BBC Studios/Iolo Penri
TELEVISION
Coast lines up new horizons Documentary series explores the lay of the land and sea, writes Sarah Olowofoyeku
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H, we do like to be beside the seaside – and it seems we like to watch documentaries about it too. Following on from programmes such as Coast, Sea City and Scotland: the Edge of the Land, BBC Two’s Our Coast, which begins this week, is shore to please. The series, presented by Adrian Chiles, Mehreen Baig and a team of experts, features four coastlines linked by the Irish Sea. It explores their histories and the environmental changes that are taking place in them and, along the way, highlights people whose lives have been affected by the coast. The first port of call for the series is Merseyside. In Liverpool, Adrian climbs aboard the Queen Mary 2, the largest oceancrossing liner in the world. On board, he meets a passenger whose father worked on the original Queen Mary years ago, as well as the restaurant manager, who informs him that the kitchen staff prepare 16,000 meals a day. Food is again on the menu when reporter Joe Lindsay pays a visit to another vessel. The boat, called Floating Grace, is a restaurant and a ‘place of refuge on the water for ex-servicemen and women’. The business was started by Peter Kenny, a former member of the Territorial Army, who wanted to help veterans turn their life around. One of the trainees working on board suffered from post-traumatic stress for 30 years after serving in the military. He says that, since being given the opportunity to be a part of the crew, he had ‘felt a little bit of self-worth again’. Sometimes, as Mehreen sees, the coast itself can be a difficult environment. She joins a lifeboat
crew in Hoylake, a seaside town in the Wirral, who have the task of watching over the area’s mudflats. She rides in a hovercraft that the crew use to navigate the thick, sticky mud, which would be too soft for
The coast can be a difficult environment land vehicles and has water that is too shallow for boats. People on a walk – and animals – can easily get trapped in the mud, and Mehreen helps in a practice rescue of a victim. Many people find in life that they are in deep water, whether it is through
events outside their control or because of their own mistakes – and they would welcome a helping hand. Rescue can come through the support of loved ones or a community. Countless Christians have experienced such help in their own lives, but they have also found something else that will weather any storm – God’s care for them. One Bible writer explains that God’s promise to help us is certain, describing the hope it can bring as ‘an anchor for the soul’ (Hebrews 6:19 New International Version). It’s a hope that is available to us all. If we choose to put our trust in God, he will keep his promises to love us, help us discover our worth and to work for our good. Will we get on board with him?
Adrian Chiles and Mehreen Baig explore coastlines 8 February 2020 • WAR CRY • 3