The Yorkshire Film Archive collects, preserves, and shows film made in, or about Yorkshire. Our collections are non-fiction, dating from the 1890s to the present day, and providing a rich and visually compelling record of all aspects of lives, cultures, landscape, industries, major events and everyday activities, many of which are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
Oddities of Spurn
A pair of keen birdwatchers keep us entertained and informed with their observations as they stroll along the fragile outcrop of land at Spurn.
From the collection of:
Overview
Two of television’s better known bird enthusiasts of recent times, Michael Clegg and Bill Oddie, get together for an exploration of one of Britain’s best known spots for birdwatchers, Spurn Point in Yorkshire. Oddie plays second fiddle to Clegg’s impressive knowledge of the natural history of this fascinating, and ever changing, peninsula which attracts so many species of birds throughout the year.
Michael Clegg was a naturalist, former columnist at the Yorkshire Evening Post, and a regular on BBC Radio 4's Natural History Programme. Born near Barnsley, Clegg was an early campaigner for wildlife sites and after his death in 1995 had a meadow named after him at Broomhill, South Yorkshire. Bill Oddie has of course subsequently made many television appearances as an ornithologist and had many honours. Spurn Head has undergone more erosion since this programme was made, and in December 2013 a tidal surge ripped out a section of the road, leaving Yorkshire with a newly created island at high tide.
Related
Watch for free
Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion Frederick Wiseman's High School - a discussion
Short documentary 2026 22 mins
Filmmaker Andrea Luka Zimmerman and curator Matthew Barrington discuss Frederick Wiseman’s High School with Sandra Hebron.
Watch for free
A Last Resort A Last Resort
Comedy 2022 17 mins
Rose is desperate to celebrate her 60th birthday in style, but her daughter Genevieve is struggling to ignore some recent tragic news about her mum.
Watch for free
Hard, Cracked the Wind Hard, Cracked the Wind
Horror 2019 17 mins
A haunting with words is the lure between life and death for a young Cornish poet.
Watch for free
The Walk The Walk
Drama 2023 12 mins
Adeel Akhtar portrays a man on a weekly trek to his nearest JobCentre, entering a state of purgatory through barriers put in place by the system.
Watch for free
Seagull Seagull
Horror 2022 6 mins
Seagull is a recovering drug addict who is about to have a very strange night on The English Riviera.
Watch for free
Octopus Octopus
2021 13 mins
Upon returning to her home town for a funeral, a young woman reconnects with the friends she left behind.