The ancient ruins of Pompeii are full of surprises. Whether it is the suites of Roman baths in almost working order, the seedy town brothel, or simply the deserted streets - where you can almost imagine that a resident from 2000 years ago might any minute appear round the corner.

I have been visiting Pompeii for over 40 years now, and every time I go I find something I haven’t seen before. But making our documentary, Pompeii: New Secrets Revealed, I got a chance to see – and to share – all kinds of things that surprised even me.

The volcanic eruption that destroyed the town in AD 79 preserved some very unexpected treasures. One of the highlights of the programme was my first visit to the bio-archaeological deposit on the site. That doesn’t immediately sound very exciting, but the “deposit” is something close to an Aladdin’s cave containing all the food-stuffs that were carbonised when the burning volcanic debris fell on the town, and recovered by archaeologists hundreds of years later.

There are literally jars and jars of dates, figs, pomegranates and olives, all straight from the Pompeian kitchens. There are even baskets of eggs and a few very overcooked loaves that were still in the oven when the bakers decided to run for their lives.

It’s hard not to feel a bit moved at the thought that daily life was going on, some of the bakeries still in full swing, when it was all suddenly cut short by the devastating eruption. Even more affecting are the actual remains of many of the human victims.

Very respectfully, and with the help of a medical CT scanner, we were able to examine some of these remains much more closely than had ever been done before. We wanted to find the answers to some big questions about the real people of Pompeii – about how old they were when they perished, for example, or about their state of health, particularly their teeth.

We managed to bust a few myths. It wasn’t just the old and infirm that were the victims, while the young and fit escaped. There were plenty of twenty-somethings among the remains of the people we looked at. And, despite the wholesome diet we had glimpsed in the deposit, there were a good few whose teeth looked like they’d been drinking the ancient equivalent of fizzy drinks (honey and wine, perhaps).

Pompeii is inevitably a world tinged with sadness and death. But we explored the places where people had fun too, from the swimming pools to the saunas, the bars to the brothel (though I’m afraid “fun” isn’t what the working girls had there).

And I got my very first chance to impersonate a Roman launderer. In one large-scale laundry that has only recently been carefully restored, I actually managed to climb into large vats where the launderers used to spend their days trampling the clothes underfoot in the best cleaning and treatment substance that the Romans knew: human urine, collected in industrial quantities in vats at the front door.

That is how you got your toga clean – and it’s a nice reminder that the Romans were not quite as much like us as we sometimes imagine.

Professor Mary Beard is a classicist and the presenter of Pompeii: New Secrets Revealed with Mary Beard.

Pompeii: New Secrets Revealed with Mary Beard is broadcast on Thursday, 3 March at 9pm on BBC One.

It will be available to watch in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

The first time I vlogged was exciting, but I didn’t really think much more of it than that. It’s not like I knew it was going to take off and grow into what it has become today. It was just a hobby, something I enjoyed to take my mind off the fact that I had no idea what I wanted my career to be.

Anyone can make videos. All you need is a camera, an internet connection and something to edit on. I don’t think that just because you can upload content that you'll make a success of it though. I actually think this is a good thing. If you make videos because you want fame then you’re doing it for the wrong reasons and the audience will see through it.

I still have no idea why people enjoy watching me and it scares me that they’ll realise I’m actually not that special. Sometimes I do suspect that this is the very reason it is so special though: I’m a really normal guy and get to take my audience on all the weird and wonderful journeys I go on. It’s not scripted or produced or false, it’s just me.

I think vlogging is contagious. My sisters (Sam Chapman and Nic Haste - beauty vloggers Pixiwoo) started, then my wife Tanya Burr, then me, then my brother John and his friend Leon, then Leon’s girlfriend...

Although it feels like you see everything, we all share only what we want to. We all have a 24 hour day just like everyone else and we’ll make a 10 minute video from that day. There is certainly a learning process involved though. When I first started, I felt a need to share everything and it got a bit too much for me, so I took a step back, realised where my boundaries were and re-evaluated.

On our wedding day, the last thing Tanya and I wanted to do was to keep getting our cameras out and miss the moments we wanted to share with each other. We actually had a no social media rule at the wedding. We just wanted all of our guests to have fun and take a day off with us.

In general, I do think that people’s private space has become much smaller due to social media. But it’s important to remember that people only post what they want to. There is no automatic life update on Twitter. If people overshare, there’s probably a reason for it.

Presenting this documentary was really different for me. I’m so used to rambling on about whatever I want to, however I want to - there’s nobody giving me any feedback. But with TV all that changes.

I don’t think traditional media will ever disappear, but I certainly see that I am in the right place at the right time. This generation (and seemingly the ones that follow) tends to like the choice of the internet. They can watch shows with high production values and also see people like me attempt to bake a cheesecake and fail miserably.

I think the moment you have to think about how real you are online is the moment you lose all credibility. This is the easiest part of my job: I’m me and I can’t not be. I’ve been doing this for about five years now and although I’ve grown up a little and my life has completely changed, I couldn’t fake who I am for all of this time.

But some platforms can be misleading. On Instagram, you may take 100 photos before you find the perfect one you want to post which can lead to a slightly altered version of your reality.  Video content doesn’t give you that luxury. I film when I’m all sweaty and gross after the gym!​

Jim Chapman is a vlogger and presents Rise of the Superstar Vloggers.

Rise of the Superstar Vloggers is broadcast on Monday, 1 February at 9pm on BBC Three. The programme will be available to watch in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

 

What devious animal trick would you most like to steal for yourself?

Oooh steal for myself? I’ll tell you what, I’ll go for being a cuttlefish. Cuttlefish are remarkable things. They can change their colour, they can also change their skin texture and their body shape. Like invisibility cloaks. They really can just merge into the background and their ability to do so is remarkable. They essentially become invisible in that landscape. So that would be brilliant.

I’d love to be invisible and sneak around and learn about what people are up to. The nefarious aspects of being invisible would be fantastic.

Are you more impressed by an animal’s crafty strategies than their physical attributes?

I think the more complex they are, the more entertaining and intriguing it becomes. There’s one story which I’m sure will appeal to many of our viewers. We went to Bali and in a temple complex there, the monkeys will steal objects. Rather than steal food from people, they will steal things which they know are valuable. Sunglasses, mobile phones, handbags.

They will then barter them back for food. They won’t give it back in exchange for the food they get every day - bananas or peanuts. But if you offer them sweets they will. And the sure fire way of getting your phone back is to offer them eggs. They’re packages of protein – something the monkeys don’t often get. Obviously tourists don’t wander around with eggs, so the people who work in the temple have those and they constantly barter with the monkeys.

If you met Charles Darwin – what would you ask him?

What I’d like to know about Charles Darwin is how much he struggled to bring his views to the public. He would have known they were going to create a huge furore. I’d love to have known on the day before Origin of the Species was published, how did Charles feel about the controversy he was about to unleash?

I also would have liked to have met Charles as a younger man. We always think of him as the bearded old guy having been to Galapagos and coming back with this book. Of course, he did that rather late in life but he was a committed naturalist from a very young age. He did all sorts of studies of wildlife around his home. He studied earthworms and orchids. I would have loved to have hung out with him and just seen how his enthusiasm manifested itself. He obviously was a man of intense curiosity and that is the principle ingredient to make a lifelong good naturalist.

I do relate to him. I get up every day and know that if I try, I can go out to the woods outside my house and I can find something new. And if I find something new I can probably come up with a question that I don’t know the answer to. And that’s exciting. It means there’s more to learn and that’s more exciting than anything.

If you were a wizard in Harry Potter, what would your animagus form be?*

*Non-Potter readers, this is an animal form wizards can turn into

I’d have to be a flying animal. I‘ve always had dreams of flying. I am drawn to animals that fly. I like the idea of flying and I am always really envious when I see swallows ricocheting down and drinking from a lake surface in summer. And they’ve got this these flashing blue wings. I can’t imagine what must go through their minds. We’re only just beginning to learn how they are able to fly so fast and so quickly and so close to things due to their optical processing abilities.

But take the science out of it and just stick with the romance – I’d be a swallow. I’d happily give everything for 30 seconds as a swallow over a lake in summer. Can you imagine? It would just be awesome to be a swallow flying really fast. That’s what I’d be.

Patrick Evans is an editorial curator for BBC iPlayer.

World's Sneakiest Animals starts on Christmas Day at 6.30pm on BBC Two. Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

We had 62 house fronts to renovate with new doors, windows and render; the road to resurface; eight houses to be stripped to their skeletons and rebuilt into three homes, a retraining centre and support offices.

When only a third of the volunteers we’d hoped for turned up, we were in trouble. So we appealed for help in the national press, TV and radio. And it came. Volunteers came from Swansea, Devon, Glasgow, Leicester, Birmingham and Kent.  

But I have to admit, three days into our 12-day schedule I was beginning to believe we'd been over ambitious. 

I found myself quoting Henry V: "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers". And then THE brothers came along. Princes William and Harry, rolling up their sleeves, swapping banter with the builders, taking as much time as it took to hear the veterans and even enjoying a builders’ man hug at the end of their stay. 

Everyone who got involved did so because they knew what was being done was important.

I think the young men and women who had given so much for their country and face a lifetime of living with serious injuries, both physical and mental, should have access to suitable homes and retraining opportunities. They need help and a chance to get themselves back into a valued position, and feel comfortable in society and within their own families. 

This community will offer the support of living alongside other veterans with whom they share an understanding of what they've been through, whilst sharing the neighbourhood with non-veteran families too.

There will be training opportunities through our build partners and the local tertiary college. There will be health support and job opportunities through a permanent north-west hub for Walking with the Wounded based in the road. It will be open to both veterans and other residents to give opportunity to all.

When people at various stages said it was impossible, it only made us more determined to succeed. Like Jack's beanstalk, this project grew and took on a life of its own. We realised we could make so many things happen at once.

This project has lifted an inner city area, housed vulnerable veterans and brought empty housing stock back into use thanks to partnerships forged between private business, charities, Manchester Council and the BBC. 

It was a simple but ambitious idea that simply grew and grew. I hope it continues to grow and is repeated around the country. But this - our biggest build ever - is only a fraction of the community that has been built overall. I hope that our shows will give you pause to reflect on what can be done if we pull together.

Nick Knowles presents DIY SOS.

DIY SOS: Homes for Veterans is broadcast on Wednesday, 14 and Wednesday, 21 October at 8pm on BBC One. Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Who would you like to give a bad haircut to and why?

Donald Trump, because it would be a massive improvement. 

What hairstyle would you like to see make a comeback and why?

I think modern hairstyles have lots of different period influences, but I wouldn't want to go back to any of them. Victorian women would achieve volume by saving old hair from their brushes and matting it all together to make 'rats'. We use clip-ins and similar tricks now, but I'm glad to have the option of synthetic hair instead. 

What would you say is the secret to great hair?

Not to steer too far away from nature. The more you mess with texture and colour, the worse your hair is going to feel. I like that body ideals are moving away from 'skinny' towards strong and healthy. The same goes for hair in my opinion.

Which celeb style icons would you have on your salon walls?

Emma Stone has shiny, healthy-looking hair but mixes up the colour just enough. It looks like autumn leaves to me. I love it.

Lupita Nyong'o has the most stunning face I've ever seen. Her hair is very short to accentuate it but she's creative with shapes and style.

Where are the people who don't like Taylor Swift? Not asking stupid questions, that's where. Everyone loves her. EVERYONE. It's mandatory. Her cropped hairstyle is perfect and so is she and for those reasons, I would also put Taylor Swift on the wall.

What would be your signature hairstyle?

I'd do that one I see on a lot of kids now where the ends are blue. I'd fill really glamorous loos with toilet cleaner and dip the girls' heads in just enough to get the tips wet. I'd call it 'the hangover'. I think that's how it's done.

Which celebrity hairdresser would you want as your mentor?

Denise and Alain, Hair's resident experts, are great but I know they're really busy already. I liked a lot of the contestants on the show, so maybe Meggan or Kellie or Phil. I got on with everyone and I think they're all going to be celeb hairdressers one day.

Which is best: Bob or pixie crop?

It depends on your face. If you've got very delicate feminine features and jawline, you can do the crop. Otherwise, bob's your uncle.

Katherine Ryan presents Hair.

Hair starts on Monday, 13 July at 10pm on BBC Two. Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Media is about communication, and as a deaf woman, hailing from a working class background, I probably don’t fit the bill of what many consider as a ‘standard media type’. But the mould must be broken – over 50 years ago it was difficult to get a media job if you weren’t male, white and well-spoken.

This has now changed somewhat, but we can’t sit back and let others take responsibility for that. We have to get out there and create change ourselves. Everything I’ve been able to achieve in my career is a result of my experiences – facing up to barriers, the prejudice of others, learning to overcome them, learning lessons early on, learning to adapt.

I hate being told I can’t do something because I am deaf. I’m lucky: my hearing mother and the teachers in my primary school for the deaf were always telling me that I could do anything I wanted to do, despite what others may have said.

There are ways around things, alterations that can be made, adaptations, if necessary. I prefer to make the decision whether I can or can’t do something – rather than someone making the decisions based on the limitations they assume I have because I am deaf. We’re lucky to be in an era where technology and media can combine to make access more possible, providing many different arenas for our talents.

My career journey has been varied and colourful, and while I never thought about working in the media, it feels so natural that I am here doing what I am doing.

Two years ago, I was hired by See Hear. Stretching back to 1981, the BBC’s See Hear programme has provided deaf people with a unique opportunity to reach out regarding issues that affect our everyday lives: employment, education and health to give a few examples. It also raises the profile, visibility and awareness of our community – so I jumped at the chance of being involved.

As well as filming, having meetings, and doing the bricks and mortar research that is the backbone of any programme, I spend quite a bit of time on the phone, haggling for interviews (I am very persistent), gathering information, arranging meetings etc. My interpreters are an essential part of this, as they act as my ears and voice on the phone using a headset and interpreting– acting as a bridge between British Sign Language and spoken English.

For our next See Hear programme, I’ve been squeezing out information to untangle the complicated and highly confidential UN inquiry that the UK is facing into possible violations of disabled and deaf people’s human rights. 

I recently survived a public order training course with the Met Police: a whole day of dodging petrol bombs and ducking glass bottles being thrown at me. I’ve been on the streets of London filming deaf people protesting against proposed cuts as the programme investigates people’s concerns about the new government’s next five years.

And as for that prestigious nomination…?

“E…r…i…k…a…J…o...n…e…s”

I was stunned. As the interpreter signed the winner’s name – my name! – it took everything I had not to trip up on my way to the stage!

In receiving the Royal Television Society’s Flying Futures Talent Award, I really hope that it shows that, even though I may be a young, deaf woman, I can do just as well as any other person.

Erika Jones is a researcher on See Hear and one of the presenters on See Hear Deaf News. 

The latest episode of See Hear, season 35 is availble to watch in BBC iPlayer. For information on upcoming broadcasts, visit the See Hear website. Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

What’s it like working with your Prized Apart co-host?

R: It’s a pleasure working with Emma, she’s the wickedest. It sounds awful but I’ve had many ‘TV wives’ over the years, and I love Emma to bits. She’s just so easy to work with, and chatting with her off-camera she’s exactly the same as when she’s on camera. That’s how I’d like to think I am, too. Love her.

E: It’s great because we have wanted to work together again for such a long time. But at the same time it is slightly torturous because I don’t get to see him until the final, so for about seven weeks!

If the pair of you were to compete together in Prized Apart, who’d do the challenges and who would tackle the questions?

R: I know Matt (Willis, Emma’s husband) fairly well, and I think I’d do exactly what Matt would do in the same situation and that is to sort of say: “Babes, seriously, just let me jump. I’ll run, and you handle that bit.” I’m not thick, but I’m definitely not the best when it comes to general knowledge! I’d rather challenge myself in the physical realm if I was to do it.

E: I am rubbish at general knowledge! But I am quite into adventure and challenges so I would love to do that. Reggie is terrified of things so it makes sense that he stays in the studio!  

How much of a daredevil are you?

E: I like to think I am a real daredevil and I am up for anything but I think I am actually quite scared of things. As soon as I had kids my whole mentality changed and now it is all about survival!

R: I’m not. At all. I’m a bit of a homebody, and I’m not the most extreme of men on the planet. The most I think I do in terms of tough physicality is I run, and that’s it. I’m not going to be doing a Tough Mudder through choice any time soon.

Were you tempted to take part in any of the challenges yourself?

R: Nah. Not for me. Although, there was a canyon jump where you hold on to the rope – that looked awesome. Because looking at it, I thought I’d be able to actually do that, it didn’t look that impossible. So yeah, that one maybe. Because you’d feel like a real man after doing that, and I need all the help I can get!

Emma Willis and Reggie Yates co-host Prized Apart.

Prized Apart starts on Saturday 13 June at 7pm on BBC One. Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

It’s kind of a big deal
I don’t think everyone necessarily ‘gets’ Eurovision. Certainly a lot of people in the UK think of Eurovision and think ‘dodgy songs’. That couldn’t be further from the truth though, Eurovision is a huge production and the host city spends millions on it.

My tip if you’re watching at home…
Watch the red button! It’s brilliant, they put the words up so that you can sing along with each act. It’s great because if you were just listening without the words you’d miss some of the amazing lyrics - last year I’m pretty sure there was a song about a moustache…

Twitter has made a massive difference while commentating as people really do tweet along as they watch, it’s almost as important as actually watching the show. For me it’s like having another few thousand eyes on each performance and the public are so observant and funny!

Regarding toilet breaks
Don’t take them! Or if you have to, go during the interval. Honestly, I am the biggest Eurovision fan so I don’t like to miss anything.

The votes take a while…
The counting can take ages. I’ve read the UK results four times and have always been given an 11am call time, even though the results aren’t until around 11pm. You can’t leave, even to nip to the shop, it’s some kind of Eurovision law! It’s pretty daunting reading the results knowing there are 195 million people watching you worldwide. It’s almost as scary as doing Strictly Come Dancing!

My top reasons to love Eurovision

#1 A lot of the songs are written by top songwriters responsible for loads of current hits.

#2 The atmosphere is amazing because the fans are so excited to be there, which I totally understand as you have to be very lucky to get a ticket. Last year I knew of someone who headed out to Copenhagen and was over the moon to have tickets for the afternoon rehearsal of the semi-final!

#3 Before I was involved in Eurovision I actually got tickets to some of the host countries as a fan, and it was so much fun. Often the contest is held in lesser-known places in terms of travel destinations and they are wonderful places to visit – I thought Belgrade was amazing. It was my first-ever Eurovision experience. I was there for the weekend, the weather was really hot, there were Eurovision parties, and I thought - I would love to work on this!

#4 Aside from sports broadcasts, it is one of the most watched TV events in the world.

 

Scott Mills co-hosts the Eurovision Semi-Finals 2015 with Mel Giedroyc on Tuesday 19 and Thursday 21 May at 8pm on BBC Three. The final is on Saturday, 23 May from 9pm on BBC One.

Tweet @bbceurovision or comment on facebook.com/bbceurovision during the semi-final for the chance to have your message read out by Scott and Mel. If you're having a Eurovision party, you can also download scorecards, sweepstake trackers and posters.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

I love quiz shows, I’ve been making them for many years, and now I have accidentally stumbled into hosting them too. They rarely win Baftas, they never get reviewed in the posh papers, but the enduring ones capture a place in the hearts of the nation in a way that very few shows do.

There are a number of reasons for this, but two are particularly key.

Firstly they are, by their very nature, incredibly interactive. Viewers can’t help but play along, whether it’s trying to name the most obscure member of Westlife (Nicky) on Pointless, or punching the air in delight if you ever get a single question correct on University Challenge.  I have always likened quizzes to sport for competitive people who are terrible at playing sport, myself included.

Some shows I’ve produced have been successful, some spectacularly unsuccessful, but the development process is always the same. You get an idea, a little hook, and then you play it over and over again. You play it with good quizzers, you play it with bad quizzers, just to spot any little holes in the format, anything that seems unfair or confusing. You then make little nips and tucks to address these problems.

Usually these little nips and tucks make the format even more complicated, or drag it too far away from the initial concept and the format is abandoned. But very occasionally something comes along that is robust enough to survive the process, and that’s when the ‘play-along’ question becomes key. Is it fun to play, and, much more importantly, is it fun to watch?

I remember pitching The Million Pound Drop to the head of Channel 4, and he loved playing it so much he kept asking more and more colleagues into his office just so he could watch them play it too. That is exactly what makes a hit quiz show.

The second reason for the success of quizzes is their sheer volume. Quizzes have always been inexpensive and quick to make. As you have the same set for every episode, you could make many, many episodes of Pointless, for example, for the same money and in the same time frame that you could make one episode of a high production drama.

Therefore quizzes become a ‘perfect storm’ for channels. Something economical and relatively quick to make, that viewers actually love. For example, two of BBC Two’s highest rating shows, week in, week out, are two of their most low-cost shows to produce: University Challenge and Only Connect.

So how does this perfect storm come about? Viewers usually spot low-cost TV a mile off and will sometimes run for cover. Well, quizzes are inexpensive and quick to make, but they are made with great attention to detail and great enthusiasm. There has always been a wonderful sub-set of people who work in TV, who simply love making quiz shows. Great producers, great format-tinkerers, and, most importantly the great unsung question writers. You might call us geeks, I couldn’t possibly comment.

This sheer volume means that quizzes become part of our daily routine. A regular workout for the brain. Every time Countdown started, my Grandad would take out his pen and his notebook, cup of tea by his side, and play along. I know people do the same with Pointless (maybe not with the pen and pad) and that always makes me feel incredibly lucky, and I know he’d be watching if he were still around. That connection with viewers is very special.

Watching some of the wonderful archive the BBC has brought together in the BBC Four Classic Game Show Collection proved to me that this has always been the case. Mostly low-cost, but such an utter joy to watch. It’s impossible to not play along with an episode of Quiz Ball from the 60s, What’s My Line from the 70s or Ask The Family from the 80s.

And because they often lack gloss or pizzazz, they also provide a peculiarly moving snapshot of Britain through the years, from the gasps of the What’s My Line studio audience on discovering that a contestant is a Woman Detective, to the wonderful sight of people answering quiz questions while smoking pipes.

So I hope you’ll dip in and gain great enjoyment from some of the shows featured. On a side-note, I would like to commend Quiz Ball for having quite the most complicated rules explanation I have ever heard. It takes about three minutes and is utterly incomprehensible. Promise me you’ll treat yourself.

I’ll leave you with the answers to the questions I set.

1. According to the wonderful ukgameshows.com website the longest running UK TV quiz show host was Magnus Magnusson, who hosted Mastermind for just 10 days shy of 25 years. If you said Bamber Gascoigne, you’ve been unlucky, as Magnus beat him by just eight days! The record could be under threat soon however, as Jeremy Paxman is in his 21^st year as University Challenge host and Sue Barker in her 18^th year on A Question Of Sport.
   
   
2. Over 6,000, more than any other British TV quiz or game show. The French show on which it was based has clocked up over 20,000 episodes. Weakest Link managed 1,693, and so far Pointless is just over 800, but we’re not planning to give up any time soon.
   
   
3. Me. Sorry.

Richard Osman curates the BBC Four Classic Game Shows Collection, available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

More from Richard Osman:

Pointless: How I became the co-host

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

It was a challenging day in many ways. Mostly logistically. We were on site at 8am and by the time we had finished faffing with kit, it was nearly lunchtime and we still hadn’t gone down the cave. Although I was horribly nervous about going underground, it’s not really possible for our bodies physiologically to maintain a state of great anxiety for hours on end. After such a long time preparing, I just wanted to get on with it and get down the cave.

The sound of water flowing overhead was not especially soothing! The reality of metres and metres of rock above one’s head wasn’t a pleasant thought for me so it’s a good job I am quite adept at imagining it is something quite different. I remember jumping out of a plane once and pretending I was jumping into water in order to do it.

If I needed a wee once I was in the caving suit, it had to be in the darkness when the crew were a long way past. But what a faff getting caving suits, radio mics and battery packs off and not letting any of them fall in the cave stream. On nearly every shoot I go on, I subconsciously stop drinking because the opportunity even for wild wees are really limited. We end up most Fridays with crashing headaches and UTIs!

I never thought I would pull out - not after the massive effort in getting there. Hours and hours of prepping, 15 bags of kit, extra caving hands to carry all that kit. That would have been terrible sportsmanship to pull out then.

The day was hard all round. For safety - and for filming - we had to double the amount of bags that we ended up needing, including a scaffolding pole which wasn’t used (but was still carried to the end of the cave system and back again). The journey was incredibly slow going and we weren’t able to film the hardest part: straddling waterways and balancing on beams, just to get to the spots where we could film. We were hours and hours later than we should have been, probably using up all our goodwill with the caving team.  Peanuts and chocolate fingers were our underground diet because they have the highest calorie to weight ratio.

Has the experience helped me with my claustrophobia? Nope! It’s something you have or don’t have I think. I still get claustrophobia in the back seat of a car if my feet get caught under the driver’s chair.

Ellie Harrison presents Secret Britain alongside Adam Henson.

Secret Britain starts on Wednesday 8 April at 9pm on BBC One. Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

Watch a clip: Why seeing stunning crystal formations made it all worthwhile

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

We are doing everything we can to leave no room for error, the team have been working for months now planning, constructing, checking and rechecking all the equipment that enables us to capture the eclipse in all its glory and transmit live to Jodrell Bank. Turbulence may affect the quality of our eclipse images, and of course bad weather may prevent us from taking off at all – but I’d rather not think about that! 

I am looking forward to seeing the Baily’s beads effect, which is when the moon almost completely covers the sun, but because of its rugged landscape some shards of light will still shine through in the last few seconds before totality. As the moon completely covers up the sun, one last remaining bead of light will shine like a diamond set in a bright ring surrounding the lunar shadow – what’s known as the diamond ring.

We will also get to see the sun’s corona – its outer atmosphere, usually overpowered by the brightness of the sun’s orb – radiating out in streams around the dark circle of the moon.

These are all things I’ve seen images of and read about and am so excited to see for myself, but as much as the science of this rare alignment of our planet, the moon and the sun fascinates me, the thing I am looking forward to most is the sheer wonder of the moment, a reminder of the splendour of the natural world.

A total solar eclipse is a magnificent display of celestial mechanics – testimony to the predictability of our solar system and our place in it. This is one for my bucket list.  

Stargazing Live continues on Thursday, 19 March at 8pm on BBC Two. The Eclipse Live episode is on BBC One at 9am on Friday, 20 March. For more programme times please see the episode guide.

Each episode will be available in BBC iPlayer for 30 days after broadcast on TV.

How can I watch the solar eclipse safely? - see the iWonder guide

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

To see such intelligent social animals left so traumatised at the hands of humans is a very difficult thing to watch. The 'mamans' will devote the next five years to earning the trust of their orphan and caring for them day and night, so that they can become psychologically and physically well enough to live with a larger bonobo group. And having experienced how loving bonobo infants are, seeking out a cuddle at every opportunity, it's not difficult to see how important affection is to these animals.

One of the most extraordinary behaviours we filmed is the mating ritual of alligators. Male alligators produce a mesmerising, deep and powerful bellow to denote their territory and attract females. Their deep rumblings produce vibrations which cause the water on their backs to dance in delicate little fountains.

Once a male attracts a female, the courtship dance begins. It's probably one of the gentlest, most delicate interactions I have ever seen. The male and female nuzzle each other repeatedly, moving ever so slowly alongside each other. For such powerful, fearsome predators it is quite a surprising behaviour to witness! 

One of the most touching stories of the series came from one of the most unlikely sources: the greylag goose. The story of Tariq and Judith could rival any Disney classic. The two formed a very close bond, as all greylag couples should to be successful in life, but two years into their relationship, Judith disappeared in a violent storm. According to the scientists studying the geese, Tariq's behaviour could only be described as grief-stricken. After some time he did appear to move on and find a new mate, but a year after their separation, Judith unexpectedly returned. Tariq's response was undeniable. He immediately returned to Judith and they have been together ever since.

Learning about the elephants of Thula Thula Reserve in South Africa was really special. Conservationist Lawrence Anthony's close relationship with the herd he rescued was already heartwarming, but hearing about Frankie, the matriarch of the herd, making a concerted effort to support and befriend another female in distress (ET), convinced me all the more about elephants' capacity for emotional intelligence.

I couldn't believe our luck when, after days of searching, we finally came across the herd. Frankie and ET approached our jeep, side by side, with ET's tiny young calf almost hidden from view, squashed between them. It was an emotional moment to see these elephants thriving, thanks to Lawrence and his team.

Science has shown us that elephants are capable of extraordinary behaviours we still don't fully understand. They grieve their dead, and somehow always know which watering holes to visit, even if they are hundreds of miles away and only just full again after years of drought. I would not be surprised if in the future science were to make more exciting discoveries about the cognitive and emotional capacities of these extraordinary animals.

Is it possible for animals to love? For one thing, we still can’t fully define what love is even in us humans. But all across the animal kingdom, the chemicals involved in attraction and attachment are very similar. Although of course we can’t say whether this feels the same in a human as it does in a goose, the physiology is the same. And if we can call that love, then love is more common across the animal kingdom than we first thought.

I’m very excited to see what else we will discover about the emotional lives of animals.

Liz Bonnin presents Animals In Love

Animals In Love starts on Sunday, 1 February at 6pm on BBC One and BBC One HD in England and Scotland. It is also on at 6pm on BBC Two Wales and 7pm on BBC Two NI.

For further programme times please see the upcoming broadcasts page.

More on Animals In Love:
Radio Times: The world's five best places to watch cuddling creatures

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Also talking to the guys in the identity parade, it’s always felt a bit weird to me that they come out, get the piss taken out of them, and they sort of go off, they don’t even get to speak, they don’t even get a voice. It feels to me a bit objectified so I asked can I talk to them, can they say what they’re doing and stuff? I think in the show we did the other day that proved itself, because Wayne [Wonder] came out with the funniest line in the whole show: He sells more yams than records!

What were you dreading about the show?
I wasn’t dreading anything. The only worry is a big worry, it’s a huge show to take over. It’s been going for 18 years, 28 series. Previous hosts are almost on a pedestal through rose-tinted glasses and if you don’t live up to that... that is a huge, terrifying prospect. It’s that this could be the thing where it all hinges, where if you fail at this, all the rest goes out the window. You’ll just be known as the person who bloody ruined Never Mind The Buzzcocks. That’s a huge fear but you’ve got to take risks and you’ve got to push yourself. But I think the show’s right for me, it suits what I do, and hopefully it will be really good fun and some people like it.

What’s it like filming the show? Do you prepare with Noel and Phill? The guests don't know what the questions will be, do they?
No. Which is why I like it. I like having fun in the moment. I have an autocue script just to punctuate the show with good gags, we come up with five descriptions for the people in the line-up, but broadly I think Noel and Phill have a quick chat in the day. I met them the other day for five minutes, we had a quick hug, a quick catch up and we were on set.

 

So what’s the hardest thing about being the host?
The context is it’s swelteringly hot, you’ve been up there for two hours, you’re exhausted, you’re trying to listen to six people talking you’ve also got somebody in your ear talking, you’ve also got an autocue in front of you, you’ve also got cards down with you with other information, so you’re trying to multitask and juggle all these things, and try and be funny. It’s a much bigger role than being on the panel. Nobody else on the panel has got cards in front of them thinking ‘Oh what’s next?’ Juggling all those things, you really have a lot going on in your head.

Would you be any good at guessing the intro round if you didn’t have the answers?
I don’t think I would be especially great, I don’t think I would be bad. It’s hard because I’ve got the answers – and as soon as you hear the music you think, ‘Of course that’s the answer!’ and you kick yourself, but that’s the joy of the game. That’s one of the things I like about Buzzcocks, it’s a quiz, it’s a nerdy quiz, and trying to keep it as that is one of the things I’d like to do with it - go back to the music. The quick fire rounds I’ve enjoyed watching the most are the ones where Mark Lamarr just did it as next lines. I think Buzzcocks at heart needs to stay a music quiz so you can play along at home.

What’s your dream line up?
Lead Belly, Noel Gallagher, Eddie Izzard and I’d like to champion some friends from the comedy circuit I’ve known through the years. People like Paul Foot, see if I can get them back.

Rhod Gilbert is the host of Never Mind The Buzzcocks.

Never Mind The Buzzcocks continues on Monday, 6 October at 10pm on BBC Two and BBC Two HD. For further programme times please see the episode guide.

More on Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Metro: Rhod Gilbert gets warm reception as new Never Mind The Buzzcocks host
The Mirror: Never Mind The Buzzcocks: Watch Peace frontman Harrison Koisser get grilled by Rhod Gilbert

More from Rhod Gilbert
BBC One Wales: Watch Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience on BBC iPlayer
BBC Radio Wales: Rhod Gilbert

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

 
China's landscapes are spectacular.

As for the painting, the sculpture, the architecture - well I hope anyone who watches Art Of China will agree that it is thrillingly strange, different from anything they've ever seen, and just breathtakingly beautiful in the way it is made.

I'd never been there before, so this was a real journey of discovery for me - and I really hope that comes across in the series that we've made.
 
The art of China has also been full of surprises for the Chinese themselves, especially in recent years.

So much digging and excavating has taken place, that they have made a huge number of stunning archaeological discoveries, often by chance.

One of the first places I visited was the remote remains of an ancient place called Sanxingdui, in the Sichuan Basin in south western China.

Some builders digging new foundations had uncovered jaw-droppingly bizarre and wonderful three-thousand year old relics: vast human heads made of bronze with ghoulish staring eyes, masks of beaten gold, a great tree made from metal, complete with fruit and birds perched on its branches.

The civilisation that produced all these wonders had been all but forgotten, but now it's suddenly risen from the dead!

In neighbouring Shaanxi province I visited the most famous example of China's ancient cult of the ancestors, which led them to bury their dead along with their most precious things: the First Emperor, buried with his army of terracotta soldiers.

What most people will be less familiar with are the astounding bronze charioteers also found in his burial site, whose job it was to chauffeur him around the afterlife.

Made from more than 3,000 separate pieces, they're probably the most sophisticated objects ever made from bronze to survive from the ancient world.

 

I'll never forget reaching the great deserts of the Silk Road afterwards, like walking on the surface of the moon.

Here I visited the great Buddhist cave complex at Dunhuang, painted with images of hell and salvation by generations of artists over a thousand years and more.

Later, I travelled south to the Yellow Mountains, where you can stand above the cloud line, amid the peaks, and imagine that you've gone back a thousand years - and that you're actually standing inside the scene of some beautiful Chinese scroll painting.

 

The mountains inspired different generations of Chinese artists in different ways.

To many painters of the Song Dynasty they symbolised the mighty order of nature, but also the necessary pecking order of human society, with the Emperor as the tallest peak, surrounded by the lesser peaks of his courtiers and the foothills standing for the common man.

To the much later painters of the Yuan Dynasty, who were part of a Chinese elite marginalised and exiled by their new Mongol leaders, the mountains were a place of retreat and defeat.

Their scroll paintings of nature, although exquisite, are also infused with a sense of melancholy.

Finally I looked at Communism, mostly by travelling the urban landscape of Beijing, since it was the city on which Mao Zedong most tried to leave his stamp.

Tiananmen Square, which ironically means “Gate of Heavenly Peace Square” was his creation, for example.

When Communism was first on the rise in China it was viewed by many people with great hope – hope that their nation would finally be modernised, and at last catch up with developments in the west.

For me, the most moving work of art to survive from those years is a scroll painting by Xu Beihong, who was one of the leading artists of the time and also a friend of Mao. 

A beautiful depiction of a galloping horse, meant I suspect to symbolise China itself heading towards a bright future.

 

The future did not turn out to be quite as bright as Xu Beihong hoped, but still his picture is a deeply touching and poignant document of its time.

I started doing the Art Of... more than 10 years ago now. There have been six series so far (and counting).

If there's a single driving purpose behind the project as a whole, it's been to broaden the horizons of art as usually seen on the telly - to go beyond the usual suspects, if you like, to look past the art of the Italian Renaissance and French Impressionism.

Where next? Suggestions gratefully received...

Andrew Graham-Dixon presents of Art Of China.
Art Of China is on Wednesday, 30 July at 9pm on BBC Four and BBC Four HD. For further programmes times please see the episode guide.

More on Art Of China
BBC Four: Art Of China: Andrew's Best Bits 

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.

Exploring in three dimensions rather than being limited to making observations from the ground was a revelation to me.

The clouds in the tropics around the Gulf of Mexico are huge, and being in the sky with them really brought home the vast scale of the forces at work.

We were able to travel over, under and through these monsters, revealing that clouds are about as far from the popular image of light and fluffy floating puffs of cotton wool as you can get!

They are dense and heavy and full of destructive energy.

I remember looking down at the cloud layer from a plane as a child, and daydreaming about exploring this new world of unknown places, so I was very excited the first time we flew straight through a cloud.

I leaned out of the airship as far as I dared into the heart of a cloud and found that it was a dark, damp mass of floating fog (of course!) – no mysterious worlds – my childhood fantasies were crushed!

However, as a meteorologist I loved the dramatic weather of southern Texas.

The airship was grounded but the team stood on the airfield watching as powerful squalls passed through.

The weather maps showed some of the storm cells begin to circulate, a warning of potential tornadoes.

I was desperate to see a tornado but for the sake of the expedition (and the airship) we were lucky none came too close.

The stormy weather was great for cloud spotting and an opportunity to use some of the wonderful words used in meteorology: cumulonimbus capillatus, altostratus mammatus, crepuscular rays…

I was looking forward to seeing some awesome lenticular clouds as we flew through the Rocky Mountains – these are smooth rounded clouds that often take on the shape of flying saucers, or stacks of dinner plates.

They are caused by high winds flowing over obstacles such as mountain ranges and after days of looking out for them, we saw the most amazing display in New Mexico.

But it was on the one day we weren’t filming!

Getting over the Rocky Mountains turned out to be one of the most challenging parts of the whole journey.

It was difficult for the airship to gain sufficient altitude to clear the mountains without venting expensive quantities of valuable helium, so we had to shed weight instead.

First we took most of the seats and equipment out of the airship, then the sound man had to get off, followed by the director until eventually it was just me, the cameraman and the pilots!

Luckily we just made it over the top, with a few hundred feet to spare.

Felicity Aston is one of the presenters of Operation Cloud Lab: Secrets Of The Skies

Operation Cloud Lab: Secrets Of The Skies is on Wednesday, 16 July at 8pm on BBC Two and BBC Two HD. For further programmes times please see the episode guide.

Comments made by writers on the BBC TV blog are their own opinions and not necessarily those of the BBC.