New ninth series of Our Lives commissioned with 12 episodes airing on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
BBC One's celebrated Our Lives returns for its ninth series – and will showcase daredevil wingwalking in England, the World Haggis Championships in Scotland, the UK's first-ever 'Dark Sky Officer' in Wales, and rowers from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland attempting to break a Guinness World Record.
Celebrating home-grown storytelling from across the UK, Our Lives continues to reflect the diversity and vibrance of British life, by telling extraordinary stories from ordinary people across all four nations.
England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland will each have three episodes broadcasting on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Monday 14 July.
Rhuanedd Richards, the BBC's Acting Director of Nations, says: 'Our Lives is a fantastic celebration of people's resilience, passion, and determination, living in extraordinary ways across the UK.
'Telling these unique stories from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, showcases how remarkable and authentic life across these islands really is, and how communities are brought together by amazing ways of living.'
Watch Our Lives on BBC iPlayer and add to your Watchlist
Wales
Guardian of the Night
Cwmni Da
Holding the job title of the first Dark Sky Officer in the UK, Dani Robertson joins forces with communities across Wales, in a bid to tackle light pollution. She reveals how Ynys Enlli's status as the first Dark Sky Sanctuary in Europe has helped save an entire ecosystem.
The Prisoner of Portmeirion
Media Atom
Adorned with Italianate features, the Welsh village of Portmeirion was the creation of eccentric architect, Clough Williams-Ellis – and was the backdrop for the cult classic 1960s sci-fi TV series 'The Prisoner'. Now, thousands of die-hard fans from around the world gather annually to keep its legacy alive.
Dolphin Town
Carlam
New Quay has the title of the Dolphin Capital of the UK. However, the population of bottlenose dolphins has been declining for a decade. Now, the community rallies together to protect these marine creatures and their livelihoods.
Northern Ireland
The Social Knitwork
Waddell Media
Northern Irish fashion designer Hope Macaulay and a team of home knitters gear up to open their first ever shop in Los Angeles. Will this handmade label make it in Hollywood?
Row Hard or Row Home: Around Ireland in 32 Days
Clean Slate Films
The attempt by a crew of four from Belfast and Wexford to row around Ireland. Their dream is to enter the Guinness Book of World Records but to do so, they must complete their journey without a support boat and not being able to set foot on shore.
High Stakes
Triplevision Films
Rope access crews take on the jobs no one else can—scaling cliffs, towers and ships across Northern Ireland. High stakes, big heights, and serious skill.
England
The Ultimate Wingwalker
Wander Films
Kirsten is a wingwalker with the world's only formation wingwalking display team. 3 years ago, she and pilot Dave narrowly escaped death when their aircraft was forced to ditch into the sea in front of thousands of spectators. This year they will perform a new move that is more daring and difficult than anything they've ever done before.
The World's Oldest Railway
Chalk Productions
At 300 years old Tanfield Railway in Northumberland is the oldest railway in the world. Now the tireless volunteers who saved it are preparing for a fitting celebration for the whole community. They're against the clock to complete specially restored engines and organise a show like no other.
The Film I'll Never See
Signpost Films
Father and poet Dave Steele captures the profound experience of losing the last of his sight with help of film maker and friend Matt Hopkins. In this moving but ultimately uplifting story, Dave gives a unique insight into his world.
Scotland
Haggis! The World Championships
Tern
70-80 of the finest and proudest butchers from all across Scotland – along with a few Sassenach invaders - will submit their efforts in an attempt to become the second ever world haggis champion.
Downhill Highs
Caledonia TV
Climbing all of Scotland's Munros (mountains over 3,000 feet high) isn't a big enough adrenalin buzz for Sean Green – he carries his bike up the peaks with him so he can mountain bike back down. Now, we follow Sean as he completes his epic challenge – on the iconic and dramatic mountains of Skye and Glencoe.
Scotland's Female Fishermen?
Specky
A new generation of women are calling themselves fishermen in Scotland, as Emma (19), Erin (20), and Isla (16) embark on a fishing trip in the spring season.
TW2
Follow for more
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
2 hours ago
- Times
Kirsty Wark: When I started on TV, I wore jackets with massive shoulders
I have these ridiculous, sparkly shoes from Chanel that are so special, but too high for me to walk in. When my daughter was 16 she 'borrowed' them from my wardrobe to go clubbing. They're famous in our house for that reason alone. As a child I loved Chelsea Girl and a shop called Shades in Kilmarnock. When I went to university I started shopping at vintage shops. Actually we just called them jumble sales in those days. I bought a lot of miniskirts. I used to love going to a charity place for distressed gentlefolk in Edinburgh. Older women gave them things they had knitted. I bought this very cool Fair Isle knit with short sleeves that I really, really liked and cherished for many years. Like many young Scottish women, I was given a sewing machine for my 21st birthday, which I used to alter good jackets and dirndl skirts from the Fifties, some of which I still wear. These days it's a really good quality cotton dress. I've got a couple of La DoubleJ shirtdresses that are so great. I wore one when I was presenting at the Royal Academy of Arts' Summer Exhibition and ended up having my picture taken with a woman who was wearing the same dress. I got very good at planning once I started working for the BBC. I definitely thought a lot about what I was going to wear in order not to have to think about it again. The key thing is never to be uncomfortable so I'm focused on the job. There is no stylist or budget for wardrobe. When I first started on TV, I wore a lot of burnt orange linen jackets with massive shoulders. They became a suit of armour. You get used to the feedback from viewers. I've had all sorts of comments, from the man who said I looked like I was wearing a chequerboard, to the guy who messaged to ask if I was on my way to a rodeo; I was wearing a western shirt by Christopher Kane. I wear a lot of navy — well, specifically Margaret Howell navy. My everyday uniform is a pair of cords or a pair of baggy jeans and a stripy top. It's something of an obsession. I buy expensive ones and cheap ones, everywhere from Uniqlo to Agnès b. Whenever I buy one, I buy one for my daughter, Caitlin too. I don't shop on the high street much, but I do love what Clare Waight Keller is doing at Uniqlo. • Read more fashion advice and style inspiration from our experts Desmond & Dempsey pyjamas — I adore them. I also like Tekla for nightwear. There are a host of Scottish labels I go to regularly. I love Le Kilt — Sam McCoach, who is behind it, is brilliant — and I adore Christopher Kane. What he and his sister Tammy created is amazing. I've worn so many of his pieces over the years — a heavy duchess satin coat is probably my most treasured. I love the Glasgow/Paris-based La Fetiche too. I don't really have fashion regrets, but there are hairstyles. I once had a perm and, oh my goodness, did I regret that from the moment I got out of the salon. I looked like a footballer. Crop tops are a problem. I've bought a lot of long coats: I think the swaddling effect appeals. I wear them less now,but I've always thought there was something glamorous about them. I had an incredible one at school that I bought in a second-hand shop, and then I got a chocolate brown one when I went to university. I recently bought a new one at the Woolrich shop in New York. Icons of Style is presented by Kirsty Wark, on BBC iPlayer now
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Tattle Life: Celebs say gossip forum ruined their lives. Now its owner has been unmasked
Celebrities and influencers have been shocked to learn a controversial gossip website accused of allowing stalking, harassment, doxing and "relentless trolling" towards them was being run by a 41-year-old vegan influencer called Sebastian Bond. While some public figures are used to dealing with online abuse and anonymous trolling, many, including glamour model Katie Price, say Tattle Life goes too far and is "the absolute worst platform for trolling".Set up in 2017, Tattle Life describes itself as a "commentary website on public business social media accounts" and its founder has operated anonymously - until recently. Following a landmark defamation and harassment case in Northern Ireland, the elusive founder of the website was revealed. "People shouldn't be able to hide behind a keyboard," Price tells the BBC, glad that its founder has been estimated Tattle Life could be earning up to £180,000 a year in revenue from Google Ads, according to The Centre for Countering Digital Hate. After the BBC contacted Google the platform confirmed it had restricted adverts appearing on the gossip 47-year-old Price, has hundreds of threads and anonymous comments about her looks, relationships and family, particularly her son Harvey who has multiple disabilities. Speaking to the BBC, Price says she has had many private documents posted onto the site - called doxing - including some of her confidential mail."It's absolutely horrendous, the stuff that's posted about me on the website," she says. "The abuse is unmanageable, especially when they involve my family." Price has done a number of stints at a mental health hospital as a result of the trolling on Tattle Life and says the "constant and disgusting abuse on the website" contributed to her decision to try to take her own life. In an email to the BBC's The State of Us podcast, which covered the story on 17 June, Tattle Life defended its business model, stating that influencers who monetise their personal lives should be open to scrutiny as it's a totally unregulated industry. But not everyone sees it that Clarkson's daughter Emily has recently spoken about how users on the website announced her pregnancy before she had, and says horrible comments about how she looked on her wedding day were part of the reason she went to therapy. Influencer Carly Rowena also found herself being trolled on the platform after her young son was taken to hospital. "People were saying it was all my fault," she says, with many comments accusing her of profiteering from her son's illness by continuing to post content on social media. For the past six years, Rowena adds, a thread has existed on the website that shares details of where she lives as well as her parents' names and address. 'This is not normal trolling' Caroline Hirons, a beauty expert with a large social media following, tells the BBC that it's a "lie that this is in the public interest"."I'm a skincare expert, you don't need to be posting pictures of my grandchildren," she says. Hirons has had private documents shared on Tattle Life as well as pictures of her children and grandchildren, some of which are still on the website."This is not normal trolling - the website has become a place that makes it seem like it's OK to stalk and harass people constantly."Lydia Millen, who has more than 1.6m followers on Instagram, also believes anonymity shouldn't be an option when utilising forums, comment sections or social media. "Whilst you are entitled to your opinion, you aren't entitled to anonymity which places you above the law," she argues. Millen, one of the most talked about people on the gossip website, says she has dealt with "relentless trolling" every day for the past five years, and often fears for her family's safety. Influencer Jen Graham agrees, suggesting people should have to verify their identity by uploading a document such as a driving licence or taking a picture of themselves."That way it's traceable and someone can't hide behind a secret identity," she says, "and if they're cruel then they're punished."Graham says that discovering a thread about herself on Tattle Life "massively sent me under". "It wiped me out for a month and affected how I made my content as I was really anxious about posting." Katie Price has long campaigned to make online abuse a specific criminal offence and make social media users provide verified identification when opening new accounts. "You should be able to trace these people as I imagine most people wouldn't say this stuff if they used an account under their real name."Price says she has tried to take legal action against Tattle Life and reported some comments to the police, but the force have been unable to find who is behind the posts because they're anonymous. Tattle Life claims to have a "zero-tolerance policy to any content that is abusive, hateful, harmful and a team of moderators online 24/7 to remove any content that breaks our strict rules - often in minutes". Laura Rodrigo from Tattle Life told the BBC recent events have "highlighted the need to make some changes going forward".She said Tattle Life would improve its reporting system by giving people a ticket number and reiterated that there is a contact form on every page where anyone can report a to SimilarWeb, an internet analytics company, Tattle Life has been visited more than 11.5m times in the past month, mostly by British users. 'Years of abuse and stalking' It was a defamation and harassment lawsuit brought by Neil and Donna Sands that eventually outed Sebastian Bond, who also goes by the name of Bastian entrepreneurs took action against Tattle Life after suffering years of abuse, trolling and in-person nearly a decade no-one knew who ran the website, with its operator going under the fake name Helen and Donna Sands were awarded £300,000 in damages and say they have received more than 1,000 messages from other celebrities and influencers who faced abuse on the email to the BBC claiming to be from Sebastian Bond's lawyers says he was "entirely unaware of the proceedings" brought before him and "is at a complete loss to understand how proceedings have been pursued" without his knowledge. "Mr and Mrs Sands have only obtained 'judgment in default' because my client wasn't aware of the proceedings, didn't have an opportunity to consider a defence and the proceedings went ahead in private," the email added. Mr Sands says he will continue to pursue legal action against the Tattle Life community, adding: "The usernames of everyone who has attacked us on the website are listed in the court order so we will take action against all of them". The couple first reported abusive content on Tattle Life in February 2021, but Mr Sands told BBC News and BBC Radio 5 Live's Nicky Campbell there are still comments of a stalking nature on the website and various threads about him keep being taken down and uploaded again. The BBC contacted Tattle Life for comment on this specific allegation but did not receive a response. 'Monetising cruelty' The Centre for Countering Digital Hate says the website has been "monetising cruelty" for years through Google ads.A spokesperson for Google said: "We don't allow sites to engage in disruptive ad serving practices. After reviewing the site in question, we have restricted ads in accordance with our publisher policies."It added that that when it restricts ads a site will have little to no buyer on platforms to tackle illegal content and activity under the Online Safety Act came into force in March, and Ofcom says it is currently assessing platforms' compliance with these new duties. It has launched investigations into 13 different platforms of which Tattle Life is not one, but the regulator expects "to make further enforcement announcements in the coming months". It added: "those who fail to introduce appropriate measures to protect UK users from illegal content should expect to face enforcement action."
Times
9 hours ago
- Times
The Times Daily Quiz: Wednesday June 18, 2025
1 Which savoury meat pudding is Scotland's national dish? 2 In court, a circuit judge should normally be addressed as 'Your …' what? 3 The Runnymede Trust is named after the field where which document was sealed in 1215? 4 Victoria Land and Oates Land are regions of which southern continent? 5 Who was famously attacked by Rod Hull and Emu on a November 1976 episode of his chat show? 6 Suitable for small gardens, what is a Qualcast Panther 30? 7 Sylvia Plath described Queen Mary's Gardens in which London park as a 'wonderland'? 8 Every year, eels leave European rivers to breed in which sea in the North Atlantic? 9 Which Canadian singer-songwriter's 1968 debut album Song to a Seagull was produced by David Crosby? 10 Klingsor is an evil sorcerer in which opera by Richard Wagner? 11 In which Asian country did the Tony award-winning musical Maybe Happy Ending have its premiere in 2016? 12 Which Unesco World Heritage site is home to Britain's smallest royal palace? 13 The critic Rosamond Bernier co-founded which Paris-based art magazine in 1955? 14 Monobob is an individual version of which winter sport? 15 Which former Labour MP is pictured? Scroll down for answersAnswers1 Haggis 2 Honour 3 Magna Carta 4 Antarctica 5 Michael Parkinson 6 Lawnmower 7 Regent's Park 8 Sargasso Sea 9 Joni Mitchell 10 Parsifal 11 South Korea 12 Kew Gardens, as in Kew Palace 13 L'oeil 14 Bobsleigh 15 Andy Burnham
