BBC presenter Michael Portillo returned to screens this evening for the latest instalment of his new series, Great Japanese Railway Journeys. This time, he headed to the sacred city of Nara, which is home to some incredible World Heritage Sites as well as almost 1,500 wild deer in Nara Park, with the four-legged creatures coming up to tourists and locals alike who enter their territory. During the episode, Michael befriended a resident who used an instrument to summon the Sika deer, and the sweet animals soon started flocking towards them, leaving the BBC host flustered. The deer clearly knew that the sound of the French horn was linked to their favourite treat: acorns they could graze on.

Michael said, "Apparently, this is a tradition, playing the horn for the deer. How old a tradition is it?" According to the guide, the horn has been blown since 1896.

"The deer are arriving in huge numbers," Michael noted before he started to worry about just how close they were getting to him.

The presenter was surrounded by dozens of deer before saying: "These deer are delightfully tame, but every now and again one tramples me, reminding me that they are wild animals."

"Get off me," he yelled as the animals surrounded him before he was made to flinch and nervously laugh at the cameras.

Following the ordeal, Michael said: "Nara is the home of several important religious sites dating back over a thousand years, both Shinto and Buddhist. Whilst Shinto is indigenous to Japan, Buddhism was imported, and the two have co-existed for centuries."

As the episode aired, fans were distracted by the star's colourful wardrobe as he was waering a purple jacket paired with clashing red trousers.

One person said on X: "Michael Portillo trousers," to which another replied: "Oh yes." Another said: " I love Michael Portillo and his outrageous wardrobe."

Great Japanese Railway Journeys can be streamed on BBC iPlayer.