Coastal Adventures with Helen, Jules & JB - Season 1

The coastal adventure kicks off along three very different, dramatic coastlines, as Helen, JB and Jules explore glorious landscapes, underground wonders and meet the fascinating people who know all the secrets.

In North Yorkshire, Helen descends 4,500 feet into the UK's deepest mine - an extraordinary undersea world and the only place on Earth where Polyhalite is extracted. She gets a real taste of mining life: a creaky lift ride, 35-degree heat, and the rumble of a multi-tonne mining machine. Back on the surface, she swaps drills for thrills, meeting a Redcar land sailing legend and joining the wind-powered action on the beach. There's even time for a Teesside classic - the Parmo. Chicken, béchamel and cheese? Yes please!

Down on the Kent coast, JB explores the strange beauty of Dungeness - a vast shingle headland and a haven for unlikely wildlife. From laughing frogs to leeches he discovers just how wild Britain's only desert can get. At Broadstairs beach, he meets heroic rescue dogs whose super-snouts are saving lives along the shore.
Meanwhile, Jules is in Devon, setting sail from Salcombe aboard the iconic Yawl - the pride of the south coast. Then it's into the depths of Beer Quarry Caves, a sprawling labyrinth hand-carved over 2,000 years. Among the Roman coins and medieval carvings, he stumbles across something unexpected: a local male voice choir, drawn here not just for the history, but for the incredible acoustics – the best in the country!

And while they may be hundreds of miles apart, the banter's never far away as Helen, JB and Jules share all their adventures with each other.

The coastal adventure continues along three strikingly different shorelines, as Helen Skelton, Jules Hudson and JB Gill divide and conquer the UK's vast coastline.

In Pembrokeshire, Jules starts his coastal mission with porpoise - joining Sea Trust Wales to help photograph these elusive marine mammals as part of vital conservation work. Back at the dock, he gets hands-on with the Recycle Mor project, discovering how discarded fishing gear is transformed into unusual, sustainable products. Then, he uncovers the astonishing story of Britain's biggest blaze since the Great Fire of London - a 1940 Luftwaffe raid on Pembroke Dock that sparked an 18-day inferno and brought nearly 600 firefighters from across the UK. The disaster left a legacy that transformed how Britain responds to emergencies.

Up on the North Tyneside coast, Helen zips up her wetsuit and takes the plunge at Tynemouth Long Sands - fast becoming the North-East's surfing hotspot. With chilly waves and a warm-hearted surf community, who needs Cornwall?! After drying off, she heads to nearby North Shields' Fish Quay, where centuries-old fishing traditions still thrive. Helen joins the bustling morning auction, chats with seasoned traders, and rounds off her visit with a fresh seafood lunch overlooking the sea.

Meanwhile, on the Norfolk coast, JB kicks things off with a fiery favourite - tracing the journey of Norfolk-grown mustard from farm to factory. He discovers how the county's salty sea air helps deliver the perfect punch for the iconic Colman's condiment. Then it's time to swap spice for sails as he heads to Burnham Overy Staithe, following in the wake of a young Horatio Nelson. With local skipper Ash showing him the ropes, JB learns that mastering a boat is a little less smooth sailing than it sounds.

And, as always, the trio stay connected - sharing discoveries, laughs and the odd bit of coastal rivalry.

The coastal adventure continues as Helen, Jules and JB explore the wild shorelines of Cumbria, Aberdeenshire and Suffolk, uncovering stories of smuggling, seafaring and surprising seafood.

In South-West Scotland, Helen heads off-road into the rolling hills of Bainloch Deer Park, home to over 600 Red, Sika and Fallow Deer. Alongside park manager Richard, she sets out in a 4x4 to get up close to the herd and discover how this enclosed sanctuary offers a vital refuge from modern threats. Then it's time to take to the water - Helen grabs a paddle and joins the Kirkcudbright Kayak Club to uncover the region's colourful history of 18th-century smuggling. With taxes sky-high on goods like tea and tobacco, cunning traders turned to the Isle of Man for cheaper contraband and launched secret coastal trades that helped fuel the local economy.

Further north, Jules explores the dark history of HMP Peterhead - Scotland's own Alcatraz. Built by convicts using locally quarried granite, the prison housed some of the country's toughest criminals. Now a museum, Jules explores its past with a present-day officer. Then, in Johnshaven, he finds a tastier tale: lobster, once a "poor man's food", is making a local comeback thanks to a community-led lobster shop and café reconnecting residents with their seafood roots.

On the Suffolk coast, JB gets hands-on with a spectacular reconstruction of the Sutton Hoo ship. He joins a team of volunteers' hand-building a full-size replica of the legendary Anglo-Saxon burial vessel using ancient tools and techniques. Finally, he fast-forwards to the present with a crash course in wing foiling at Felixstowe. Balancing on a hydrofoil while harnessing the wind, JB attempts to fly above the water's surface - gracefully or not!

And as always, the team share updates, banter and a bit of coastal competition from three very different corners of the UK.

JB Gill heads to the Lincolnshire coast to join the Skegness Pier Angling Club during one of their friendly beach competitions. Under the watchful eye of veteran angler Charlie, JB gets a crash course in coastal fishing. In Cumbria, Helen Skelton meets some unlikely coastal heroes - vultures. And in Fife, Jules Hudson unearths Cold War secrets beneath quiet fields, exploring a declassified communications bunker.

JB Gill explores the Sussex coast in Brighton, home to beach huts, saunas and the i360 - Europe's tallest moving observation tower. In Merseyside, Helen Skelton joins the crew of the RNLI's high-speed Shannon lifeboat. Jules Hudson visits the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard on the Dorset coast, uncovering a personal chapter of naval history and tracing the story of his great-uncle George Norcott.

In Anglesey, Jules Hudson explores the site of a 19th-century shipwreck near Moelfre, where over 400 people perished. Helen Skelton learns about the women who helped win the war - not in factories, but in shipyards - in Sunderland. JB Gill begins his journey at Mersea Island Vineyard, where he's introduced to a surprising local speciality - beer brewed with oysters.

On the Lancashire coast, Helen Skelton heads to Fleetwood's Rossall Coastwatch Tower, where she joins the local National Coastwatch volunteers to learn the skills needed to keep eyes on the water. JB Gill explores the cliffs of Porthcawl, South Wales, where layers of ancient limestone reveal a forgotten prehistoric world. In Dorset, Jules Hudson musters his courage for a paragliding flight above the Jurassic coast.

In southern Cumbria, Helen Skelton takes to the skies in a gyrocopter with veteran pilot Roger to explore a coastline often overshadowed by the Lake District to the north. In Cornwall, Jules Hudson joins marine scientists making waves with a serendipitous discovery - disco scallops. Further up the Bristol Channel, JB Gill faces the Somerset coast at Burnham-on-Sea, where tides race in, and mud flats can trap the unwary.