Springwatch Season 6 Episode release dates & where to watch

1. Episode 1

Simon King, Kate Humble and Chris Packham are joined by Gordon Buchanan and Martin Hughes-Games to follow the daily fortunes of a brand new cast of unforgettable wildlife characters. Kate, Chris and Martin report from their base in Norfolk. Simon is on a new mission in the wilds of Wales, home to polecats, goshawks, red kites and more. Gordon is getting close to a large family of badgers in suburban Essex.

2. Episode 2

Catch live updates from the Springwatch animal stars, including kestrels, plovers, skylarks, swallows, finches, barn owls and many more, as their family dramas unfold. Chris Packham and Kate Humble provide the latest from Norfolk. Simon King continues his search for the elusive polecat in Wales and observes the nest of a goshawk, a spectacular aerial predator, while Gordon Buchanan reports on his Essex badgers.

3. Episode 3

The Springwatch team report live, keeping you up to date on all the animal stories as they happen, and looking at other stories from around the country. Martin Hughes-Games encourages us to get some wildlife watching into our summer holidays. Chris Packham and Kate Humble look at the plight of the cuckoo and ask the audience to join the search for these icons of spring, while Simon King continues his wild mission in Wales.

4. Episode 4

The marathon live wildlife event continues with up-to-the-minute reports on your favourite animal stars. Has Simon King managed to find the elusive polecat? How are Chris Packham and Kate Humble's animal families doing at their base in Norfolk? And what about Gordon Buchanan's badger family in Essex? The team also provides tips on how to attract a whole host of wildlife to your own back garden.

5. Episode 5

The Springwatch team catch up on all the weekend's action. Chris Packham and Kate Humble are reporting from Norfolk on their animal families and Simon King is in red kite country in the heart of Wales, reflecting on his wilderness weekend. Gordon Buchanan is in Essex with an update on his badgers.

6. Episode 6

Chris Packham, Kate Humble and Simon King bring us live updates from our Springwatch animal stars, from bluetits to goshawks, as their dramas unfold. See the best of the wild animal antics that Springwatch viewers have filmed themselves. Martin Hughes-Games takes us on another Springwatch Holiday and Gordon Buchanan furthers his mission to unveil the mysterious world of the badger.

7. Episode 7

Chris Packham, Kate Humble, Simon King, Gordon Buchanan and Martin Hughes-Games bring us live updates on all the animal dramas and report on stories from around the UK. Find out about the Springwatch Dirty Weekend with BBC Breathing Places. There is a whole raft of events happening across the country - a chance for a great day out while helping wildlife where you live.

8. Episode 8

The marathon live wildlife event continues with up to the minute reports on all the animal stars. Have any of Kate Humble and Chris Packham's chicks flown the nest? How are Gordon Buchanan's badgers? Simon says farewell to the Welsh lakes and hills, and looks forward to a coastal spectacular. There are more details on how to help your local wildlife by joining in the Springwatch Dirty Weekend with BBC Breathing Places.

9. Episode 9

Chris Packham, Kate Humble and Simon King return for the final week of the wildlife event of the year, with live updates on all the animal characters. Simon presents Wales' most spectacular seabird colony and provides an update on the goshawk family. Also, Gordon Buchanan reveals the latest on his Essex badgers and Martin Hughes-Games takes another Springwatch Holiday.

10. Episode 10

The latest live updates from the Springwatch animal stars, including polecats, kestrels, swallows and many more, as their real-life dramas unfold daily. Simon King reveals Wales is a stronghold for the rarest member of the crow family - the red-billed chough. Gordon Buchanan continues his journey into the world of the badger with another live report from the Essex sett.

11. Episode 11

Chris Packham, Kate Humble and Simon King are live with the latest on the Springwatch animal dramas and reporting on other stories from around the country. In Wales, Simon has a seabird murder mystery to solve, while Gordon Buchanan is hoping all is well with his badger family, and Martin Hughes-Games is back on his motorbike to reveal the wild side of another British holiday.

12. Episode 12 Finale

The marathon live wildlife event reaches its climax - what will have happened to the UK's favourite animal stars? Find out with the final live updates. In Wales, Simon King says farewell to his goshawk family and Gordon Buchanan's journey into the world of the badger comes to an end. Plus, there's a look back at the events of the last three weeks.

13. Close Encounters

Field craft expert and ace naturalist cameraman Simon King reveals his tricks of the trade in a practical guide on how to get up close and personal with some of UK's best loved wild animals, from otters and kingfishers to robins to red deer. Simon shares some of his favourite - and most remarkable - close encounters with wild creatures from a lifelong passion for UK wildlife. By revealing some of his often surprising techniques, Simon encourages people to have a go themselves, giving a new and intimate perspective on native wild animals. Simon shows how to get really close to wild otters and how to train a robin to feed from the hand. He demonstrates how to have a conversation with a grasshopper and how to sneak up on rabbits and fallow deer, as well as how to go fishing for lizards and get a fantastic pedicure from a prawn.

14. Holidays

Martin Hughes-Games presents an essential guide to the wilder side of holiday-making in the UK, and finds that getting closer to nature is easier than it may seem.

15. Home Movies

Springwatch cameraman Gordon Buchanan presents a celebration of home-grown wildlife film-making, and shares some of his golden rules of field craft and camera technique.