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The Best Episodes of Coast

Every episode of Coast ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Coast!

The Best Episodes of Coast

The nation's love affair with the coast will be reawakened for this entertaining and ambitious exploration of the entire UK coastline. Every part of the...
  1. Background image for The Inventive Coast: Robin Hood's Bay To The Wash
    9.2/10(10 votes)

    #1 - The Inventive Coast: Robin Hood's Bay To The Wash

    S1:E11

    Nick retraces the steps of smugglers in Robin Hoods Bay; Neil goes to the first Butlins Holiday camp in Skegness; whilst Mark sets sail in a recreated bronze age boat; and Alice recreates alum crystals using stale urine!

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  2. Background image for Inner Hebrides to Faroe Islands
    9.0/10(8 votes)

    #2 - Inner Hebrides to Faroe Islands

    S4:E6

    The Sea Eagles of the island of Canna were hunted to extinction, but now they have been brought back. We climb into one of their nests perched high on a steep cliff to find out what their chances of survival are. Neil Oliver visits Europe's biggest super-quarry to receive an explosive lesson in how the rock is mined. Armed with a simple ruler on a Scottish beach, Nick Crane learns how the challenge of measuring our coastline led to a new branch of maths that could help our mobile phones get smaller.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  3. Background image for The Wild West: Exmouth To Bristol
    8.9/10(9 votes)

    #3 - The Wild West: Exmouth To Bristol

    S1:E2

    Dr Alice Roberts investigates how greed led to a village being washed into the sea; Nick unearths the history of slavery in Plymouth; while Neil and Mark try to wreck a ship with nothing but a candle; and Miranda comes face to face with a shark!

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  4. Background image for Shifting Sands: Liverpool To Solway Firth
    8.9/10(9 votes)

    #4 - Shifting Sands: Liverpool To Solway Firth

    S1:E5

    Alice discovers 5,000 year old footprints on the beach; whilst Nick investigates our worst lifeboat disaster; Mark is on the track of the Roman conquest of Northern Europe in Maryport and Neil ventures onto the treacherous sands of Morecambe Bay.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  5. Background image for The Forgotten Coast: Berwick To Whitby
    8.9/10(9 votes)

    #5 - The Forgotten Coast: Berwick To Whitby

    S1:E10

    Nick explores the holy island of Lindisfarne; Alice helps rebuild Britain's first house in Howick; whilst Neil examines the tensions in South Shields that led to race riots in the 1930s and Miranda gets up close and personal with grey seals.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  6. Background image for The Vanishing Coast: The Wash To Dover
    8.9/10(10 votes)

    #6 - The Vanishing Coast: The Wash To Dover

    S1:E12

    Nick investigates the freak floods of 1953; Alice explores the landbridge which joined us to the continent; whilst Nick meets Peter Boggis, a man trying to save his home from the sea; and Neil celebrates Trafalgar 200 examining an eye witness account of the battle.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
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  8. Background image for Whitstable to Isle of Wight
    8.9/10(13 votes)

    #7 - Whitstable to Isle of Wight

    S4:E1

    The south coast of England was the home of movies long before a frame was shot in Hollywood, thanks to long hours of daylight and glamorous London actors holidaying by the sea. Neil Oliver tries his hand at directing his own silent movie. Alice Roberts re-lives the glamour days of the hovercraft and on the Isle of Wight, we go in search of dinosaur footprints which prove the island has been on an epic voyage heading north from tropical climes 135 million years ago.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  9. Background image for Cap Gris-Nez to Mont Saint-Michel
    8.9/10(13 votes)

    #8 - Cap Gris-Nez to Mont Saint-Michel

    S4:E2

    Castles are an integral part of the history and landscape of Britain, but the art of building a castle was brought across the channel by William the Conqueror. We visit the medieval quarry in France which supplied the stone for iconic buildings such as the Tower of London and Canterbury Cathedral. Nick Crane sets sail from Dover to visit the white cliffs of France. Connected by land before a mega flood carved the channel, Nick discovers that these divided cliffs are facing parallel challenges of coastal erosion.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  10. Background image for The Netherlands
    8.9/10(8 votes)

    #9 - The Netherlands

    S6:E2

    The team's journey continues around the stunning shores of Devon and Cornwall. Nick Crane is on a fishing expedition on board one of the last remaining Brixham trawlers. He also explores how Henry VIII, fearing attack after his famous divorce, built a string of cleverly positioned forts all along the south coast. The Isles of Scilly are surrounded by lush, golden green underwater meadows of seagrass; Miranda Krestovnikoff explores the diverse wildlife of this natural sub-sea paradise. Mark Horton reveals the extraordinary story of how Lawrence of Arabia went to Plymouth, where he helped develop revolutionary fast rescue boats that saved countless lives in the Second World War. Dick Strawbridge learns the surprising secrets of the global steam power revolution pioneered in the tin mines of Cornwall some 200 years ago. And with the aid of some big wind machines, Alice Roberts creates her own perfect storm.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  11. Background image for Invaders of the Isles
    8.9/10(9 votes)

    #10 - Invaders of the Isles

    S8:E1

    The team returns to visit more locations around the nation's shoreline, beginning by exploring a diverse range of invasions. Nick Crane heads to the Channel Islands to learn about the German occupation of Guernsey during the Second World War, while Tessa Dunlop visits Norfolk to hear stories of a little-known Zeppelin bombing campaign on Britain during the Great War. Ruth Goodman goes to the Isle of Man to find out how it became the home of the TT motorcycle race, which attracts around 10,000 bikers from around the world each year, and Andy Torbet encounters a colony of water voles on a rocky outcrop in the seas off western Scotland.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  12. Background image for Times and Tides: Bristol To Cardigan Bay
    8.8/10(9 votes)

    #11 - Times and Tides: Bristol To Cardigan Bay

    S1:E3

    South Wales has the second highest tidal range in the world. It is the tidal surge that creates the Severn Bore: Nick follows the wave upstream; whilst Neil explores the history of Cardiff coal; and Alice gets acquainted with the Red Lady of Paviland.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  13. Background image for The Travellers Coast: Cardigan Bay To The Dee
    8.8/10(9 votes)

    #12 - The Travellers Coast: Cardigan Bay To The Dee

    S1:E4

    Neil discovers the story of a Welsh Atlantis lost beneath the waves; Miranda goes in search of leatherback turtles; whilst Alice descends into the caves of Great Orme and Nick canoes in the treacherous Menai Straits, to examine the bridges across to Anglesey.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  14. Background image for Islands And Inlets: West Coast Of Scotland And Western Isles
    8.8/10(10 votes)

    #13 - Islands And Inlets: West Coast Of Scotland And Western Isles

    S1:E7

    Neil joins the crew of the trident submarine HMS Vanguard; Miranda goes hunting for Minke whales; whilst Mark and Neil recreate the inter island rocket mail service; and Nick sails the beautiful Western Isles armed only with a 500 year guide book.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  15. Background image for The Working Coast: John O'Groats To Berwick
    8.8/10(10 votes)

    #14 - The Working Coast: John O'Groats To Berwick

    S1:E9

    Miranda heads to the Moray Firth, home to bottle nosed dolphins; Nick investigates the impact of the North Sea oil industry; whilst Neil meets a fishing family in Fraserburgh, facing a bleak future; and Alice reflects on the history of whaling in Dundee.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  16. Background image for Lands End to Porthcawl
    8.8/10(10 votes)

    #15 - Lands End to Porthcawl

    S4:E3

    3,500 years ago, an international demand for Cornish tin put Cornwall at the centre of an internation arms trade. Mixed with copper, Cornish tin made high quality weapons, giving birth to the British Bronze Age. Hermione Cockburn discovers what happened when American media mogul and inspiration for Citizen Kane William Randolph Hearst, made a run-down castle with a sea view into a little hideaway for him and his mistress on the Welsh coast. Neil Oliver visits Porthcawl to trace the history of the Welsh Great Escape.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  17. Background image for Devon and Cornwall
    8.8/10(6 votes)

    #16 - Devon and Cornwall

    S6:E3

    Coast ventures out to brand new territory, the astonishing man-made shoreline of the Netherlands. Nick Crane explores how ingenious Dutch engineers created massive coastal defences like no others on earth following the great North Sea flood in 1953 which killed thousands of people in the Netherlands and Britain. Nick also discovers how, during the Second World War, traitors from the British Indian Army took part in the Nazi occupation of the tiny isle of Texel - the unlikely site for the last battle in Europe of the Second World War. Coast newcomer, historian Tessa Dunlop, is on the trail of Tulipmania, the extraordinary trade in tulip bulbs that's said to have nearly bankrupted the Dutch nation nearly 400 years ago. Mark Horton reveals the age old skills that have made the Dutch the Grand Masters at creating new living space from the sea. Adam Henson, himself a farmer, investigates why cows from the coastal plains of the northern Netherlands became the most sought after milk producers in the world, and one of the most familiar sights in the British countryside. Miranda Krestovnikoff experiences how the Dutch delight in devouring raw herring as a sea side snack!

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  18. Background image for Sweden and the Baltic
    8.8/10(6 votes)

    #17 - Sweden and the Baltic

    S6:E6

    For centuries Britons have charted a course to the glorious coast of Sweden for its treasure trove of riches, now for the first time Coast explores the British connections to this stunning shore on the edge of the Baltic Sea. Nick Crane's journey starts in one of the most picturesque parts of Sweden, the dramatic peaks of the High Coast are a wonder of the world and, remarkably, the mountains are still growing at the rate of one centimetre every year. Nick also finds out why Britain's early engineers had to come to Sweden for iron to help forge our Industrial Revolution. Alice Roberts explores the extraordinary story of how, during the Second World War, Britain's military effort almost ground to a halt without Swedish ball bearings and how brave British servicemen beat the German blockade of the country. Mark Horton visits the world's most remarkable shipwreck, The Vasa, which has been called the Tutankhamun of maritime archaeology. Dick Strawbridge climbs the rigging of one of the last great commercial sailing ships, known as the Windjammers. As recently as the 1940s these tall ships managed to give steamships a run for their money. Dick discovers how in the days of Empire, the Windjammers connected Britain to Australia with their legendary grain races. The team also explore Abba Island and search out moose in Sweden's frozen North.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  19. Background image for The Troubled Coast: The Northern Ireland Coast
    8.6/10(10 votes)

    #18 - The Troubled Coast: The Northern Ireland Coast

    S1:E6

    Nick investigates how the building of the Antrim Coast mirrors the troubled history of the province; Neil uses computer imagery to rebuild the Titanic; Alice heads to the Giants Causeway and Mark explores the wreck of a Spanish Armada treasure ship.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  20. Background image for Life On The Edge: Cape Wrath To Orkney
    8.6/10(12 votes)

    #19 - Life On The Edge: Cape Wrath To Orkney

    S1:E8

    Nick takes part in a NATO exercise at the Cape Wrath bombing range; Neil meets the descendants of the people displaced by the Highland Clearances; and the survivors of the worst loss of British Naval life in Scapa Flow; whilst Alice visits the Dounreay reactor.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  21. Background image for Secret Paths to Hidden Treasures
    8.6/10(8 votes)

    #20 - Secret Paths to Hidden Treasures

    S9:E2

    Nick Crane visits Cape Wrath, discovering where wolves once trod.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  22. Background image for Joy of the Coast
    8.5/10(7 votes)

    #21 - Joy of the Coast

    S8:E3

    The presenters seek out the ideal locations to enjoy their personal passions. Nick Crane heads to the Inner Hebrides to attempt a mountaineering challenge on the Isle of Skye, and reveals how Thomas Cook was inspired in the mid-19th century to create his famous package tours by the steamships criss-crossing Scottish waters. Avid knitter Ruth Goodman gets some tips for completing a complex fisherman's jumper by visiting Polperro in Cornwall, learning how people's livelihoods 150 years ago depended on their skills at making workwear to order. Poet Ian McMillan looks for creative ideas in the Cornish seaside resort of St Ives and explores the life and work of self-taught artist Alfred Wallis, and Tessa Dunlop explores the glamorous history of British lidos - public outdoor swimming pools that sprang up around the UK in the 1930s.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  23. Background image for Cork to Dublin
    8.4/10(11 votes)

    #22 - Cork to Dublin

    S4:E4

    We visit Cork Harbour, Titanic's last port of call before sailing to disaster, to hear the story of one lucky Irish passenger who had to reluctantly disembark at Cork. Alice Roberts meets Waterford Crystal's chief scientist to learn how to turn the local beach's sand into glass. Hermione Cockburn creates her own mini earthquake on Killiney beach with a mercury dish and some dynamite, recreating an experiment performed 160 years ago that led to the understanding of the earth's tectonic plates.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  24. Background image for Anglesey to Blackpool
    8.4/10(14 votes)

    #23 - Anglesey to Blackpool

    S4:E5

    Blackpool is Britain's most visited seaside destination. How has the resort succeeded when others have gone under? The pleasure park is one of many innovative attractions imported here from America. Neil Oliver views the coast at high speed with a visit to the RAF's world famous "Pilot Factory". As he takes to the skies in a Hawk Jet with an instructor, can he travel from Anglesey to Blackpool and back in just under half an hour?

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  25. Background image for Rosyth to Hull
    8.4/10(10 votes)

    #24 - Rosyth to Hull

    S4:E8

    On Holy Island, we find out how a Viking attach inadvertently united the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, creating a new national identity as they came together to resist a new enemy. Mark Horton navigates to Marine Esplanade in Ravenscar in search of the "town that never was". Destined to be a buzzing Victorian seaside parade, Mark uncovers why it is now just an empty field. Following three unsuccessful attempts to land a boat on Bass Rock, Miranda Krestovnikoff beats Neil Oliver to the challenge and is rewarded with a front row view of the diving gannets.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown
  26. Background image for Winter
    8.4/10(8 votes)

    #25 - Winter

    S9:E6

    The team explore what becomes of our coast in winter. Nick Crane visits Cornwall, the storm central of Britain's rugged coastline and Neil Oliver experiences the extraordinary Viking Fire Festival on Shetland.

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    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

Best Episodes Summary

"The Inventive Coast: Robin Hood's Bay To The Wash" is the best rated episode of "Coast". It scored 9.2/10 based on 10 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 8/26/2005. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "Inner Hebrides to Faroe Islands".