Comedian Paul Whitehouse travels around the UK to find out why our rivers and waterways are in decline and what needs to be done to protect them in a new two-part series for the BBC.
Our Troubled Rivers sees Paul Whitehouse travel around England and Wales looking at the pressures affecting rivers and waterways from water companies, intensive agriculture and our growing population.
In the first episode, Paul travels through the North of England looking at the impact water companies have on our rivers.
Starting out at the River Wharfe in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, he meets locals who are campaigning to highlight the health of the river that runs through the heart of the national park
The river has been a haven for wildlife throughout time, at Otley Weir on the River Wharfe, trout and salmon can be seen making the big jump on their annual migration and over a decade ago, the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust made significant improvements to the river to establish it as one of the finest fly-fishing rivers in the UK.
More recently, in 2020, the stretch of the River Wharfe, between Main Bridge and Beanlands Island in Ilkley was one of the first locations in England to gain designated bathing status.
Over in the Lake District, Paul meets ecologist Matt Staniek who has been working to preserve the ecology of Lake Windermere and hopes it can act as a pilot to save the rest of the UK's waterways.
Paul then meets former 80s pop star, Feargal Sharkey, who in recent years has used his twitter account to highlight the issues surrounding the nation's waterways.
In the second episode, Paul heads to the to Wales and the South of England. He pays a visit to The River Wye, the UK's fourth longest river that runs from Wales to the Severn estuary. Over a decade ago, the river was named the best river in England and Wales, according to a national poll undertaken by the Our Rivers campaign.
In the present day, Paul sees how explosions of algae, caused by fertilizer run off from farming, are part of a cocktail overwhelming the habitat.
In Hampshire, he visits the famous chalk streams and then on to Whitstable, the closest seaside town to London. Whitstable is famous for its annual Oyster Festival, but Paul discovers that sewage discharges on the coast are causing problems for town's oyster industry.
Paul Whitehouse first found fame in the comedy arena in the hit TV show, The Fast Show in the 1990s.
In 2018, he joined up with fellow comic Bob Mortimer in the surprise hit; Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing in which the duo take fishing trips to various locations around Britain.
There have been five series of Gone Fishing to date, with a commitment to create up to seven series by 2024.
Paul Whitehouse: Our Troubled Rivers will air on BBC Two on 5th and 12th March at 8pm to 9pm and on BBC Iplayer shortly after broadcast.
