Tongue-in-cheek welcome to report on Northamptonshire's River 'Neen' for BBC One's Countryfile

"I'm exploring the 'Neen' Valley, a landscape with the river of that name at its heart," said Tom Heap in an opening narration that made the county wince in unison
Northamptonshire was featured on BBC One's Countryfile last night for a report on the River... 'Neen'?Northamptonshire was featured on BBC One's Countryfile last night for a report on the River... 'Neen'?
Northamptonshire was featured on BBC One's Countryfile last night for a report on the River... 'Neen'?

Northamptonshire's residents enjoyed a spotlight on the county last night for BBC One's Countryfile - except maybe for small detail.

The county was presented in all its glory last night as part of a feature of Nene Valley, from east Northamptonshire to the coast of Guy's Head.

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But despite this, many county residents will have been at odds with presenter Tom Heap's pronunciation of the River Nene.

"I'm exploring the 'Neen' Valley, a landscape with the river of that name at its heart," said Tom in an opening narration that made the county wince in unison.

The presented went on to declare the river is "pronounced 'Neen' or 'Nen' depending on where you live".

However, for the rest of the programme, the audience were well informed about the life and stories of residents on the River 'Neen'.

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"Really frustrating that Tom, having explained at the beginning of Countryfile, the two different pronunciations of Nene, then uses the incorrect one for Northamptonshire throughout," wrote Northampton resident @TheCountessa on Twitter. "It changes to 'Neen' in Cambridgeshire."

Last night's show (February 21) featured a segment on the River's tendency to burst its banks and the flood defences in place to prevent it.

This included a segment on the residents of Northampton's Billing Aquadrome where over a thousand tenants were forced to evacuate in the Christmas flood of December 2020.

Another winning segment focused on Ted the super dog, a one-pooch wonder on Northamptonshire's Search and Rescue team who has helped save dozens of lives in the county.