A FLAGSHIP BBC programme paid tribute to the "truly inspirational landscape" of the Lake District this week, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of William Wordsworth's birth.

Countryfile, one of the BBC's most-loved primetime programmes, this week focused on the Lake District's most celebrated literary figure, William Wordsworth, and the stunning natural landscapes that inspired his Romantic poetry.

This year saw the 250th anniversary of Wordsworth's birth - on April 7.

Presenters Ellie Harrison and Joe Crowley travelled to Cumbria to highlight the lesser-known but found impact the writings that William Wordsworth's sister, Dorothy, had on the famous poet's literary creations.

Polly Atkins, a Wordsworth scholar and herself a poet, explained to presenter Ellie that Dorothy's insight into the world around her and brother William had a profound effect on what would become some of the most famous and celebrated poetry in English literary history.

"There are a lot of people who say that the poet 'Wordsworth' is actually made out of Dorothy and William.

"It's not just one person.

"William admits that himself. He says 'she gave me eyes, she gave me ears'.

"Dorothy taught him how to see, and that's what made him be a poet."

Polly explained that the most famous of William Wordsworth's poetic evocations - the "golden daffodils" of his most well-known poem I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud came from Dorothy's journal, in which she wrote following walks close by to her Grasmere home.

Polly and other literary scholars today are seeking to address the historically less widely-appreciated role that Dorothy Wordsworth played in Cumbria's most celebrated literary creations.

Scholars today do not seek to minimise William's reputation, but instead to more accurately reflect the profound role that Dorothy played in the creation of Wordsworth's revered poetry.