A Countryfile guest was forced to step in after the host confessed to 'breaking a rule'. BBC presenter Anita Rani made a return to our TV screens for Sunday's (July 12) episode of the BBC hit show as she took a trip to West Mersea in Essex. The location is where oysters have been harvested for more than 2,000 years, cultivated in the creeks around Mersea Island.
During her trip, Anita headed onto the brackish waters to meet the people farming oysters. She spoke to a team investigating how the non-native Atlantic rock oyster is affecting the local ecosystem, and whether it could play a role in helping coastal habitats respond to rising sea levels. The TV presenter was joined by Ecologist Tom Cameron from the University of Essex along with researchers Lola and Kristina, who have been conducting experiments on oyster reefs to try and find out more.
Together the group headed towards Brightling sea to a rock oyster reef. Once they got to their location, Antia was keen to learn more as she got stuck into work.
However, not long into the task, Antia quickly faced a huge problem as she noticed the tide was coming in and she didn't have the right footwear on.
In a slight panic, she asked: "Someone keeping an eye on the tide, right?" The BBC star then admitted: "Doesn't help that I've broken Countryfile Rule 101 and forgotten my wellies."
As the water started to come in she continued: "That came in very quickly." As the camera panned down to her feet, she could be seen wearing walking boots as she said: "Look at this. The tide is coming in very quickly and now we're getting deeper."
As the water became too high, a Countryfile guest was forced to step in and decided to carry Anita on his back and headed back to the boat.
Looking at the camera, Anita burst out laughing as she joked: "I know. Demanding."
Elsewhere in the show, Anita looked back through the Countryfile archives at the people and projects shaping life around the coastline.
You can catch up on Countryfile on BBC iPlayer.
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