Countryfile presenter Anita Rani shared a chilling moment when she encountered a nuclear bomb during a special episode tracing England’s east coast, which will air on Sunday, 26 July.
Her journey took her to Orford Ness in Suffolk, a site once shrouded in secrecy as a military testing facility. Today, Orford Ness is one of Britain’s most protected coastal landscapes, where former military buildings have been reclaimed by nature as nesting grounds for seabirds.
Anita explained, “I’m on my way to Orford Ness, once a top-secret military testing facility, and for a long time, nobody knew what it was.
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“But bombs have given way to birds, as nature has reclaimed this bit of exposed shingle coastline, and today, it’s transformed into one of Britain’s most protected natural landscapes, and I cannot wait to see it.”
During her visit, Anita was taken aback when she was introduced to an actual nuclear bomb. “No way, an actual nuclear bomb?” she exclaimed to her guide, Bill.
Bill revealed, “This is a bomb that they tested on Orford Ness here. They tested it to ensure it was stable, so that if it was being flown in a plane, it wouldn’t detonate unexpectedly. This is a smaller one, but it is a nuclear bomb.”
Anita admitted, “Goodness me, how utterly terrifying.”
Bill added, “It’s scary to think that this has roughly half the impact of the Hiroshima bomb.”
Reflecting on her Cold War childhood, Anita said, “This is such a strange experience as a child who grew up during the Cold War and the constant threat of nuclear war.”
Curious, she asked, “Can I touch it?” Bill explained, “They performed numerous tests to ensure the fuse mechanism was stable and robust. We’re told there was no nuclear material on the island, but it’s an island of secrets, so who knows?”
Anita concluded, “That is terrifying… it’s a lot to take in. That’s just wild, I didn’t expect to see a nuclear bomb today.”
Ahead of the episode’s broadcast, a clip shared on social media saw fans rallying behind Anita. One wrote, “‘Can I touch it?’ AMAZING COMMENT! I’d be lining up to do the same.”
Another remarked, “Orford Ness is such a haunting place with a seriously long military history.”
As Anita teased the final leg of her journey, a follower commented, “Really enjoying that road trip around the east coast.”
Countryfile airs Sundays at 7pm on BBC One and is available on iPlayer.