Narrated by Bill Nighy, this documentary series celebrates the beauty and charm of Kent, a county in England known as the Garden of England. The series premiere, airing on Channel 5 on Wednesday, 11 September 2024, at 8:00 pm, presents a unique perspective on the county’s diverse attractions and the people who call it home.
The episode begins with a stunning aerial display as a 1944 Spitfire, named Elizabeth, takes to the skies over an old World War II grass airstrip. ‘Parky’ Parkinson, a Spitfire veteran, performs barrel rolls over the iconic White Cliffs of Dover.
Meanwhile, in Margate, a hotel with a unique 1940s vibe, saved from demolition in the 1990s, has become a hub for the town’s artistic revival under the ownership of the eccentric Jane Bishop.
The journey continues to the hills above Folkestone, where a group of retired Gurkhas and their families have created a community garden, cultivating vegetables reminiscent of their native Nepal. The episode captures their harvest lunch, a feast of over 20 Nepalese dishes prepared with ingredients fresh from their Kent garden.
Viewers are then introduced to the Romney, Hythe, and Dymchurch line, a miniature railway that runs along the Kent coast. Despite its compact size, it operates as a full-fledged commercial railway, carrying over 100,000 passengers annually.
The episode concludes near Dover, where viewers meet Liz Corry and Laura Gardner of the Kent Wildwood Trust. They have successfully reintroduced choughs, a red-billed crow species that had disappeared from Kent 200 years ago, back into the wild. Hand-reared by Liz and Laura, these birds now soar freely over the White Cliffs, returning to their aviary only at sunset for dinner.
Kent: The Garden of England airs on Wednesday, 11 September 2024, at 8:00 pm on Channel 5.
