TV presenter Matt Baker has given his verdict on Jeremy Clarkson’s farming show saying how it helped to ‘highlight’ how ‘challenging and difficult’ it can be.
The Countryfile host spoke about Clarkson’s Farm whilst being interviewed for his new More4 show Our Farm in the Dales.
The first four-part series of the show aired in April this year and was a huge hit for More4 and has since been recommissioned for two more series and a Christmas special too.
It follows former The One Show presenter, Matt Baker, and his wife and kids who have moved back to the organic sheep farm where he grew up in the Durham hills following his mum's nasty accident, where she was trampled by her Hampshire Down sheep, which left her needing a knee replacement.
Talking about the current appetite for farming TV shows, 43-year-old Matt said: “Any telly is good telly when it’s on about our world [farming]. It’s all about welcoming people in and offering them insight.
“Jeremy Clarkson’s show really highlighted a lot of the struggles farmers have and to take that approach of questioning things and constantly being surprised is actually really helpful for the farming industry.
“It just shows how challenging and difficult it can really be. So, hats off to Clarkson for doing that.
“It’s a tough industry, it’s hard work, it’s not the idyllic life that’s sometimes portrayed – it’s full-on.”
Matt also revealed how he enjoys Our Yorkshire Farm with shepherdess Amanda Owen which is currently in its fifth series and airs on on Channel 5 on Tuesday at 9pm.
The presenter opened up about how ‘proud’ he is to have been working on ‘trailblazing’ BBC One show Countryfile since its early days and said he always knew the rural show would be a hit.
Matt said: “It’s interesting as Countryfile was a trailblazing programme – there was no rural TV on a primetime slot back then and suddenly there was a raft of it being commissioned left, right and centre off the back of the success of Countryfile.
“I’m very proud of having been involved since the early days – I never questioned whether it would be a success, I knew it would be. This is my world, I’m very passionate about it, and if people want to get involved and do it too, then I’ll support them every step of the way.”
The first episode of the second series of Our Farm in the Dales aired on Monday (October 18) and speaking of the new series Matt said viewers could expect more futureproofing of the County Durham farm.
He said: “Each show takes a different element of the farm and futureproofs it – changing the direction of it in a really entertaining way. We just filmed the reality of it as it unfolds – all of us get involved and anything goes really!
“There’s cooking, there’s craft and we even have an old car that we dug out of a field that we’re renovating. It’s an evening of TV in one programme!”
Matt Baker: Our Farm in the Dales airs on Mondays at 9pm on More4.
