''Countryfile'' is a British television programme which airs weekly on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

and reports on

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

, and

environmental issue Environmental issues are disruptions in the usual function of ecosystems. Further, these issues can be caused by humans (human impact on the environment) or they can be natural. These issues are considered serious when the ecosystem cannot recov ...

s. The programme is currently presented by

John Craven John Raymond Craven (born 16 August 1940) is an English journalist and television presenter, best known for presenting the BBC programmes '' Newsround'', '' Countryfile'' and '' Beat the Brain''. Early life Craven was born in Leeds, West Rid ...

Adam Henson Adam John Lincoln Henson (born 8 January 1966) is an English farmer, author and television presenter. Early career Born on the farm he now works, Bemborough Farm near Guiting Power, Gloucestershire, he was educated at Cheltenham College and la ...

Matt Baker Matthew James Baker (born 23 December 1977) is a British television presenter. He co-presented the children's television show ''Blue Peter'' from 1999 until 2006, BBC One's '' Countryfile'' since 2009 and ''The One Show'' from 2011 to 2020, wi ...

, Tom Heap, Ellie Harrison,

Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and retired politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. Th ...

Helen Skelton Helen Elizabeth Skelton (born 19 July 1983) is an English television presenter appearing regularly on BBC1's '' Morning Live''. She co-presented the BBC children's programme ''Blue Peter'' from 2008 until 2013, and since 2014 has been a presen ...

, Charlotte Smith, Steve Brown,

Sean Fletcher Sean Fletcher (born 20 April 1974) is an American-English journalist, and television presenter best known as a presenter on '' Good Morning Britain'' and on '' Countryfile''. Fletcher has also presented the ITV daytime game show '' Rebound'' ( ...

Anita Rani Anita Rani Nazran (born 25 October 1977), better known as Anita Rani, is a British radio and television presenter. Early life Rani was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and grew up in Heaton, West Yorkshire, Heaton and Odsal. Her parents were ...

and Sammi Kinghorn.

History

The show was first broadcast on 24 July 1988 as ''Country File''. While farming remained a core ingredient, the programme held a much broader brief—to investigate rural issues and celebrate the beauty and diversity of the British countryside. Anne Brown, Ian Breach, Roger Tabor, Chris Baines and Caroline Hall fronted the programme for its first year under its original producer Mike Fitzgerald. The programme was modelled on a regional BBC magazine series called "Your Country Needs You", presented by Chris Baines, directed by Ann Brown and produced by Mike Fitzgerald. Broadcaster

started fronting the Sunday morning programme in 1989. The programme was originally 30 minutes in length. In April 2009, ''Countryfile'' moved to an early Sunday evening slot, with

and

Julia Bradbury Julia Michele Bradbury (born 24 July 1970) is an English journalist and television presenter, employed by the BBC and ITV, specialising in documentaries and consumer affairs. She is best known for presenting a series of outdoor walking progr ...

joining Craven as co-presenters. Tom Heap and Ellie Harrison also joined in 2009. In 2014,

became a presenter and in 2015,

joined the programme. In 2023, Sammi Kinghorn joined the programme. The programme currently airs 52 weeks of the year and includes a five-day weather forecast live from the BBC's weather studio in London. ''Countryfile'' was originally produced by

BBC Birmingham BBC Birmingham is one of the oldest regional arms of the BBC, located in Birmingham. It was the first region outside London to start broadcasting both the corporation's radio (in 1922) and television (in 1949) transmissions, the latter from t ...

, moving to

BBC Bristol The BBC campus, Broadcasting House Bristol, is located on Whiteladies Road, Bristol. The first building to be occupied was 21/23 Whiteladies Road, which was built in 1852 and is a Grade II listed building, with four radio studios. It was form ...

in 2012.

Overview

Episodes are typically centred on two lead presenters visiting a place or region, and uncovering the stories, characters and traditions which make that area distinctive. Typical subject matter includes wildlife, conservation, farming and food production, the arts, countryside crafts, social history and leisure activities. Presenters and guests are often wearing

British country clothing British country clothing or English country clothing is the folk costume, traditional attire worn in rural areas of the United Kingdom; it is the choice of clothing when taking part in outdoor sports such as Equestrianism, equestrian pursuits, sho ...

, episodes may include several segments with other presenters, uncovering other stories in the region. Compilation programmes occasionally air with a thematic focus, with a reduced number of original segments typically featuring one lead presenter only, and several other segments repeated from previous shows. Journalism remains an integral part of the programme's agenda. BBC News's Rural Affairs Correspondent Tom Heap, Charlotte Smith or John Craven presents a weekly investigation into the big issues affecting the British countryside. Recent examples include the impact of animal diseases, the move towards renewable energy, environmental disasters, threats to rural services as well as changes to farming policy and practices. Farmer Adam Henson joined the programme in 2001 following a search to find a new presenter amongst programme viewers. In 2009 he started fronting the weekly "Adam's Farm" strand which gives viewers an insight into the challenges of running a mixed farm in the

Cotswolds The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedroc ...

. His father, Joe Henson, was one of the original founders of the

Rare Breeds Survival Trust The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is a conservation (ethic), conservation charity whose purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the native farm animal genetic resources (FAnGR) of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1973 b ...

. In 2013 the programme marked its 25th anniversary with a special edition guest-edited by

The Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

. ''Countryfile: A Royal Appointment'' saw the team joining the Prince on his Gloucestershire farm where he shared his passion for the British countryside, rare breed animals, organic farming and hedge-laying. ''Countryfile'' also accompanied him on a trip to

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

to find out what was being done to help struggling hill farmers, before heading to a London comprehensive where pupils were growing and cooking their own food. The Silver Jubilee celebrations continued well into July when 250 viewers were invited to a traditional summer fayre held on Henson's farm. The anniversary was marked by a new title sequence and re-versioned music composed by David Lowe. October 2013 also saw the programme uniting with another BBC institution. Ireland went on to win '' Countryfile's One Man and His Dog'', which was broadcast on 27 October.

Magazine

The BBC's ''Countryfile'' magazine was launched in 2007 and is now published by Immediate Media Co. , the editor is Fergus Collins.

Photographic competition

The ''Countryfile Photographic Competition'' remains a highlight of the programme's year. Viewers are invited to submit entries and the best make up a

wall calendar A calendar is used to display dates and related information, usually in a table format. Calendars are used to plan future events and keep track of appointments, and so a typical calendar will include days of the week, week numbering, months, pub ...

sold in aid of

Children in Need ''BBC Children in Need'' is the BBC's UK Charitable organization, charity dedicated to supporting disadvantaged children and young people across the country. Established in 1980, the organisation has raised over £1 billion by 2023 through its ...

. The 2017 calendar raised over £2.2 million for the charity.

Spin-off programmes

Ageism case

In November 2010, the BBC faced an employment tribunal following allegations of sexism and ageism brought against the corporation by ex-reporter, Miriam O'Reilly. O'Reilly sued the BBC due to the allegations following her dismissal from the programme in 2009, along with other female reporters,

Michaela Strachan Michaela Evelyn Ann Strachan (, born 7 April 1966) is an English television presenter and singer. After beginning her career in theatre, she ventured into presenting and fronted the children's television shows '' Wide Awake Club'' (1986–1989 ...

Juliet Morris Juliet Morris (born 26 April 1965) is a British television presenter. Early life Morris was educated at Lady Eleanor Holles School, an independent school for girls in Hampton in West London, where she recalled the difficulties of being left-h ...

and Charlotte Smith. Former BBC One controller Jay Hunt told the tribunal the claims were "entirely and categorically untrue" as well as "profoundly distressing and utterly offensive", arguing that the only reason for O'Reilly's departure was because she was not recognisable to a peak time audience. On 11 January 2011, the employment tribunal found in favour of O'Reilly's claims on the grounds of ageism and victimisation, but not sexism. The BBC accepted the tribunal's findings after what O'Reilly described as "an incredibly stressful 14 months."

On-air team

Main presenters

(1989—) *

(2001—) *

(2009—) * Tom Heap (2009—) *

(2014—) *

(2015—) *

Vick Hope Victoria Nwayawu Nwosu-Hope (born 25 September 1989) is a British television and radio presenter, journalist and published author. Hope hosts the BBC Radio 1 drivetime show ''Going Home with Vick, Katie and Jamie'' with Katie Thistleton and ...

(2025—)

Reporters, relief presenters and co-presenters

* Charlotte Smith (1998–2009, 2014—) *

Jules Hudson Julian Harold Hudson (born 9 January 1970) is an English archaeologist, television producer and presenter, best known for presenting the BBC series '' Escape to the Country.'' He also frequently presents sections of the environmental document ...

(2009—) * James Wong (2009—) *

Joe Crowley Joseph Crowley (born March 16, 1962) is an American former politician who served as U.S. Representative from New York's 14th congressional district from 1999 to 2019. He was defeated by Democratic primary challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in ...

(2014—) *

Naomi Wilkinson Naomi Wilkinson (born 30 June 1976, in Bristol, England) is an English television presenter. Career Wilkinson was a presenter of ''Milkshake!'', the early-morning programming block for young children on Channel 5 and '' Finger Tips'' for C ...

(2015—) * Steve Brown (2017—) * Margherita Taylor

Former presenters

* Ellie Harrison (2010—2023) *

Clare Balding Clare Victoria Balding (born 29 January 1971) is an English broadcast journalist and author. She currently presents programmes for BBC Sport and Channel 4, and previously for BT Sport. She also formerly presented ''Good Morning Sunday'' on BBC ...

(2011–2012) *

(2004–2014) *

Chris Baines John Christopher Baines (born 4 May 1947) is an English naturalist, one of the UK's leading independent environmentalists.Michael Collie (1989–1995) *

Ben Fogle Benjamin Myer Fogle (born 3 November 1973) is an English broadcaster, writer and adventurer, best known for his presenting roles with British television channels Channel 5, BBC and ITV. Early life Fogle is the son of English actress Julia ...

(2001–2009, 2014–2015) * Caroline Hall (1988-1989) * Joe Henson (–2015) * Shiulie Ghosh (1993–1995) * Katie Knapman (2009–2013)https://uk.linkedin.com/in/katie-knapman-7117502b * Juliet Morris (until 2009) * Miriam O'Reilly (until 2009) * Rupert Segar (1990) *

(1999–2009) * Roger Tabor (1988–1989)

International broadcast

''Countryfile'' started airing on

BBC Knowledge BBC Knowledge was a British television channel which was owned by the BBC and was launched on 1 June 1999, broadcasting documentary, cultural and educational programmes. It was shut down permanently on 2 March 2002, and was replaced by BBC Four. ...

New Zealand in early 2016.

References

External links

*
Official Twitter
*
''Countryfile'' magazine
{{Agriculture in the United Kingdom 1988 British television series debuts 1980s British television series 1990s British television series 2000s British television series 2010s British television series 2020s British television series BBC One original programming Television series by BBC Studios British English-language television shows Rural society in the United Kingdom Television shows about agriculture