The Lakes Series 2   Presented by: Rory McGrath ITV Studios Home Entertainment RRP: £24.99 3711534423 Certificate: E Available 28 March 2011

Rory McGrath returns to the Lake District, to take a further look at life in one of Britain’s favourite holiday destinations. The dramatic landscape and illustrious history continues to attract large numbers of visitors and keen literary enthusiasts year upon year, all of whom take away a unique experience. It’s not hard to see why people continue to make the journey to this inspirational place; with its 16 lakes and wild scenery it has inspired poets and literary writers alike, championing such names as Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth...

Not to be confused with Jimmy McGovern's '90s BBC drama series, ITV's The Lakes sees Rory McGrath return to the Lake District to explore more of the wonderful people, beautiful mountainous scenery and the local events and traditions that make the area so richly diverse. From bag-making couples to micro-pig breeding farmers, series two paints an even richer portrait of life in one of Britain’s most glorious places. Inspired by the stories of the agrarian lifestyle of Millican Dalton, Jorrit and Nicky Jorritsmer have relocated to the Lake District and are developing their own brand of unique backpacks, while the Langdale Chase Hotel has ghostly goings-on, and Rory visits the Windermere Airshow.

This DVD collection contains all 12 20-minute episodes across two DVDs. There are no extras.

McGrath doesn't really present this show, more narrates it. It's pretty obvious that he's hardly there during the filming because apart from the linking segments (which judging by the fact he's wearing the same handful of jumpers, were obviously filmed over a weekend) we only ever see him on camera with the locals a couple of times throughout this series. This though is pretty understandable as the film crew travelled the Lake District throughout the summer in order to attend selective events, but you'd have thought McGrath could have attended a few of the more important filming days.

Over the course of this collection you'll learn about micro pig breeding, why around 40,000 gypsies descend on the Lake District for one weekend every year, follow an amateur animal detective hairdresser, investigate the spooky goings on at the Langdale Chase Hotel and find out where the phrase "Tom Foolery" actually originates from.

While enjoyable enough, I can't see there being much call for anyone wanting to watch this series more than once.

7

Darren Rea