Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

The Springwatch team is offering viewers the opportunity to own a little piece of Springwatch by putting its iconic sofa under the hammer for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ animal charity – the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Wildlife Fund.

The rather shabby chic sofa has been a stalwart of the show since its birth six years ago.

Producers felt its moth-eaten look reflected the down-to-earth, no frills tone of the show – although many presenters over the years have complained that it's uncomfortable and rather small!

Now the sofa is to be auctioned off after its last show on Thursday 17 June. Viewers can bid for it via bbc.co.uk/wild, until 22 June. The lucky new owner will be able to bask in its provenance.

Last year, Kate Humble said she would not only eat her hat, but also eat the Springwatch sofa if Simon King managed to film wild polecats – and he did! Luckily, in order to preserve props, Kate was released from the wager.

The team has always wondered if an animal would actually choose to nest in it (it has lots of handy holes in it with soft interior).

During Springwatch 2008, in Pensthorpe in North Norfolk, a family of wrens nested in the studio while the show was going out, but they never used the sofa itself. It's possible that the parent wrens could have used the sofa stuffing to line their nest.

On Sunday 20 June, Kate Humble, Chris Packham and Martin Hughes-Games will be going global in a live fundraising extravaganza for conservation projects across the world, in Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two's Wild Night In.

The team will be joined by celebrity guests, including Edith Bowman and Graham Norton, and there will be contributions from David Attenborough and conservationists in the front line.

Audiences will be invited to donate cash and continue fundraising for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Wildlife Fund during the two-hour telethon.

Since the fund was launched in 2007, it has raised over Β£2m to help save threatened animals and wild places in the UK and abroad.

BR/LS2