Meerkat Sir Alan looks for an apprentice, some lizard punks spend the Bank Holiday reliving their youth, and a Geordie anteater guides us through the complex world of ant cuisine

Jason Manford, Rhod Gilbert, Isy Suttie et al are joined by natural treasure Barbara Windsor as the natural world talks rhubarb.

Richard E Grant as an angry camel, an owl with indigestion, a down-on-his-luck Ninja Turtle and a community of puffins preparing for Mexican Night are among the animal folk in this 30-minute talking beast barn dance.

The team introduce viewers to some Bird Builders From Hell, and catch the first slice of Wildlife On Mars, in which Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt are resurrected as monkey policemen.

A small exotic bird called Kevin performs a moving tribute to Michael Jackson, some wolves are cheating at Bingo, and the credit crunch hits Santa's team of reindeer as new boy Ken is made redundant.