[bigchicken]

I honestly think that the vast majority of people in this country don't care two hoots about the farmers of this country, they are far far removed from farming and food production. Ask any kids from an urban area where there milk. steak. pork,mutton, bread, chips, come from and I bet they don't know. So maybe this program is made for them. Country matter are aphorent to most ask them to kill gut skin and prepare an animal to eat. Ask them to grow some vegetables in there gardens. Ask them to kill vermin to protect there animals or crops they haven't a clue and because they are so far removed they don't care. This started happening in the industrial revolution and now we are here, happy days. These few lines are not a critisisum of anyones way of life just a few of my observations and thoughts.

[devonlady]

I don't watch television but have started to watch Countryfile on youtube. I notice all the animals involved are very well behaved, as yet no-one has been bitten, butted, suffered a black eye by a swinging horn or had their foot trodden on by a heavy pig.
No-one has stepped out of their welly in thick mud, landed on their bum in same mud or have been heard screaming " Bloody, fu****g sheep/pigs/geese"
'Nor have I seen anyone, battered by driving rain, struggling up a field with a bale of hay on their back, but, maybe I haven't watched far enough (or it's just me )
I can see the appeal of this programme to folk sitting in their warm living room while the snow falls and thinking "Oh, what an idyllic life!" and I suppose the TV company who produce it is only doing it to make money but, no, so far I can see it doesn't portray real farming life.

[Louise Gaunt]

My concern is that Countryfile portrays the idyllic life, lovely countryside egg, so the wealthy urbanites  want a piece of this paradise but then having bought up all the houses and good land for weekend ponies, then go on to complain about the noise and smells from the agricultural industry! Not only do we have a divide between those inside the M25 and the rest of the country, but we have a rural/ urban divide, which is only fostered by the rosy spectacled view of the BBC. There, I fel better now, nothing like a bit of a rant to get the blood flowing!

[SallyintNorth]

To be fair, Sylvia, I've seen Adam on his backside more than once, we've seen him nearly get charged by his new Highland bull, last week a fireman nearly got crushed by a dairy cow (and a lot of the cows were walking badly), and Matt quite often gets muddy / knocked about.  We've also seen Adam with a collie dog not working well.

Kate, bless her, regularly gets covered in all kinds of things, but she's not on CF, I know.

[Buttermilk]

The programme is run with an agenda and that agenda does not include farming for food production.  Has anyone else noticed that farmers are always the baddies?  Take the programme on birds the other week, farming practices were blamed for the lack of small birds ect.  Not one mention of the increase in predators.  There was a noticeable lack of birds of prey mentioned, nothing about far more pet cats around and as for badgers, foxes ect we all know that the baddie farmers are persecuting them to the point of extinction...

What got my goat was running courses so that farmers could identify what birds they could see as if no farmer knows the birds they see day in and day out.  Sorry I forgot farmers dont see birds anymore.

[Garmoran]

Ask any kids from an urban area except the small number whose family is actively engaged in agriculture where their milk. steak. pork,mutton, bread, chips, come from and I bet they don't know.

(I think you're unduly confident in the knowledge of most people who live in rural areas)

No-one has stepped out of their welly in thick mud, landed on their bum in same mud or have been heard screaming " Bloody, fu****g sheep"
'Nor have I seen anyone, battered by driving rain, struggling up a field with a bale of hay on their back, but, maybe I haven't watched far enough (or it's just me )

I'm glad to hear it - I hate having people watch me at work and anyone trying to film me will thoroughly ruin my day 

[Kimbo]

There are so many naturally funny farm wits about  that a day time programme covering aspects of real farming with farmers who are not presenters being filmed would be doing their daily jobs would be far more informative like Countyside 999, but with mud , s**t, and wry humour.

Gosh, you wouldn't think so from the buttock-clenchingly awful cheesy jokes sent in to Farming Today. They were so bad that the slot had to be humanely PTS...and thank god for it.

[Rosemary]

Wouldn't you think that, with all the channels, someone could make a weekly programme about land based issues? I think "Landward" does a better job than "Countryfile"tbh.

[SallyintNorth]

Go for it Rosemary 

[Lesley Silvester]

I've not heard of Landward. Tell me more.

[Rosemary]

I've not heard of Landward. Tell me more.

It's a BBC Scotland programme - Dougie Vipond, Ewan McIlwraith and Sarah - can't rememebr her surname. Dougie Vipond is the drummer with "Deacon Blue" as well 

[Greenerlife]

Tv programmes are "chosen" by the viewer. If you don't think that Countryfile represents the country life then simply turn it off.  Any programme you could mention across all channels has its admirers and haters, people who complain about the content, people who want to see more like it, people who like certain aspects but hate others, and don't get me started on presenters!  I find Countryfile much dumbed down in recent years, so now I don't watch it, unless I have a particular interest in an 'article' much like a magazine.  BBC bashing seems very prevalent at the moment, and I have no truck with that whatsoever.  Just go to any other country in the world and then come back and appreciate what we have in the BBC. 

[nutterly_uts]

We've also seen Adam with a collie dog not working well.

I LOVE that dog. Clearly a collie who doesn't suffer fools and had zip all respect for someone who'd not put in the work

[Kimbo]

BBC bashing seems very prevalent at the moment, and I have no truck with that whatsoever.  Just go to any other country in the world and then come back and appreciate what we have in the BBC.

In particular....try the TV in USA. I defy you to emerge with the same number of brain cells

[lord flynn]

Dougie Vipond is the drummer with "Deacon Blue" as well 

ah well, can't have everything


I like Landward, used to like CF-I do appreciate the BBC as well, having lived in the US for a while. I do worry our TV is going down the same dumbed down, can't focus on anything for longer than 2mins road though. Luckily the BBC is still doing adaptations like Wolf Hall for the rest of us!