Countryfile presenter Anita Rani was left admitting 'that's terrifying' after coming face-to-face with a nuclear bomb during a road trip along the east coast. The final stop of her journey aired on Sunday, July 26.
Anita travelled to the mysterious Orford Ness in Suffolk, once a top-secret military testing facility. Now a protected coastal landscape, its former military buildings serve as nesting sites for seabirds.
Surprise encounter with a nuclear bomb
During her visit, Anita was 'surprised' with a nuclear bomb. 'No way, an actual nuclear bomb?' she asked her guide, Bill.
He replied: 'This is a bomb that they tested on Orford Ness here. They test it to make sure it was stable, so if it was being flown in a plane, it didn't go off unexpectedly. This is a small one, but this is a nuclear bomb.'
Anita admitted: 'Goodness me, how utterly terrifying.'
Historical significance and Cold War memories
Bill continued: 'It is, it's scary that this has got the potential of being somewhere about the half impact of the Hiroshima bomb.'
Anita replied: 'This is such a strange experience as a child who grew up during the Cold War and the threat of nuclear war, left, right and centre, and it all being part of my childhood.'
As Bill explained more about the bomb, Anita asked: 'Can I touch it?' He described how the bomb was tested to ensure the fuse mechanism was stable and robust.
'We're told that there was no nuclear material on the island, but it's an island of secrets, so who knows?' Bill added.
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.'
Countryfile airs Sundays at 7pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
