DORSET once again is taking over television sets across the country and this time for one of the nation's most treasured programmes, Countryfile.

The Etches Collection and the lifetime fossil hunting work of Dorset plumber Steve Etches from Kimmeridge is set to be captured in the latest episode of the BBC programme on tonight at 6.30pm.

The team at the multi-million pound Heritage Lottery Funded museum on the coast were visited by Matt Baker and a camera crew for filming earlier this month.

Steve Etches' daughter, Carla Crook, who works at the museum alongside her dad, said: "They approached us having heard about us in the press. The episode they have done is on the Jurassic Coast and we're just part of it.

"It was really exciting to have them come down."

Steve Etches received an MBE in 2014 for his services to palaeontology. His aim has always been to make his collection of thousands of marine reptile fossils available to the public and 'share the remarkable stories behind the extraordinary creatures'.

Giant fossilised femurs and two metre long jaws of pliosaurs from 150 million years ago line the walls of the museum in Kimmeridge now open to the public.

Mrs Crook said: "They wanted to have a look at the scientific importance of the place and the collection and understand the curation and conservation of the fossils and everything dad does – from finding them to then what he does in the workshop to preserve them and show them in the museum in all their glory.

"They asked about the creatures how they lived and died and they wanted to know more about dad's background and what drives him."

Also being featured in the episode is the Hole family, a third generation farming family from Purbeck who have been capturing their farming life through photography.

Mrs Crook said: "Matt Baker was really down to earth, completely genuine and professional and interested in what we had to say.

"They were a fabulous team and really nice and we were quite proud to be a part of it."

*Countryfile: Jurassic Coast, is on BBC1 tonight at 6.30pm. The episode will be available to watch on BBC Iplayer shortly after.