This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/apr/24/countryfile-shakespeare-special-caps-shows-unexpected-success
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Countryfile Shakespeare special caps show's unexpected success Countryfile Shakespeare special caps show's unexpected success | |
| (1 day later) | |
| Countryfile is the unexpected TV success story of its generation, a rural affairs show that went from fewer than 2 million viewers to become the most watched factual programme on British television. | Countryfile is the unexpected TV success story of its generation, a rural affairs show that went from fewer than 2 million viewers to become the most watched factual programme on British television. |
| At its peak, the Sunday night show fronted by Matt Baker, Ellie Harrison and John Craven was watched by more than 9 million viewers, eclipsing BBC1’s EastEnders, Saturday night talent show The Voice and briefly topping Simon Cowell’s The X Factor on ITV. | At its peak, the Sunday night show fronted by Matt Baker, Ellie Harrison and John Craven was watched by more than 9 million viewers, eclipsing BBC1’s EastEnders, Saturday night talent show The Voice and briefly topping Simon Cowell’s The X Factor on ITV. |
| Its place at the broadcasting top table will be confirmed on Sunday when Dame Judi Dench joins Craven for a Shakespeare special at 7pm, and the pair perform together as the world’s unlikeliest Romeo and Juliet. | Its place at the broadcasting top table will be confirmed on Sunday when Dame Judi Dench joins Craven for a Shakespeare special at 7pm, and the pair perform together as the world’s unlikeliest Romeo and Juliet. |
| Countryfile’s soaring popularity echoes the success of another BBC show, The Great British Bake Off, which began with an audience almost as small to become the UK’s most popular TV programme | Countryfile’s soaring popularity echoes the success of another BBC show, The Great British Bake Off, which began with an audience almost as small to become the UK’s most popular TV programme |
| Like the nostalgic appeal of Bake Off, with its gingham cloths and union jack bunting, Countryfile appeals to viewers’ memories of a past when they were more connected to the land and the environment around them. | Like the nostalgic appeal of Bake Off, with its gingham cloths and union jack bunting, Countryfile appeals to viewers’ memories of a past when they were more connected to the land and the environment around them. |
| But unlike Countryfile, Bake Off was nurtured in the heart of primetime on BBC2 before making the switch to BBC1. Back in 2009, Countryfile was thrust into the limelight on the whim of its then controller, Jay Hunt, after 20 years in the relative doldrums of Sunday daytime. | But unlike Countryfile, Bake Off was nurtured in the heart of primetime on BBC2 before making the switch to BBC1. Back in 2009, Countryfile was thrust into the limelight on the whim of its then controller, Jay Hunt, after 20 years in the relative doldrums of Sunday daytime. |
| “There’s no doubt in my mind that the real star of the show is the British countryside in all its seasons and moods, and it seems to me that we Brits take a rather proprietorial attitude towards it,” said Craven, a fixture on the show since it was first broadcast in 1988. | “There’s no doubt in my mind that the real star of the show is the British countryside in all its seasons and moods, and it seems to me that we Brits take a rather proprietorial attitude towards it,” said Craven, a fixture on the show since it was first broadcast in 1988. |
| “We don’t own it – at least most of us don’t – but we want to safeguard it, to cherish it, make sure it comes to no harm. That’s why conservation groups have far more members than political parties. | “We don’t own it – at least most of us don’t – but we want to safeguard it, to cherish it, make sure it comes to no harm. That’s why conservation groups have far more members than political parties. |
| “Countryfile’s success mirrors that concern and allows millions of viewers a vicarious trip to some of our loveliest landscapes from the Sunday evening comfort of their armchairs.” | “Countryfile’s success mirrors that concern and allows millions of viewers a vicarious trip to some of our loveliest landscapes from the Sunday evening comfort of their armchairs.” |
| Like Midsomer Murders then, but without the murders. Just don’t call it escapist. “It’s certainly not an escapist programme,” said Craven. | Like Midsomer Murders then, but without the murders. Just don’t call it escapist. “It’s certainly not an escapist programme,” said Craven. |
| “We deal with realities – the nitty-gritty of life in the green acres is all there – but we also take great pleasure in showing the beauty of our countryside and the diversity of its people. What better backdrop could any presenter have?” | “We deal with realities – the nitty-gritty of life in the green acres is all there – but we also take great pleasure in showing the beauty of our countryside and the diversity of its people. What better backdrop could any presenter have?” |
| More than a “show about sheep”, recent episodes have featured the issue of domestic violence in rural communities, on the back of the long-running storyline in Radio 4’s The Archers. In a feature about gamekeeping, presenter Matt Baker watched students being trained in shooting deer and joined in a lesson on butchering the animal. | More than a “show about sheep”, recent episodes have featured the issue of domestic violence in rural communities, on the back of the long-running storyline in Radio 4’s The Archers. In a feature about gamekeeping, presenter Matt Baker watched students being trained in shooting deer and joined in a lesson on butchering the animal. |
| “There’s probably more sex and violence in Countryfile than in any other show I have made,” said its executive editor, Bill Lyons. “It’s about procreation, where our food comes from and the best practices in animal husbandry; it’s that thing, from farm to fork.” | “There’s probably more sex and violence in Countryfile than in any other show I have made,” said its executive editor, Bill Lyons. “It’s about procreation, where our food comes from and the best practices in animal husbandry; it’s that thing, from farm to fork.” |
| Countryfile averaged 6.2 million viewers last year and its most popular episode, this February, was watched by 8.8 million, peaking with 9.4 million. Next month it will launch a daily spin-off programme, Countryside Diaries, fronted by Craven. | Countryfile averaged 6.2 million viewers last year and its most popular episode, this February, was watched by 8.8 million, peaking with 9.4 million. Next month it will launch a daily spin-off programme, Countryside Diaries, fronted by Craven. |
| All this on a budget the fraction of primetime drama. BBC1’s The Night Manager cost £20m for its six-part run. For that amount, say industry insiders, you could buy a year’s worth of Countryfile – it is on 52 weeks a year – with change to spare. | All this on a budget the fraction of primetime drama. BBC1’s The Night Manager cost £20m for its six-part run. For that amount, say industry insiders, you could buy a year’s worth of Countryfile – it is on 52 weeks a year – with change to spare. |
| Lyons attributes its success to a modern society where we are “increasingly remote from each other. People have a memory of when they were directly connected to the land, through their parents or great-grandparents, and even people who live in the city are intrigued by that.” | Lyons attributes its success to a modern society where we are “increasingly remote from each other. People have a memory of when they were directly connected to the land, through their parents or great-grandparents, and even people who live in the city are intrigued by that.” |
| He added: “It may be that in England you have to go back further than in the Celtic countries, but there is a real pull and a sense that back in the day it could have been me on the farm.” | He added: “It may be that in England you have to go back further than in the Celtic countries, but there is a real pull and a sense that back in the day it could have been me on the farm.” |
| The Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins this week called Countryfile the “most political show on TV”. Lyons agrees. | The Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins this week called Countryfile the “most political show on TV”. Lyons agrees. |
| “The countryside from a political point of view is probably one of the most fraught territories in British life and has been for centuries,” he said. | “The countryside from a political point of view is probably one of the most fraught territories in British life and has been for centuries,” he said. |
| “It’s all about territory and whose landscape it is going right back to before the Enclosure Acts [in the 18th and 19th century] to the right to roam and fracking and wind farms today. It is very fertile territory.” | “It’s all about territory and whose landscape it is going right back to before the Enclosure Acts [in the 18th and 19th century] to the right to roam and fracking and wind farms today. It is very fertile territory.” |
| The switch to primetime seven years ago was controversial after the revamp saw four female presenters, all in their 40s or 50s, dropped from the show. One of them, Miriam O’Reilly, took the BBC to an employment tribunal and won a landmark case for age discrimination. | The switch to primetime seven years ago was controversial after the revamp saw four female presenters, all in their 40s or 50s, dropped from the show. One of them, Miriam O’Reilly, took the BBC to an employment tribunal and won a landmark case for age discrimination. |
| Sunday’s appearance by Dench – a self-confessed “huge fan” of Countryfile – is likely to propel the show to even greater ratings highs. At last, said O’Reilly, the programme has a woman (Dench is 81) in the same age bracket as Craven, 75. | Sunday’s appearance by Dench – a self-confessed “huge fan” of Countryfile – is likely to propel the show to even greater ratings highs. At last, said O’Reilly, the programme has a woman (Dench is 81) in the same age bracket as Craven, 75. |
| “I have huge respect for Dame Judi Dench and it is interesting to consider what it takes to have a woman of comparable age [on the show],” said O’Reilly. | “I have huge respect for Dame Judi Dench and it is interesting to consider what it takes to have a woman of comparable age [on the show],” said O’Reilly. |
| “When we did the programme on Sunday mornings we had the largest number of people available to watch at that time of day, so it was always going to be successful because there is a much bigger audience in the evening. | “When we did the programme on Sunday mornings we had the largest number of people available to watch at that time of day, so it was always going to be successful because there is a much bigger audience in the evening. |
| “On Sunday people are at home preparing for the coming week and they are looking for something comforting and uplifting to watch; it has a kind of Mogadon effect.” | “On Sunday people are at home preparing for the coming week and they are looking for something comforting and uplifting to watch; it has a kind of Mogadon effect.” |
| The Shakespeare special will feature Dench and Craven performing part of Romeo and Juliet’s balcony scene, standing in a 16th-century hall where Shakespeare’s touring company once played. “You never know what to expect next on Countryfile,” said Craven. “It’s not all roses round the door.” | The Shakespeare special will feature Dench and Craven performing part of Romeo and Juliet’s balcony scene, standing in a 16th-century hall where Shakespeare’s touring company once played. “You never know what to expect next on Countryfile,” said Craven. “It’s not all roses round the door.” |