LANDMARKS familiar to Kngston residents will feature in a new documentary series on the Secrets of the Royal Gardens, with the first episode airing tonight.

The new documentary programme narrated by Downton Abbey actor Hugh Bonneville takes a peek behind the scenes at many of the places we in Kingston know and love.

These include the gardens of Hampton Court and London's eight Royal Parks, including the beloved Shire Horses of Richmond Park.

Hampton Court Palace and Kew Gardens are among the London attractions featuring in tonight's instalment at 9pm on More4.

Next week's episode will focus on the Royal Parks with Richmond Park, Hyde Park and Greenwich Park all making appearances.

Andrew Scattergood, Chief Executive of The Royal Parks, said: "We're delighted to be featuring in episode 2 of this fascinating series and to be sharing some of the Royal Parks' best-kept secrets.

"The parks comprise 5,000 acres of beautiful, natural and historic royal parkland across London and although many people will have visited them numerous times before, there are still some amazing stories and little known facts about the parks that people won't be aware of.

"We hope everyone enjoys watching the documentary as much as we enjoyed making it."

In The Times newspaper a preview of tonight's episode reads: "Hugh Bonneville narrates a new series that goes behind the scenes of some of Britain's royal gardens and parks, with contributions from historians, garden designers, wildlife experts and royal gardeners.

"The first episode offers a rare glimpse of the palace gardens, from Buckingham Palace to Kensington Palace and Hampton Court.

"Did you know that Buckingham Palace is home to rare bats and Italian honey bees that produce up to 200 jars of honey each year?

"The royal gardener Graham Dillamore reveals the sunken garden at Kensington Palace, while at Kew's Royal Botanic Gardens we find out how Prince Philip's legacy continues to grow."