By Walter White

Provence, that idyllic corner of south east France, is abundant with wildlife. From the ibex and prong-horned chamois scaling the rugged foothills of the Alps to dolphins sporting in the Med and eagle owls swooping through the canyons, the lavender-infused area is a naturalist’s dream.

So when Ray Mears took his cameras into the heart of Provence for his series Wild France (ITV), we should have expected a glorious tapestry of exotic animal and bird life.

So what did we get? Peering interminably through binoculars, in his trademark ridiculously short shorts, the tubby survivalist focused on all the wonders around him -- a few bees on some lavender, a praying mantis and wait for it, wild boar snuffling for roots.

You’ll find more wild boar digging up the greens on a Provencal golf course. You can’t move for these porcine scavengers ploughing furrows through domesticated gardens and urban football fields.

Hold up – Ray’s located a rare eagle nesting high in a cliff face. Minutes dragged by as he trained his scopes on what appeared to be an empty nest. ‘Maybe,’ he mused, ‘ the chicks are hidden deep inside the cliff.’ Finally, the viewer’s patience was rewarded by a fully grown eagle hopping onto a rock, filmed from what seemed about 20 kilometres away.

Compare Mears’ tedious travelogue to the current BBC showing of Highlands - Scotland’s Wild Heart. From breathtaking scenes of osprey swooping on fish to dolphins attempting time and again to swallow huge salmon (they turn on their sides to gulp the whole fish down their gullet). Fascinating, instructive imagery which stays long in the mind after the show has finished.

OK, so Ray only gets half-an-hour of TV time and no doubt he’s on a much tighter budget – about as tight as his buttock-straining shorts.