The nights are drawing in, the frost is settling on the fields, and Channel 5 is rolling out its annual dose of heartwarming agricultural antics with the return of Winter on the Farm. This season, presenter Helen Skelton isn’t just observing the rural rhythm – she’s jumping into the fray, attempting to show prize-winning sheep at her local Cumbrian show. One can only hope the sheep are more cooperative than a live TV audience.
Skelton rejoins Jules Hudson at Cannon Hall Farm for this four-part series, which is less about groundbreaking investigative journalism and more about cozy escapism with a side of adorable livestock. While Skelton grapples with the finer points of sheep showing, farmers Rob and Dave Nicholson are off on a slightly more glamorous adventure, exploring the Finnish countryside and its unique farming practices. Hopefully, they packed their thermal underwear.
Meanwhile, JB Gill, proving his agricultural interests extend beyond the chicken coop, visits a London vineyard during its winter harvest. Because who needs rolling hills and bucolic charm when you can have grapes growing in the shadow of the Shard? And Jules Hudson, ever the romantic, encourages viewers to embrace the long winter nights by looking up at the stars. One assumes he’ll offer tips on identifying constellations, not just staring blankly into the abyss.
The premiere also features JB Gill encountering a farmer with a novel approach to cow milking – because apparently, the old-fashioned way is just too pedestrian these days – and Yorkshire Vet Rohin Aojula treating his dad to a bovine meet-and-greet. It’s the kind of heartwarming content that’ll have you reaching for the hot cocoa and yearning for a simpler life, even if you’re allergic to hay.
Winter on the Farm airs for four consecutive nights on Channel 5, offering a welcome respite from the usual holiday programming onslaught. Tune in to Channel 5 at 8pm on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, for the season premiere.
