Countryfile: Season 35, Episode 14

35 - 14: Hidden Histories of Sherwood Forest

Margherita Taylor and Joe Crowley are in Sherwood Forest to unravel some hidden histories as they discover how much more there is to this nature reserve and site of special scientific interest than Robin Hood.

Margherita finds out the role Sherwood played as a training ground in the First World War and catches up with 94-year-old Kevin Topham, who shares the story of how the discovery of black gold in the forest helped to shape victory during WWII. Joe discovers why Sherwood has a missing generation of oaks and how premature ageing is helping to fill the gap. We meet 17-year-old ornithologist Indy Greene, who is on the trail of the forest's woodpeckers, including the rarest and most secretive: the lesser spotted. And we find out why the new deal for Northern Ireland hasn't included veterinary medicine, with potentially devastating consequences for animal and human health.