Lives In A Landscape

74 year old Myf Barker is turning her enormous home into a wedding venue in the hope that it will make money. Kate Lamble meets the family and uncovers memories amid the chaos. Purton House has been lived in by Myf, her late husband and her children for decades. It's a rambling family mansion with grounds, and an organic farm attached. But Myf has an eye to the future and wants to leave the house to her children as a viable business. So she's working to turn the property into a venue where weddings can be held and bridal families can stay the night. Her main job is to convert the upstairs rooms so that they meet the standards of the most exacting couples. Old furniture has to be renovated, walls have to be painted and new bathrooms are being put in. Myf will even have to move out of her own bedroom which is being turned into a sitting room. It's a daunting workload. Will it be ready on time? Kate Lamble meets Myf, some of her grown up children including daughters Rowie and Talia and also Glenn, the son sh

Wrestling, which used to draw millions of viewers to the box on Saturday afternoons in the 1970's, is still going strong in theatres up and down the country. Characters like Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks have given way to The Avalanche, Tony Spitfire and Thunder who throw each other about and continue to delight and appal passionate audiences. Alan Dein follows Gareth Pugh, a young wrestler touring the UK circuit. Known by the Welsh name Caden Lay (Spirit of Battle), Gareth is breaking into the big time having just turned professional. Alan takes a wild ride from the booming ringside along endless motorways into changing rooms and training gyms to Gareth's village in mid-Wales. There, in the family home, he discovers the source of Gareth's spirit of battle and learns how his dream to become a wrestler was born. Producer Neil McCarthy.

Jade has a dream - to run the best beauty parlour in the business. Just off Oxford Street, shopping mecca of London's West End, Jade's salon paints nails to perfection, massages faces, and does intimate waxing with aplomb. Intimacy with the clients is also what Jade is good at - knowing her customers, helping them make the most of their bodies, and their day. "Women come in to have their nails done," she tells Sangita Myska, "And they tell me I have saved their lives!" A teenage rebel, she had a child at 14, and her life has had ups and downs. Growing up in Southampton she swore she would never move to London, but a chance encounter at a rave in Hackney, with a handsome Greek Cypriot, Angelo, changed her mind. Now she's married and hoping for another child - just as soon as she can find a like-minded beauty technician to share her passion for perfection. Getting new talent is an up-hill battle - but if she can find the right person, the sky's the limit. Presenter: Sangita Myska Producer: Sara Jane Hall.

Alan Dein follows Pat & Hayley Mallon - a husband and wife singing duo - around the pubs of Bath. The show must go on - even as 69 year old Pat prepares for major surgery on an aneurysm. Bath's pub circuit is a far cry from the packed houses that Pat was playing with his 5 piece Country & Western band back in the 1980s. His has been a life well-lived. During those heady days, he was on two bottles of whiskey and 100 cigarettes a day. But now Pat's facing the prospect of major surgery. Fearing he may not be able to return to gigging, he's grooming wife Hayley - 23 years his junior - to take over. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

It's Friday night in Hornsea, a small village in East Yorkshire; the air is cold and the stars seem to go on forever. Just off the High Street, a small accountancy firm is closing up; Andy, a man who loves the challenges of VAT, has finished the filing, and is having a cup of tea, chatting on the phone to a friend about the plan to save the Floral Hall. Suddenly a siren blasts out. It's coming from a mobile phone, connected directly to the ambulance service. Andy is not a paramedic, but he is a Community First Responder - someone trained in life saving techniques, who has volunteered to drop everything to go and be the first on the scene in an emergency. The actions he takes over the next few minutes could mean the difference between life and death. Within seconds he's donned a high-vis jacket and, weighed down with a rucksack of life saving equipment, is running for his car. By the time the ambulance services arrives from the nearest hospital he may have been at the scene for some time - administering l

As the Royal Family sit down to their festive dinner on the Queen's Norfolk estate, Alan Dein invites Radio 4 listeners to spend Christmas at a rather different Sandringham - the Sandringham Hotel in Weston super Mare. Alan joins the seafront hotel's 'Turkey & Tinsel' celebrations as three coachloads of revellers - mostly retired people - head south to celebrate Christmas in November. "We're not the bees' knees, we're not the finest hotel in Weston super Mare..." says Ken Perrett, the hotel's owner. And it's true - the hotel is a little rough around the edges. Yet Ken must be getting something right - nearly a hundred people have checked in for five days of early festivities. Amidst the laughter, turkey and tinsel, a bittersweet story emerges - as Alan discovers many are here celebrating without the ones they love. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

Alan Dein present's Radio 4's series of documentaries telling out-of-the-ordinary stories from contemporary British life. In the Sheffield auction room they see it all, from miners' welfare centres, to country manors and repossessed bowling alleys, and whatever state the buildings are in there's nearly always someone willing to bid for them. The process is largely overseen by Adrian Little, whose own father was a livestock auctioneer. His right hand man is Mohammed Mahroof, whose father came from Pakistan to work in the steel works and had no intention of staying in his rented accommodation where he slept twelve to a room. Over a four week period viewings take place on a welfare centre in Grimethorpe, a council library in Sheffield and homes in various states of disrepair. That doesn't seem to deter. Scores of people come and dream about the type of home they can make for themselves in this desirable area of the city. Others don't view at all - preferring to turn up at the auction room to snap up anything

Alan Dein returns with more extraordinary stories of ordinary life in Britain. In Rooms for Rent, he meets Helga and her daughter Melody in a small Norfolk town who, ever since husband - a Cliff Richard impersonator - upped sticks and left, rent out rooms. They've got two men in situ, and a newcomer has just turned up. But as the 'family' gather round the communal dinnertable, they dream of a fulfilling future beyond this often noisy house of song and dance. And how will the five of them get on as the Christmas season sets everyone on edge? Producers: Sarah Bowen and Simon Elmes Also in this series: The Auction - sale of the century, Yorkshire style, and Christmas at 'Sandringham' - a popular seaside hotel puts up the streamers and doles out puds by the Santa-sackful... But are the guests having fun?

Alan Dein meets the "free miners" of the Forest of Dean, still digging coal in their seventies. They're a dying breed, but one woman's attempt to join the club has stirred up strong feelings. Once a major industry, coal mining in this corner of Gloucestershire is down to a handful of diehard individualists, who relish the freedom that comes from owning your own coal mine in the woods, and being answerable to no one. "Free miners" have ancient birthrights that date back to Edward II - rights that have persisted through coal nationalisation, privatisation, and closure of almost the entire coal mining industry. One man, Robin Morgan, is still digging coal at the age of 78. Robin tried to turn one of his mines into a tourist attraction, but got few visitors, lost a lot of money, and has now returned to doing what he loves best: hewing coal from narrow seams in much the same way as his ancestors did. But tradition says that only men can be free miners. When Elaine Morman tried to become one, the miners still a

In the shadow of Liverpool's Anglican cathedral sits St James' Gardens, an oasis of green space in the heart of the busy city. The Gardens have been several things over the centuries. It was first a quarry from which the docks and much of the city of Liverpool was built. Once all the rock that could be removed had been excavated, a large hole was left and so in 1829 it was consecrated as a cemetery for the city. Young and old, rich and poor, the city's dead ended up here. Between 1829 and 1936, nearly 58,000 bodies were buried in the cemetery. But by 1936 the cemetery was considered full and it became a garden. Over time the garden fell into a state of disrepair and became derelict: a haven for the homeless, drug dealers, prostitutes, drinkers and addicts. It was a no-go zone for most people of the city. But ten years ago a plucky bunch of locals decided to take matters into their own hands. Robin Riley, a local sculptor, organised a group of friends and neighbours and over time cleaned the park up, restor

Mimi and Ryan are getting married. Alan Dein presents a fly-on-the-wedding cake documentary that follows them through the day, from waking up with a hangover to chucking-out time at Sale Rugby Club. In between there's a church wedding, a christening (their daughter Isabella is six months old), photographs, confetti, a lavish home-made buffet, speeches (ranging from tearful to inappropriate), dancing and a lot of laughter. 'We want to be a proper family,' says Ryan. 'It's the biggest party I'll ever throw in my life,' says Mimi. 'It started out as a budget wedding but it got a bit out of hand.' Producer: Peter Everett.

It's rambling, but not as we know it. Every year the Long Distance Walkers' Association organises a 100 mile walk. It has to be completed in 48 hours, which for most people means walking through two nights with no sleep. By the end, hallucination is common, and many of the 500 who started out drop out or by the time they finish can barely walk any more. Lives in a Landscape follows two participants in this year's walk, from Wadebridge in Cornwall to Teignmouth in Devon. One, George Foot, is 76, and has done 24 100-mile walks already. The other, Josh Wainwright, is 18. This is his first 100. Will either of them complete the walk, or will they have to "retire" early? As George walks, he talks to presenter Alan Dein about his long-dead father - a distinguished public school headmaster. It becomes clear that George has spent much of his life in his father's shadow, feeling that he was a permanent disappointment to him. As a child, George was told by his father that he was "a bad walker". Now, completing the 100

Location, location, location - it's everything for idyllic Castle Cary Station, a quiet, sleepy commuter stop on the Great Western train line - because this particular sleepy station in Somerset just happens to be the closest station to Worthy Farm - home of the Glastonbury Festival. For 11 months and 3 weeks of the year all is peaceful and quiet, chattering birdsong in the hedgerows the only disturbance to a day-in-the-life of station master Paul Mitchell. Then, as Paul puts it - "Glasto comes around", and as no less than the Rolling Stones, Mumford and Sons, Portishead and the Arctic Monkeys pitch up in a field nearby, everything changes. Normally manned by one station master at a time; Paul is one of three railway employees on rota - their duties include every aspect of station keeping; maintenance, guard duties, ticket sales, sweeping up and planting flower beds - and it is a job well done; they have even won awards for best kept station. Sangita Myska follows the transformation of the station, peering

We're all at it - from the very wealthiest amongst us to the very poorest: buying and selling on eBay. And no one knows better than Dave and Gary what's involved in shifting the items traded up and down the country. The idea was simple: the depression in the building trade left Gary casting round for an alternative occupation. He's quite entrepreneurial and when someone suggested buying a van and cashing in on the eBay boom he decided to do just that, roping his uncle Dave in on what is now a family business. They operate from a garage on a council estate in Cottingley, on the outskirts of Bradford, but for most of the week they're on the road - picking up and dropping everything from household goods to wool and even ornamental fountains! Their job takes them up and down the country and in just one journey they pick up a bed from the Speaker's wife, Sally Bercow - who has sold it on eBay to someone in the North - and drop off a rusting metal bench from Salford to a new owner in the South who hopes it will n

In the second of two programmes, Alan Dein follows the mixed fortunes of a new primary school on a housing estate just outside Peterborough over the course of a year. As the school opens its doors, the school is still struggling to attract the number of children headteacher Jackie Ashley hopes for. She leaflets the entire estate in the hope of boosting numbers. Alan speaks to parents and joins the school at key moments in its first year from the Christmas play to the end of year disco. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

To kick off the new series of Lives in a Landscape, Alan Dein presents a two part special following a year in the life of a new primary school just outside Peterborough - from initial construction to the end of the third term. For headteacher Jackie Ashley, the opening of St Michael's Church School will be the culmination of her life in teaching and probably her last role before retirement. She's keen to see the school grow to its full capacity of 210 pupils under her leadership. But as building work continues, there are concerns it may not open its doors on time and Jackie only has five children confirmed to start in September. Producer: Laurence Grissell.

"Pusher needed for Silly Old Fart in Wheelchair". When Terry Chambers had to use a wheelchair after a stroke, he needed someone to push him through the streets of Crouch End in North London. He already had one carer but it wasn't enough. So he placed this jokey advert in the local newsagent's window and found Robert. Terry may describe himself as a silly old fart but he used to be a highly successful photographer. He took pictures of the Royal Family and many other famous faces. He would travel the world, going wherever the work was, too busy for a wife or family. And he was a regular in the wine bars and restaurants of the West End of London. But three years ago his career was ended by the stroke. He can't walk and has limited movement in his hands. He needs help with everything. However, Terry still wants a semblance of the life he had before- the wine bars, the alcohol and the good lunches in particular.He can't get as far as he used to, so he stays around the area of Crouch End where he's lived for ove

Providing pastoral care is key to his role as head of year eleven at the London school and he does this by combining a no nonsense approach to bad behaviour with a sensitive handling of some of the difficulties encountered by his fifteen and sixteen year old charges. This is their GCSE exam year and although Dave left school in the 1970's with just one CSE in English he recognises the difficulties faced by those struggling with exam preparations and a lack of direction in today's tough economic climate. Well versed in policing mixed communities the former East End officer thought he had pretty much seen it all - that was until he entered the corridors of this showpiece academy. For Dave the behaviour issues he first encountered in the job were a reflection of poor parenting, with many adults unsure about how to instil a sense of right and wrong in their children. A total of five former police officers were brought into the school: each appointed as a year head and providing pastoral support and care. Their

The people of Muchelney, Alan Dein discovers, have an intimate relationship with water. They live on the flood plain of the River Parrett in the Somerset Levels. The name of their ancient village, from the Norse and Old English, means 'growing great island', and, despite the draining of the marshes, it is not unusual for Muchelney to become an island again, and the four roads leading to the village inundated. Alan Dein visits in a time of flood and finds the villagers take it in their stride: farmer Graham Walker fires up his old tractor, puts a sofa on his trailer, and runs a bus service, ferrying people to the far shore so they can get to work and to school. He picks up food and mail. There's no traffic. People stop and talk. They look out for one another. It's not just the children who love it. Widgeon, teal, geese, swans and gulls appear in flocks of thousands to the fields that become a lake of tranquil beauty. No one worries, the houses are old, built cannily on land always a few inches above the floo

In a rain sodden valley, close to the fresh winds of the Irish Sea, a leopard marches back and forth through the mud. Close by, capuchin monkeys chuckle as they cling to the bars, and in the warmth of a dark glass tank, a 14 foot python is being moved for feeding. These are unwanted animals - some born in captivity, some abandoned and some just too big for their owners to keep. They've all found a home with Jean and Alan Mumbray, at The Animalarium, a small private zoo close to the fishing village of Borth, west Wales. When Jean and Alan bought the property, they were given the keys by the previous owner, who left without a backward glance - throwing them into the world of zoo keeping without training or experience. 12 years later, full of enthusiasm for the place they have created and made their own, they are putting the zoo up for sale. It will be a hard move to make. Jean has a close relationship with many of the creatures - such as the lynx she calls 'Baby', and who will sit on her shoulder and purr