DORSET'S Jurassic Coast is the star in a new television programme – thanks to Weymouth's tall ship Pelican.

The crew of TS Pelican were asked to assist a team filming the new series of the popular BBC2 documentary Coast.

And the crew made sure they were shipshape as they welcomed aboard presenters Neil Oliver and Tessa Dunlop.

The team were welcomed on board and spent a day visiting the amazing geological landmarks that the world famous coastline has to offer, including Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove, Portland and White Nothe.

This included the use of a drone to film aerial shots of the ship and harder to reach areas of the landscape.

Coast is billed as a 'fascinating journey around the coast of the United Kingdom, uncovering stories that have made us the island nation we are today'. It was first broadcast in 2005 and now in its eleventh series.

It is understood the story of the Pelican, originally an Arctic fishing trawler and now a sail training ship taking young people on adventures, will also be featured in the programme.

Becky Simmons, Marketing Manager at Adventure Under Sail – the charity which operates TS Pelican – said: "It was a really special day for our crew who absolutely loved having the Coast team on board.

"Neil and Tessa were very keen to get involved in the sailing of the ship and could be seen hauling on ropes and taking the helm throughout the day.

"It really was a great day for sailing and the weather couldn't have been better."

She added: "BBC Coast contacted the Weymouth Harbour Master, Keith Howorth, and asked if he knew of any sailing ships which might like to be involved and he put them in touch with us.

"They were really excited when they saw images of the ship and one of the first things they asked was whether they could get involved with sailing the ship.

"Thanks go to Harbour Master Keith Howorth for helping make this happen."

The new series of Coast featuring TS Pelican and Dorset's Jurassic Coast is due to be aired in August.