Home Ground returns to BBC with local presenter

As Spring arrives, Home Ground returns to BBC One Northern Ireland with a new four-part series.
March 2017 - Picture by Darren Kidd / Press Eye.March 2017 - Picture by Darren Kidd / Press Eye.
March 2017 - Picture by Darren Kidd / Press Eye.

Following on from the success of the first series, Home Ground is back on Monday, March 20 at 7.30pm.

Produced by Below the Radar for BBC Northern Ireland, the series sees the return of presenters Jo Scott, Gavin Andrews and reporter Ruth Sanderson out and about right across Northern Ireland, celebrating the richness of rural life.

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The Home Ground team will be looking at subjects that help define our sense of place and our relationship with the land on which we live.

In the first programme, Jo Scott helps get the National Trust’s Castle Crom estate ready for visitors. There are many abandoned mines scattered throughout Northern Ireland and Gavin Andrews descends into one outside Mallusk to learn more about its history – and its current residents! He also travels to the Ballinderry River outside Cookstown to discover why the freshwater pearl mussel is so important to the health of the river. Meanwhile, Ruth Sanderson goes to Kilkeel in County Down - one of the busiest harbours in the British Isles to find out their plans for the future.

Ballycastle-born presenter Gavin Andrews said: “Having grown up in the country in County Antrim it has been great for me to get back to my roots and meet some really interesting people with a passion for rural life.”

Jo Scott added: “It’s good to be back in the saddle! No lambs this time but I can promise there will be some unusual treats for our viewers. It’s great to be teaming up once again with Gavin and Ruth. We’re all delighted to be out and about again meeting people across Northern Ireland with fascinating stories to tell.”

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Home Ground reporter Ruth Sanderson concluded: “It’s brilliant to be back on the hunt for stories that get to the heart of rural Northern Ireland. In a year with poor global prices and big political stories, it’s been really interesting to see how this impacts on everyday life in the countryside.”

Other topics featured in the four-part series will include social farming; calving; taxidermy; migrant workers; tulip planting; horse ploughing and issues around sea plastic.