At A Glance Review of ... Britain Beneath Your Feet E02: "On The Move"

Rating: 6

Dallas Campbell is back to pose and posture about in this second episode of a two part series that takes us around underneath parts of Britain. This week was themed to concentrate on things beneath the ground that keep the country moving, although I wasn't expecting puffins to feature.

You can find the whole episode on the BBC iplayer; check availability here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0619k4f

First up, Dallas heads to Heathrow, before taking to the skies in a WW2 plane to once again rather unnecessarily fly about to show us nothing much in particular. His aim was to let us know that in WW2, lots of fuel was hidden underground and piped around the UK.

This fuel system is still in use today, although we never see one of the refuelling stations or any of the pipes in this programme.

We do however get computer graphics to show us the not so amazing concept of underground pipes below heathrow.

Up to Scotland next, as Dallas takes a boat out into the Firth of Forth to show us from the water level, the true majesty of the rail bridge. Amazing to think this was constructed in 1880s.

Dallas gets hold of the plans for how they lay the foundations for the Forth Bridge; a rather sophisticated and hazardous system of pumping out water and workers hacking away at the ground.

Before motorways or any roads, it was canals and barges sending coal and other minerals across the country. Dallas takes us underneath the Pennine mountain through an amazing tunnel.

Flat on his back, Dallas shows how barges used to be pushed along the tunnels by using your feet! There were professional "leggers" employed who did nothing but this job.

To show how much effort was required to get through that mountain, Dallas does some blasting of his own. The result leaves you in no doubt that it was a job that required considerable manpower and a heck of a lot of time.

Dallas then goes down a closed down Silica mine in Wales. Water has overcome most of the lower levels now and is used by some extreme divers, of which Dallas joins them. Amazing to see everything underwater. Certainly not a dive for anyone inexperienced.

Dallas then takes a break from man made routes below ground, to take us to the Farne Islands and meet the warden of the island who looks after the welfare of the inhabitants of puffins. They burrow underground to nest, thus linking into the theme of the programme. One adult puffin and the child, a puffling, is rather unnecessarily pulled out from their nest carefully to show to us. Very cute, but I'd rather they were not put through that.

Next up, badgers. Yes, you heard me. We follow Dallas as he helps relocate a set of badgers encroaching on a primary school.

Back in Scotland, we're in Edinburgh visiting an underground bunker created by the government in case of nuclear war many decades ago.

Dallas shows us the radio broadcasting room as well as other rooms in this creepy and curious bunker.

To Wales now, and a mountain in snowdonia where a hydroelectric plant lurks beneath.

How it works, the power involved, and dangers, is quite amazing to take in.

Finally to London and the billion pound CrossRail project due for completion in 2016. Dallas shows us inside the massive drilling machine.

He also meets the lady in charge of constructing one of the underground stations.

At A Glance Review of ... Britain Beneath Your Feet E01: "Building Britain"

Rating: 6

If you don't like Dallas Campbell then I highly suggest not watching this because he's literally everywhere, as this first episode of a two part series takes us around underneath parts of Britain.

What's good in this show is very good and captivating, but it's not all plain sailing ...

You can find the whole episode on the BBC iplayer; check availability here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0619k4f

Dallas starts off my explaining why skyscrapers were slow to take off in London, and it's down to the clay beneath. This completely unnecessary explanation, by way of him throbbing his leg on the clay machine to keep it turning whilst making a rudimentary cup, was a little unsettling.

Mostly this focuses on The Shard building, with the computer graphics actually proving useful to show just how deep those foundations need to be to keep the building upright.

One of the highlights of the programme for me, was Dallas's time (all rather too short) at Gaping Gill in North Yorkshire, which he descends into rather spectacularly.

The view from below is even more impressive than on the way down, with a huge open space of magnificence and awe.

If the way down wasn't scary enough, the way back up is via a rather narrow tunnel!

We're then off to Bristol for a trip down the river that runs through the centre of the city largely unseen by anyone for many miles. The fact that this journey took 6 hours, but is condensed into mere minutes in this programme, gives an idea of how long it really is.

At places the river's tunnel walls get very low!

Dallas then rather unnecessarily catwalks down the high street onto his next assignment. What a poser!

He's in London, and once again he's going down ...

Certainly a masterpiece of construction are the victorian sewers.

What's not so good is the rubbish that collects down there! Dallas genuinely can't stand the very potent smell. I'm not sure many of us could, except for the workers doing the job of cleaning up "fatbergs" that clog up the sewers. If you ever need reminding why you shouldn't pour fat or anything else down the toilet or sink, this is it.

Then we're off to the outskirts of Bath, to explain what happens to some of the water heading to the city

It goes down this hole says Dallas, although I do wonder if this is the actual hole or if there are numerous holes? Is it just the one? No idea, because this programme really does rush over everything sadly.

Completely unnecessary, we then have Dallas in an airplane to show us the short distance the water takes, although it's also a VERY long journey; somewhat 10,000 years, down into the earth and back up into those famous roman baths.

If there are any ladies who fancy Dallas, you'll appreciate the scenes of him in the spa pool, and views of his hairy chest/armpits :/

We then head off to Edinburgh where he explains how the castle is essentially on a very old volcano.

Some fancy graphics merely confuse everything, which is much better explained in other zoomed out aerial shots.

Then it's down a coal mine for Dallas, starting off with an interesting fossil of a fir tree, although no idea if that was actually found down the same mine.

Dallas then tries becoming a miner, complaining of the lack of room to get a full swing into motion. The fact that a camera crew managed to get down there isn't really mentioned.

An almost two minute segment then takes place down a slate mine, purely to tell us that a cricket team uses it to play some extreme cricket. Dallas is useless at the sport and so is this whole segment really.

If you thought the cricket was dull, we then get a lady going around in circles, mapping the root system of a tree. Interesting technology, and she's rather passionate and nice, but the end result ...

... tells us nothing we didn't already know about roots. There's lots of them and they keep the tree upright. Revolutionary this information isn't.

Dallas then explores a tree root system that has a convenient entrance on a slope, to show us roots up close and explain the function of fungi in keeping the trees and nature going. Very useful to know and understand.

Several long minutes are spent with a treasure hunter and his metal detectors, explaining nothing much in particular, expect for his very big haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure he unearthed in recent years. The man on the left that is, not Dallas.

Finally, Dallas goes down a mine in North Yorkshire, whose sheer scale and size will astound you. He does all this to show us the tons of asphalt mined from the deepest location in Britain, so that our crops get fertilizer.

I'd seen this on another programme recently, but there's also a lab down this mine looking for Dark Matter.