The beauty of Dorset, and some of its fine characters, are captured in a brand new ITV series which starts this week.

It’s called Harbour Lives and at the helm is affable Ben Fogle who set out to explore the county, taking in everything from the millionaires’ playground of Sandbanks, to the trawlers in our waters, to the appeal of an area that attracts four million visitors every year.

For Ben it’s a dream come true. “Dorset was where I spent much of my childhood,” he said.

“So I knew Poole very well, although there were lots of new areas that I discovered too.

“I’ve been desperate for an opportunity to explore the British Isles again. So for me it was an amazing opportunity to spend some time in a county that I love.”

While the 39-year-old presenter still visits Poole often, he hadn’t been back to Lulworth Cove, Studland and Corfe Castle, ‘all those great historic places’, since he studied geography at school.

“It reminded me how beautiful they are, they’re just breathtaking.”

Ben starts his journey at Sandbanks, dubbed Britain’s answer to Monte Carlo. He meets up with estate agent Adrian Dunford who reveals that his company sold £50m worth of property last year.

Viewers are treated to a guided tour of one of the most expensive properties in Dorset. For sale at £5m, it comes complete with a chef’s kitchen, an indoor garden and hidden televisions.

The eight-part Harbour Lives also sees a £40m apartment development, which is not yet completed, but is due to open shortly.

Would Ben like to own a property on Sandbanks?

“Yes I’d love to,” he said.

“There’s a lot of glass and steel architecture, which I really like, that modern architecture. And it’s the views that just make it so stunning. I might have to work for another couple of hundred years before that actually happens, but we can all dream!”

Also in the programme, Ben meets Joe Miller, a trawlerman whose family has been fishing in the area for nine generations. Ben slips on oilskins and hops aboard Joe’s trawler to help haul in the catch of the day as Joe explains how important it is to keep the family traditions going.

The mix of people the programme follows is an intriguing one. Such as Rob Brockett, the man who worked as a project manager on the London Underground, but gave it all up to start a polo club in Dorset. Rob shows Ben around the club, and he meets the horses, including one that Rob has been trying to train to play the game.

Ben added: “There’s also the couple who’ve set up a vineyard to make sparkling wine that’s now beating some of the actual champagne producers in France – again, a pretty amazing prospect and gamble for them.”

Viewers can expect to see inspiring stories of individuals and families who’ve made a move to the area to follow their dreams, and also people who were born in the area and who make a living off the land or the tourism.

One of the most inspiring characters Ben met during filming was Pete Miles of Storm Fish restaurant in Poole.

“Pete is an amazing character, people need to ‘watch this space’ for him, I think we’ll see a lot more of him. He’s not really your stereotypical fisherman. He’s cool and good looking, takes the fish straight to the restaurant and cooks up these wonderful recipes. He’s definitely what you’d call a modern fisherman, very entrepreneurial. I really loved his philosophy on life; he had a funny manner to him, he just made you smile. I love the simplicity of catching the fish and cooking it straight up. I think he genuinely stood out and would be someone who I could remain friends with.”

As well as sunny characters, there’s sunshine by the bucket load.

“We were really lucky with the weather. Having filmed extensively in the UK I can’t really remember a block of sunny weather like that. We all love looking at sunshine and I think it brings the show to life – that, and the diversity of everything from people to landscapes.”

And what was a personal highlight for Ben during the making of the series?

“I love mucking about in water on boats, so visiting the Sunseeker factory and then being able to go out on one…

“It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it.”

Harbour Lives starts on ITV1 on Friday June 14, 8pm.