Islands on the Edge

Scotland's Hebrides are Europe's final frontier against the wild and unpredictable Atlantic Ocean. This landmark wildlife series, narrated by Ewan McGregor, introduces an unforgettable wild animal cast struggling to survive on these Islands on the Edge. In this first episode, autumn arrives with a vengeance. Young swallows, otters and grey seals face up to the biggest storms and highest tides of the year as they move towards independence. Tens of thousands of geese and swans arrive for the winter only to find predatory white-tailed eagles hungry and ready to hunt them. And on the Isle of Rum, a mighty stag faces the ultimate challenge in a battle to decide the true Monarch of the Glen.

In most years winter is the hardest time in the Hebrides, but once in a generation the spring turns out to be harder still. In the second programme of this landmark series, the Islands on the Edge are hit by the biggest storm in living memory. As the drama unfolds we follow the lives of white-tailed eagles, harbour seals, hares, pine martens and short-eared owls as they struggle to raise their families. As the wild weather finally passes and the seas warm, the story moves beneath the waves to reveal the arrival of Scotland's ocean juggernauts - basking sharks!

Of all the Islands on the Edge, the Outer Hebrides are the most exposed to the full power of the Atlantic. Despite this, the wildlife here is the most spectacular in Europe. On the outlying islands, seabirds rush to feed up their chicks while avoiding the murderous intentions of 'bonxies' - predatory skuas with a taste for young puffins. On the low-lying Uists, acres of beautiful meadows burst into flower as summer finally arrives. But this is a year of drought and Atlantic salmon find themselves trapped in the sea pools and unable to move into the river systems. Yet again the creatures of the Hebrides must find ways to survive the extremes of these Islands on the Edge.

In the final programme we meet the people of the Hebrides and discover how they're learning to live side-by-side with their wild neighbours. Ferryman Donnie MacDonald from Skye has discovered that business can prosper if your passengers can be treated to some on-board entertainment in the form of white tailed eagles hunting alongside the boat. We also meet Andrew Abrahams, who's attempting to turn the Island of Colonsay into a nature reserve for bees, Alice Starmore, an artist inspired by the peatlands of Lewis and Innes Henderson, the Coll fisherman who regularly has to steer his boat through a 100-strong group of basking sharks!