Matt Baker has revealed that the freak weather towards the end of last year dealt his family a 'frustrating setback' as they filmed the new series of hit show Out Farm in the Dales.
The show, which is all about Matt and his family's return to the Countryfile star's native County Durham, after mum Janice was seriously injured in a farming accident, proved to be an instant hit with More4 viewers when it made its debut in March 2021. The first series saw Matt, wife Nicola and two children Molly and Luke arrive on the farm to help Janice and Mike with the family business, but also secure its future.
Our Farm in the Dales became an instant ratings hit for More4, so much so that it ended up being repeated in a primetime Saturday night slot on Channel 4. A second series and Christmas special have also delighted viewers, as did Matt, Janice and Mike's spin-off show Travels with Mum and Dad. So it came as welcome news to fans when Matt confirmed that Our Farm in the Dales would be back for a third run.
READ MORE: Loose Women's Denise Welch relives mortifying Whitley Bay Ice Rink moment on live TV
That kicks off on More4 on Wednesday, October 5, with Matt teasing an 'exciting' first episode. He appeared as guest on The One Show, the programme he used to present, to speak about its return and this year's Children in Need Rickshaw challenge and it was during the interview that Matt opened up on the challenges the family farm faced when Storm Arwen battered large parts of the country in November 2021.
It was One Show presenter Ronan Keating who first addressed the issues, saying: "The series kicks off with a major setback, the huge storms that we saw last year that must have been so frustrating for you after all the hard work."
In response, former Blue Peter star and Strictly contestant Matt shared his family's frustrations after all their hard work and adapting the farm, explaining: "There were tough decisions that we had to make and we made so many changes to make it sustainable.
“We went off around the country and got different breeds of sheep that will be able to cope well 1000 feet up and did a lot of work. We finished it all and it was all brilliant and done superbly well and then these storms hit last year.
“It was epic storms and when you're up on a hill like that, we got smashed by the storms.”
Ronan's co-host Lauren Laverne then quizzed Matt, with last year's storms in mind, if they'd been doing anything to safeguard the farm for this winter. He told her: "Absolutely and that's the heartbeat of the series going forward. We put lightning rods up on the house just to make it as safe as it can be. I mean, who knows what's going to be happening with our weather going forward, but you know, you've got to take it seriously."
Read next:
Strictly's Shirley Ballas startles viewers with new look as she issues 'awkward' voting plea
Kai Widdrington dealt crushing Strictly blow after final heartache
G iovanni Pernice's message to Richie Anderson overheard by Strictly viewers
The Masked Dancer's Pillar and Post forced to quit due to nasty injury as identities exposed
