes, the herd heads back to the park.

This female is in a hurry.

She has a secret in the woods.

Her fawn is just a few days old.

She hides it among the trees to keep it safe.

Wolves may no longer be a threat in London,

but hundreds of thousands of their relatives can be.

Every year, dogs kill fawns hiding in the undergrowth.

DOGS BARKING

WHISTLING

As the threat gets closer,

the female seems to abandon her fawn.

But she's trying to draw attention away from it.

All he needs to do

is stay as still as possible.

Animals must rely on their basic instincts

to keep their families safe, even in this modern world.

Back in Tottenham, the allotment is an excellent place

to meet the female foxes' growing needs.

Five new mouths to feed.

For now, the cubs will stay close to the den.

Tucked away from traffic and other dangers,

London's 40,000 vegetable plots

provide a sanctuary for wildlife

and a good place to raise a family.

A few weeks later and the female is now fully focused

on securing enough food.

Many people see foxes just as scavengers...

..but half of everything they eat, they hunt.

And this can help keep other urban species in check.

But one pigeon won't feed the whole family.

The cubs are twice the size.

Full of energy and hungrier than ever.

Mum is drained.

She's been nursing for weeks.

It's time they relied on solid food.

So Dad takes on cub sitting duties

while Mum heads into town.

Some nights there's a feast on the streets.

Foxes have small stomachs, so what they can't eat immediately,

they save for later.

And they use some surprising ways to store food.

This car's owner will surely be confused

to find a chicken bone under the wipers.

It pays to be streetwise in a city with so many roads,

but not all animals are able to adapt.

In spring, tens of thousands of breeding toads

have got to get across roads,

and many don't make it.

They're not the only ones to be threatened by traffic.

Hedgehog numbers in the UK have declined dramatically.

A male hedgehog in search of a mate

may have to travel up to two miles every night.

But when he uses the streets, he's vulnerable.

Thankfully, there are safer places.

Like this garden in a corner of Ealing in west London.

I used to have a hedgehog

that lived in my garden all the time,

but now they're a rare sight.

They're charming creatures,

but not very sociable.

Nonetheless,

urban areas are the one place where their numbers have stabilised,

and with a little help from us,

there's hope that they might even increase.

Hedgehogs can eat up to 100g of food in a night.

And that can take quite a lot of collecting,

but this one has hit the jackpot.

Every evening, the owner of this garden

provides a feast for them.

He seems to be taking his time.

And just as well.

Tonight he's searching for a mate

and he'll need all the energy he can find.

I think they're lovely things.

London has more gardens per square mile

than any other capital city.

But all too often, there's no way between them.

The mission for a mate has hit a dead end.

Or has it?

All across London,

garden owners are putting holes in their fences,

creating hedgehog highways

that allow safe travel from garden to garden.

His eyesight is poor.

So he follows his nose.

The scent of a female.

Running rings around her while making strange,

snuffling sounds, is his way of wooing her.

But she seems more interested in food.

Spines are great for defence, but not for intimacy.

As few as 4% of courtships are successful.

Only time will tell if this is one of them.

Four million private gardens create significant natural space,

but they are only one of the reasons why London is considered

the greenest major city in the world.

BIRDS SINGING

You hear that?

That's a robin.

And that is a parakeet.

This early in the morning,

the parks and gardens across London are alive with birdsong.

It's a wonderfully peaceful time.

The opportunity to escape urban life is important

for all of us who live in cities.

And when it comes to finding green space,

we in London are particularly lucky.

With over 3,000 parks,

London has been granted National Park status.

Some of this is down to King Henry VIII.

The large areas of land he put aside for hunting still remain today.

St James's Park, Regent's Park and Hyde Park

are all right in the centre of town,

and each year they're enjoyed

by millions of visitors and their pets.

So many people feeding the birds

supports particularly high densities,

and that can lead to conflict.

Coots are fiercely territorial.

Every inch of water is contested.

Their brawls are vicious and relentless,

and if they extend into another's patch,

they become a free for all.

For birds more comfortable in a crowd,

there's plenty of food to go around,

although not everyone is aware of the pecking order.

This gull isn't after bird seed.

He's after pigeon meat.

A protein rich diet has given him the glossiest plumage

on the shores of the Serpentine in Hyde Park.

Regulars steer clear of this killer gull.

They know how to avoid his stalking stance.

New arrivals, however, don't read the signs of danger.

This cunning gull even knows how to dispatch his prey by drowning it.

He can claim two victims a day.

But maybe not this time.

Are the coots trying to save their fellow bird...

..or are they just looking for another fight?

A chance to escape...

..if she can just make it to shore.

It's not easy being on the menu for so many urban predators,

but pigeons are the victims of their own success.

London's long history of Kings and Queens plays a huge part

in safeguarding space for wildlife.

From royal parks to the most regal institution of all...

MUSIC: Zadok the Priest by Handel

..Buckingham Palace,

official London residence of the King.

And a number of Queens.

There are four honeybee hives in the palace grounds,

and royal bees have easy access to

one of the finest rose collections in the land.

But to make honey fit for a king,

they must venture beyond the palace walls.

London's gardens offer a greater diversity of flowering plants

than almost any other city,

and there are far less pesticides

than in intensively farmed rural areas.

The ideal blend for making delicious liquid gold.

There is one catch, however.

At the height of summer,

cities can be five degrees

hotter than the surrounding countryside.

On rare occasions,

these temperatures can cause nectar to ferment.

A day of foraging turns into the bee equivalent of a pub crawl.

Is her tongue-like proboscis hanging out

a sign that she's flying under the influence?

Studies suggest that bees may even prefer alcoholic nectar.

When she gets really legless...

..even wings don't help.

The effects wear off eventually,

but it's still three miles back to the hive as the bee flies.

Research into whether bees get hangovers has yet to be done.

However, thanks to a huge diversity of flowers,

London honey is regarded as some of the finest in the world.

SIREN BLARES IN DISTANCE

Just half a mile east, back at Parliament,

the peregrine chicks I helped to ring

are also struggling to get airborne.

Fully grown and a lot less fluffy,

they're preparing to leave the nest.

Fledging is the most difficult time for urban peregrines,

but with every gust of wind, they grow in confidence.

In the city, there are fewer soft landings,

many more places in which to get stuck.

There is nothing the parents can do.

She has to get out of this one herself.

CHICK SQUAWKS IN ALARM

She's free of the railings.

No choice now but to make that first flight.

A safe landing.

But if she's to master the art of extreme urban flight,

her parents have their work cut out.

Peregrines spend months teaching their young.

For a few weeks a year,

look up in London

and you might see this flight school above you.

Adults perform manoeuvres for the chicks to copy.

For advanced training,

parents first demonstrate the tricky mid-air food pass...

..then fly by with food,

encouraging youngsters to try and grab it on the wing.

It's not easy.

But after a lot of trial and error...

..one chick finally gets it.

The 75 years that I've lived in London has coincided with

the peregrine's extraordinary return.

And over that time, far more unexpected animals

have also made their home here.

Regent's Canal cuts a path across the city centre.

It's a popular escape from the busy streets

for walkers and cyclists.

But few are aware of the creatures above their heads.

Aesculapian snakes are native to continental Europe.

How they found their way here is a mystery,

but now around 40 of them live by the canal.

Shy and harmless to humans,

they actually help to keep down the numbers of rats and mice.

Even so, anyone scared of snakes

will be pleased to hear that they're not spreading.

Meanwhile, another new arrival most definitely is.

These brazen birds are running riot across the capital.

I still remember the first time I saw

a parakeet in my garden some 30 years ago.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

What on earth was an exotic bird I'd seen on my travels

doing in my London home?

There are many urban legends

as to how parakeets originally got here.

Some say Jimi Hendrix released London's first parakeets.

Others believe that they escaped from

a film set of The African Queen.

More likely is

that they are descended from pets that escaped into the city.

However, one thing is certain -

life in London clearly suits them very well indeed.

After foraging around town,

flocks join together to head back to their roost.

One of the largest gatherings is

in Hither Green Cemetery, southeast London.

Following set flight paths, these green squadrons create

the capital's newest wildlife spectacle.

It's thought that today there

are over 30,000 parakeets in the skies of London.

With a social nature and a bold approach,

parakeets have settled into London life with ease.

And their numbers continue to grow.

Some animals do so well here

they become a bit of a nuisance.

A warmer microclimate and well-watered gardens

create perfect conditions for London's most bizarre courtship...

..the leopard slug mating dance.

Slugs are hermaphrodites,

each one is both male and female.

As they dangle from a line of mucus,

both are impregnated.

For such maligned animals,

their copulation is strangely mesmerising.

But it only leads to one thing - more slugs.

By the end of summer, there can be

as many as 14,000 slugs in one London garden.

Gardeners try all sorts of things

to keep them at bay, but the best solutions come naturally.

A female hedgehog.

And she's brought reinforcements.

Only five weeks old,

her hoglets join her on foraging trips.

Her mating this season clearly was successful.

Slugs and snails are their favourite.

A single hedgehog can devour several each night.

Males play no part in parenting,

but when it comes to helping London's hedgehog population,

it's mission accomplished.

Back in Tottenham, the female fox's next challenge

is to introduce her cubs to life beyond the allotment.

Mum leads the way.

And her excited cubs follow.

Except for one.

Too scared of the big city, the more timid cub is left behind.

Long, lonely nights pass.

Finally, hunger and curiosity get the better of her.

With excellent night vision,

highly sensitive ears and a keen sense of smell...

..she's well equipped to explore what this city has to offer.

TRAFFIC DRONES

Just as she begins to find her feet,

it's sensory overload. CAR HORN BEEPS

The road she's just crossed is suddenly terrifying.

CAR HORNS HONK

And with good reason.

Cars are the biggest killers of urban foxes.

Finally, a gap in the traffic.

She turns tail back to quieter roads.

Often it's the most cautious

that are more likely to survive the journey to independence.

And she's not alone yet.

Her parents will be here to help for a while...

..as she gains in confidence

and discovers the wonders of the city.

Some seem to be born for a life on the streets,

but others depend on us to create more suitable space.

And where better to start

than with one of London's iconic landmarks?

The Natural History Museum in South Kensington.

It's one of my favourite buildings in London.

Its dinosaurs have inspired visitors for nearly 150 years.

And in the grounds outside,

the recent addition of a wildlife pond

is attracting some prehistoric monsters of its own.

There is good grazing for tadpoles at the sunlit surface.

If it gets scary up top, they descend to the depths to hide.

Ancient nymphs have terrorised

the waters of this land since the time of the dinosaurs.

With such voracious predators lurking,

only a handful of tadpoles will survive.

Few will be aware of the carnage taking place below.

After two years of feasting,

the nymphs leave the water to begin an incredible transformation.

Emperor dragonflies,

among the largest insects in Europe.

Forget T-rex, dragonflies are

the most efficient predators to have ever lived.

And far from becoming extinct, they're thriving

in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

This little oasis symbolises the way London's attitude

to its wildlife is beginning to change.

To the west in Greenford, a meadow has become a place of hope

for one of Britain's smallest mammals.

And here it is...

..the harvest mouse.

Welcome to your new home.

There you go.

HE CHUCKLES It doesn't want to leave.

Harvest mice disappeared from this part

of London around 40 years ago.

Maybe this one will put that right.

Harvest mice play an important role in grassland ecology.

They help disperse seeds and are part

of a complex web of predators and prey.

Of course, it takes a lot more than my one mouse

to establish a new population here.

But thankfully, the desire to bring the natural

world back into our cities is gaining momentum.

Across London, people young and old

are helping to reintroduce lost species...

..and restore a more natural balance to urban areas.

A stone's throw from where I released the harvest mouse,

London is home to a rewilding project

with ambitions on a totally different scale.

The signs of one animal's hard work are everywhere.

If you're lucky, just before sunset,

you might catch a glimpse of one.

If someone had told me when I first moved here

that one day I would be watching

wild beavers in London,

I would have thought they were mad.

But there they are, right behind me.

Happily going about their own business.

Wild beavers disappeared from Britain about 400 years ago,

but they've been successfully brought back to this London wetland.

Not only is it a wonderful sight, their presence is also helping

to reshape the urban environment for the better.

This beaver family fell a few trees each year,

and that lets in light for other plants to grow.

And the dams that these ecosystem engineers build

help to filter the water.

More plants and cleaner water attracts more insects,

which in turn feed a community of animals.

A whole wetland has been brought back to life.

And it can now retain a lot more water.

Incredibly, for the first time in a decade...

..residential areas downstream have been flood free.

If a few beavers can have such

a positive impact on this corner of West London,

imagine what else can be achieved

if we let nature back into our cities.

The way in which London has changed over my

lifetime reflects the problems in front of us all.

Making space for nature is one of the greatest challenges we face.

But I also see how we can all make a difference...

..no matter how small.

Whether lending wildlife a helping hand...

..or making our world more welcoming to nature.

Securing a brighter future for both animals and us too.

After all, a greener city is a healthier city.

And the best place to enjoy nature is close to home.

Standing among these marvellous trees,

it's hard to believe that I'm in a capital city.

Richmond Park is one of my favourite places.

Just minutes from my house,

it's been both a refuge and a source of inspiration over the years.

I've been coming here ever since

I moved to London over 70 years ago.

Even after all that time and after all the places I've visited,

I wouldn't want to live anywhere else.