| Genre: | Documentary |
| Runtime: | 30–60 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
| Network: | ITV |
| Company: | ITV Studios[1] |
| Executive Producer: | Mark Scantlebury |
| Related: | Countryfile |
Countrywise (known as Countrywise: Guide to Britain since 2016) is a British television series on ITV, which looks at the best of Britain's coast and country. The programme is currently presented by Ben Fogle and Liz Bonnin.
Classical historian Bettany Hughes formerly appeared on the programme, and was introduced as the "Countrywise historian".[2]
The fourth series of the programme began broadcast on 25 June 2012, when it came from the Isle of Man and mentioned the Manx cat. A more recent edition of the programme has come from Ireland. This edition of the programme mentioned how the newest member of the Countrywise team has been the programme's scientist, Charlotte Uhlenbroek, who discussed Finn MacCool when the programme was in Ireland.
In late July 2012, the programme was broadcast in Pembrokeshire, Wales, where it visited the smallest city in the United Kingdom, that of St. Davids.
The show returned on 2 September 2013 with presenter Paul Heiney and two new co-hosts, Ben Fogle and Liz Bonnin. The same format continued for the sixth and seventh series in 2014 and 2015.[3] Paul Heiney did not return to the show for the eighth series in 2016. Bonnin and Fogle now present Countrywise.
Since 2016, the show has been renamed Countrywise: Guide to Britain.
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 March 2009 | 30 December 2009 | 36 |
| 2 | 29 March 2010 | 4 October 2010 | 26 |
| 3 | 5 April 2011 | 5 July 2011 | 12 |
| 4 | 25 June 2012 | 27 August 2012 | 10 |
| 5 | 2 September 2013 | 21 October 2013 | 8 |
| 6 | 27 October 2014[4] | 29 December 2014 | 8 |
| 7 | 19 October 2015 | 28 December 2015 | 8 |
| 8 | 9 September 2016 | 22 December 2016 | 15 |
| Special | Original Air Date |
|---|---|
| Countrywise at War | 11 September 2010 |
| Countrywise: Christmas Special | 22 December 2010 |
| Countrywise: The Real Downton Abbey | 18 September 2011 |
| Countrywise: Jubilee Special | 29 May 2012 |
| Countrywise: Winter Wonderland | 25 December 2015 |
| Countrywise: Secret Wild Places | 17 August 2016 |
Countrywise launched a new series in December 2010 called Countrywise Kitchen, about foraging for food and food connected with different parts of the country. The edition broadcast on 10 December 2010 mentioned gathering mushrooms, and mentioned the cep mushroom.
It was a spin-off from the regular series and was co-presented by Paul Heiney and Mike Robinson between 2010 and 2012.
| Series | Start date | End date | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 December 2010 | 20 December 2010 | 5 |
| 2 | 11 July 2011 | 29 August 2011 | 8 |
| 3 | 12 December 2011 | 28 December 2011 | 3 |
| 4 | 13 March 2012 | 15 May 2012 | 8 |