Thrills, Tears & Triumphs…

We visit Ben Fogle and Kate Humble at Longleat to see what’s in store for its animal residents

- Caren Clark

A fun scene we definitely weren’t expecting is unfolding before our eyes: Ben Fogle is giving a tubby goat called Bert some tips to help him lose weight!

TV Times is visiting Longleat, where Ben, Kate Humble and Jean Johansson are busy filming for the new series of BBC1’s heartwarming Animal Park, which goes behind the scenes at the Wiltshire safari park.

But even with the presenters’ lengthy experience of life here, it is clear that the animals still run rings round them, as rather than exercising on the seesaw that Ben’s demonstrating to him, Bert escapes his gym session by dashing around his enclosure and squeezing under a fence!

‘That’s the joy of Animal Park, animals will always be naughty,’ laughs Ben, as he comes over to us for a chat. ‘They say never work with animals, but Kate and I have embraced a lifetime of it and it’s so much fun.’

Here, Ben, 44, and Kate, 49, reveal what’s in store this year…

What will we see this time?