WILTSHIRE features in a new TV series presented by the Cirencester star of a BBC sitcom.

BAFTA award-winning writer and actor Charlie Cooper, who grew up in the town, is bringing his passion for folklore to the small screen in a new series for BBC Three and BBC iPlayer.

He is best known for being the co-creator and star of This Country, a series which was filmed in Northleach and brought rural perspectives to mainstream audiences.

His new series, Charlie Cooper’s Myth Country, sees him exploring sites from crop circles and UFO sightings in Wiltshire to ghost dogs roaming the coast and countryside of East Anglia.

He meets the believers and the naysayers, visiting iconic locations and gathering evidence in a bid to find the truth.

The series also explores how these legends shape the identity of the places and people they come from.

Three 30-minute episodes see Mr Cooper uncover eyewitness accounts of strange goings-on, as well as staging his own experiments in a bid to bring him closer to the truth.

The series producer is Rob Gill.

Mr Cooper said: "I’m really excited about this new series, as I’ve always been fascinated by local legends, myth and folklore.

"As I see it, my mission is to explore our ancient world, seek out mythical creatures and boldly go where no TV presenter has gone before."

June saw a charity football match take place in Cirencester between a This Country team and a Cirencester Town Veterans team in aid of the Children's Football Alliance.

The charity is a collection of organisations and agencies that safeguard and advance the rights of kids in football.

The day before the match, Mr Cooper's father, This Country actor Paul Cooper, led CFA fundraising tours of Northleach covering show filming locations.

You can watch Charlie Cooper’s Myth Country via bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002384n