BBC Countryfile presenter Ellie Harrison was filmed riding the rapids at Low Force earlier this month as part of a new episode which will be aired this Sunday, April 23.
Rob Atkinson, who runs the Kingsway Adventure Centre, in Middleton-in-Teesdale with his wife Abi, was invited to join the TV team to share his knowledge and experience of the water.
Mr Atkinson said: “We got a phone call to say they were doing a story on the River Tees and about how it has changed from being polluted to being clean.
“As part of that they were going to be taking water samples from the river.”
Having visited High Force, the Countryfile team stopped by for lunch at the Kingsway Centre before venturing to the next waterfall.
Mr Atkinson said: “We explained to them how we use the river as part of our business and how we depend on it.
“We do kayaking and other activities on the river. If it was not there or it was polluted we could not run all those activities.”
Freelance instructor Paul Dixon joined Mr Atkinson to help give Ms Harrison the chance to experience white water swimming.
Mr Atkinson said: “We had a good time. Ellie was really nice. She was scared to begin with but she did it and she did really well.”
The pair also shared their water safety knowledge and expertise with the Countryfile team.
Mr Dixon added: “We gave Ellie a fun experience of the water. She got a full experience of the power of the water but it was controlled and safe.
“That part of the river is the best in the north east for water safety. It is manageable but you can experience it too,” he said.
Mr Atkinson added: “We jumped off Low Force and did a bit about water safety, making sure we had the right equipment in light of incidents that have happened in the rivers.”
This week’s episode will also feature Matt Baker on his old home turf at Easington Colliery discovering the joys of a regional dish, Penackelty, which he helped cook up with former Masterchef finalist Bill Smithson.
Sean Fletcher will also be shown with the boys and girls of the 15th Middlesbrough Scout Group helping with their environmental projects at the Tees Barrage.
Viewers can watch the show on BBC One at 7pm.
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