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24 September 2014
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Coast
Nicholas Crane

Coast

Presenter Biographies



Nicholas Crane

Nicholas Crane is a geographer and a journalist. A regular contributor to The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph, he is the author of nine books and has also found time to undertake a 10,000 kilometre mountain walk across Europe, from the Atlantic to the Black Sea.

Gripped by the pedestrian bug, he has also attempted to walk in a straight line along the length of England.

In addition to Coast, Nicholas is working on a second series of Map Man for 大象传媒 TWO, after the first series received critical acclaim last year.

Nicholas's most recent published work is Mercator: The Man Who Mapped the Planet - the first English-language biography of the world's greatest cartographer.

In 1993 Nicholas was awarded the Royal Scottish Geographical Society's Mungo Park medal. In 2000 he won the USA's Polartec Adventurer of the Year Award, for a lifetime devoted to bold, low-impact adventure.

Nicholas is a Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society, sits on the Council of the Royal Geographical Society, and is a member of The Royal Society of Literature.

He is married with three children, and lives in London.

What have been the 'highs' and 'lows' of filming Coast?

One of the highs has definitely got to be seeing the metholic footprints exposed between the tide lines in the Gwent Levels in the Bristol Channel.

One of the most dramatic moments was jumping off a lifeboat in the Irish Sea in November to survive in freezing seas for the ten minutes it takes on average to be rescued.

A low was probably the few alarming moments when we got stuck on Bell Rock because we had problems with the inflatable boat that took us there.

Another high was flying in the coastguard helicopter off the coast of the Outer Hebrides to see what role they play in safeguarding the rural communities there. I got a real insight into the courage and dedication of a group of people who don't often get much credit for doing a dangerous job which is virtually always in difficult conditions.

What is your favourite UK coastal place and why?

One is Blakeney Point in Norfolk because it's one of those wonderfully remote spots. You can lose yourself there amongst the sand dunes. It's a dynamic part of the British coastline which is changing quickly. In Tudor times there was a port there, and you can trace the outline of the port - it's now the village green.

Cape Wrath is one of my other favourite places in the top left hand corner of Scotland. It's wonderfully remote, with fantastic cliffs and big white sandy beaches. It was the turning point for the Viking ships as they travelled along the coast, and the trip to the point is wonderful, whether walking or going on the minibus that runs during the summer.

What is your favourite coastal activity?

Walking, sailing, kayaking, and lying on the sand with my eyes closed feeling the sun beating down on me.

What is the best thing you've found at the coast?

Space and solitude. I'm from central London, so it's nice to go to the coast and get away from it all. At the coast you're on an exciting junction between sea and land.

What hobbies do you have?

My main passion is to write books, and I'm going to go back to writing again soon once I've finished all my television commitments. I also have three children, so they become your hobby - mucking about with them.

Where do you holiday on the UK coast?

As a family we holiday in the UK and our most recent breaks have been to the Outer Hebrides and Assynt - a stretch of remote coast - and Cape Wrath on the north west coast of Scotland.

What is your favourite seaside food?

It has to be a toss-up between fresh scallops from a little pub I know in South Devon and either crab or cod.

I never go to the coast without...

My children (as often as possible), plus my compass, binoculars and my OS map.

What is the best thing about living in the UK?

We're never far from the sea! We're so lucky in the UK as we are never much more than 70 miles from the sea wherever we live.

Alice Roberts

Alice Roberts is a qualified medical doctor and an expert in anatomy. She teaches anatomy at the University of Bristol and is also involved in research on human skeletal remains - both archaeological and forensic. Alice is currently researching joint disease in ancient human remains and ape skeletons.

Archaeology is a passion for Alice, and she has been on many excavations.

A lady of many talents, she is a skilled artist, runs a weekly pub quiz at her local, and has recently discovered surfing!

In 2001 she joined Channel 4's Time Team after working and reporting on the bones they found on their digs. She also appears on Extreme Archaeology.

Alice, 32, shares her life with a "dirty field archaeologist" and a dirtier border terrier called Bob.

What have been the highs and lows while filming Coast?

Coast has taken me to some amazing places all around the UK and I've met some fascinating and engaging people. I held a half-million-year-old handaxe when I visited Norfolk to find out about the earliest humans in Britain; I held a Mesolithic harpoon that was dropped on the land-bridge that's now under the North Sea; and I stood in 5,000-year-old footprints on the beach at Formby.

I've also really enjoyed the challenge of doing 'science on the beach', which included making alum using shale and human urine (generously supplied by the 大象传媒!) in Yorkshire.

I've always been concerned about human impact on the environment, so I enjoyed meeting writer and environmentalist Mark Lynas to find out more about climate change, renewable energy sources and what we can all do to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

We filmed much of the series over winter, so some of it has been very, very cold. I think I almost lost my gluteus maximus to frostbite while up in Northumberland building a Mesolithic house in the sleet and snow!

What is your favourite UK coastal place and why?

There's a nice little secret surfing spot in North Cornwall that's my favourite, but obviously I'd have to kill you if I told you where!

North Devon is also a firm favourite as the coast gets good waves and there are large stretches of unspoilt beaches with dunes.

Croyde has managed to welcome hundreds of tourist-surfers whilst maintaining the charm of a North Devon village, and it has what I believe to be the best pub in England.

Doing Coast, I fell in love with the weird, otherworldly landscape of the Northern Irish coast. It's so much more than the Giant's Causeway: that type of basalt geology continues for miles along the coast and produces some quite breathtaking views.

What is your favourite coastal activity?

Definitely surfing. It's something I've only discovered recently and wish I'd got into much earlier!

What is the best thing you've found at the coast?

I found an amazing fossil on the beach at Ravenscar near Whitby, with impressions of fern fronds all over it.

What hobbies do you have?

I love drawing and painting, and I've recently been doing some pottery as well. I enjoy 'getting away from it all' in my camper van. I also like volunteering on archaeological digs.

Where do you holiday on the UK coast?

I remember fantastic holidays in my childhood when my parents took me to Pembrokeshire, Cornwall and Dorset.

I used to - and actually still do - love rock-pooling, scrambling up rocky cliffs, putting my toes in the sea at the water's edge, and collecting shells at the tide-line.

What is your favourite seaside food?

Chips. When we filmed at Paviland Cave, I stayed at the Gower in my camper van (with archaeologist and dog), and one night we had chips from a fish and chip shop on the sea front - and sat on the beach eating them with a full moon reflecting off the sea. Wonderful.

I never go to the coast without...

My dog and my surfboard.

What do you think is great about living in the UK?

Easy - lots of coast to go to! And everywhere is actually quite near to the coast.

Coast Dr Alice Roberts

Mark Horton

Mark Horton is Head of the Archaeology and Anthropology Department at the University of Bristol and runs and teaches one of the few postgraduate programmes in maritime archaeology and history.

Having directed excavations all over the world - including the Caribbean, East Africa, Egypt, France and the UK - Mark's recent projects include an investigation of a Scottish colony in Panama; an early colonial settlement on St Kitts, St Lucia and Bermuda; and the investigation of trading ports in Zanzibar.

In Britain, Mark excavated the burials of claimed 'slaves' that were found on the beach at Ilfracombe in Devon, and has worked on the Port of Bristol and its trading (and slaving) connections and the industrial archaeology of Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

A keen sailor, Mark spends his spare time either dinghy-sailing on the River Severn or restoring his historic 26-foot Maurice Griffiths-designed yacht in London. He also has a rotting dhow in Lamu, Kenya.

Mark has been a contributor to numerous TV archaeology programmes, and was involved in the early days of Time Team as well as the 大象传媒 Scotland documentary on the Darien Disaster which was awarded the Archaeological Programme of the Year in 2004.

Recently he co-presented the 大象传媒 TWO series Time Flyers.

What have been the highs and lows while filming Coast? The highs probably include trying not to destroy a very expensive yacht off Hartland Point on the North Devon Coast. We were filming a sequence, pretending to wreck the yacht and I had to make sure I wasn't doing any damage to it!

Another high has to be sailing a Bronze Age boat under the Humber Bridge - ancient technology sailing underneath modern technology. It was a replica boat and was 25 foot long - the planks had been sown together with rope and there wasn't a nail in sight!

What is your favourite UK coastal place and why?

The Severn Estuary at low tide. The sheer enormity of it all is amazing. It has the second highest tidal range in the world and watching the tide come in and all the mud and sand become a huge expanse of water is wonderful.

Also, as a result of making this programme, I've discovered the most fabulous beaches off Harris - the total wilderness of it all is astounding.

What is your favourite coastal activity?

Sailing!

What is the best thing you've found at the coast?

It's a bit strange to say, but probably the skeletons of the claimed 'slaves' on the beach in Ilfracombe in Devon.

What hobbies and other passions do you have?

I haven't any time for anything else other than sailing and archaeology - that's it!

Tell me about your family, home and pets.

I'm married with three teenage children and we live on the edge of the Cotswolds.

Where do you holiday on the UK coast?

We tend to go on excavations rather than holidays in the summer, to fit around digs! We did all go on a family camping holiday to Croyde in North Devon. The children wanted to go surfing so they did that while I sat and watched!

What is your favourite seaside food?

When we were filming off the East Coast of Scotland I had scampi and chips at Arbroath, with real, proper pieces of scampi - it was gorgeous!

I never go to the coast without...

Sailing clothes and a life jacket, just in case I can jump into a boat!

What do you think is great about living in the UK?

Wherever you are, it's not too far to go sailing on the sea.

Miranda Krestovnikoff

A qualified zoologist, Miranda Krestovnikoff started her television career as a researcher in the 大象传媒's prestigious Natural History Unit.

Since then she has presented several television series, including 大象传媒 TWO's Hidden Treasure.

Her passion for wildlife started at an early age when she began observing birds and bugs in the garden and keeping a veritable menagerie at home.

She's an experienced diver, and active outdoor girl, enjoying sailing, swimming and cycling.

Miranda writes for Diver magazine and makes regular appearances at dive shows and clubs.

Miranda, 32, lives just outside Bristol with her husband and two chinchillas. They have just moved to a house in the countryside.

What have been the highs and lows while filming Coast? A real high was swimming with grey seals in the Farne islands. It was quite incredible being face to face with an adult grey seal and having it tug at my fins and look me in the eye. A couple of months later we went back to see the grey seal pups which were all over the islands. We just walked around and could literally go up to them and stroke them!

A low was our quest for porbeagle sharks off the coast of Padstow. I was getting excited about catching a shark and tagging it (not at all a threat to the shark). We spent three long days on the water chumming for sharks but none turned up. It was hard work and really disappointing - but you can't win all the time.

What is your favourite UK coastal place and why?

Being a diver - I always go for good diving hotspots. I have a particular fondness for Skomer as that is where I did my first open water diving in the UK and I love all the puffins that nest there.

One of the most beautiful locations we filmed at was Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland. The lough is vast and the surrounding scenery is absolutely stunning.

I also spent two days on Lundy Island which was a real treat - no traffic noise, no car alarms. We camped overnight but with the dawn chorus and the sheep bleating, it was hard to sleep!

What is your favourite coastal activity?

I'm a keen UK diver, and being underwater is always fascinating! When you look at a landscape on land, you have some idea of what it might contain and what sort of species will be there.

But when you look at the sea you have no idea of what will be underneath the water. It's a whole other world down there and there's a lot to see in British waters, but it's quite an effort sometimes as the water can be really cold!

What is the best thing you've found at the coast?

We went rock-pooling in the Gower at Worm's Head and found a dogfish egg (mermaid's purse). When you held it up to the light you could see the baby dogfish inside - attached to a huge yolk that would feed it for the few weeks before it hatched. This was seeing a shark before birth - incredible!

What hobbies do you have?

I love being outdoors - whatever the weather. Being a zoologist, I enjoy anything to do with wildlife and nature so I spend a lot of time in my garden looking for slow worms and grass snakes.

I'm also a keen musician and play in a local orchestra in Bristol which is great fun and quite demanding, especially when filming.

Where do you holiday on the UK coast?

We have friends with a barn in a tiny hamlet about as far west as you can get in South Wales. It's a fantastic spot right on the cliff-top, and at night you can see the light of the lighthouse pulsing.

As a child, I visited my grandparents who lived in Deganwy, North Wales.

I also love the Devon and Cornish coast near where my mother-in-law lives. There's some fantastic rock-pooling there and great mackerel fishing.

What is your favourite seaside food?

I'm a big seafood lover and will eat anything as long as it's fresh and I know how it was caught.

I love to fish for mackerel and dive for scallops. I'm not happy eating trawled scallops or bass, but line-caught from the locals is great.

I never go to the coast without...

A good rock-pooling/birding guide book, binoculars, waterproofs and normally my dive gear.

What do you think is great about being an island?

The UK has the most incredibly varied coastline and there's a huge variety of wildlife that either live here, or come to breed or over-winter. Whatever the time of year there's always something happening of interest.

Whether you're into diving, surfing, sailing, rock-pooling or just sunbathing - there's a beach not a million miles away and you can spend all day gazing out to sea and just lose yourself.

Most of us can remember those summers spent building sand castles and burying dad in the sand with just his head and toes showing!

Neil Oliver

Neil Oliver is a qualified archaeologist. His fieldwork has spanned the millennia - from Stone Age remains in Scotland to Second World War fortifications.

If it's been buried in the ground during the last 10,000 years, Neil's dug it up!

His passion for digging things up led Neil and his friend, Tony Pollard, to South Africa where they excavated battlefields from the Anglo-Zulu wars of 1879.

Together they went on to bring British battles back to life - from Bannockburn in 1314 to the Second World War for the 大象传媒 TWO series Two Men in a Trench.

Also a journalist, Neil has written for publications including The Guardian, The Scotsman and The Sun.

Neil, 38, lives in Glasgow with his partner Trudi and

two-year- old daughter Evie, and is currently restoring their Victorian town house.

What have been the highs and lows while filming Coast? One of the highs has to be what I've learnt! I consider myself to be fairly well-informed about history but I was amazed at how much I didn't know.

Another high is the fact I've discovered that in every part of the UK, you find someone worth talking to or something worth seeing.

I don't think there have been any lows. It's been very busy and quite tiring, but that wasn't a low because I've enjoyed it all so much.

What is your favourite UK coastal place and why?

I'm particularly stunned by Sutherland in the far north- western side of Scotland; words can't describe how magical and beautiful it is. Bettyhill, the town created by the Highland clearances is a favourite. It's beautiful, bleak, dramatic and I felt really affected by it. I'd go back in a minute to have a proper look around, and I felt kind of proud of it.

What is your favourite coastal activity?

Walking. But I like to make sure I have enough time to have a proper look round.

What is the best thing you've found at the coast?

When I was a student archaeologist, I went on a dig to Ballantrae with Tom Affleck who was studying for his PhD and needed volunteers. It was there that I found my future on the coast.

Tom became a very good friend and inspired me to become an archaeologist.

What hobbies do you have?

I'm passionate about history, but not necessarily academic history. Everywhere you go, people have been doing things for hundreds of years, and places can tell so many stories about how things have changed.

I also like films and the cinema, and enjoy reading. I also love spending time with my partner and our little girl.

Where do you holiday on the UK coast?

I remember Millport and Arran from Scottish childhood holidays and going to the west coast of Scotland as a teenager with my dad. We went to the Kyle of Lochalsh, Plockton and Ullapool.

Trudi and I went to Cornwall a lot when we were students and love it there, and I also like the Kent coast - we've recently discovered Sandwich and Deal.

What is your favourite seaside food?

Shellfish - any shellfish! From cockles and mussels to crab and lobster. Delicious!

I never go to the coast without...

Packing a waterproof! You need every item of clothing that you possess when you go away in the UK as the weather is so changeable.

What do you think is great about living in the UK?

It's a world on its own I suppose. The fact that you are never more than 72 miles from the coast and you're within a reasonable proximity to the sea all of the time.


COAST PRESS PACK



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