Sowing DREAMS

MATT BAKER on searching for a new tenant for a 600-acre Welsh farm

- REBECCA FLETCHER

Matt Baker is thrilled to be back celebrating our nation's countryside in a second series of C4's reality show Our Dream Farm. 'We're leaning into people's fascination with how we farm,' smiles the popular presenter, 47, as he joins TV Times for an exclusive chat about the new eight-part run, which this time follows seven applicants (comprising three individuals and four couples) as they compete for a 15-year tenancy on a stunning 600-acre National Trust farm in Eryri (formerly Snowdonia), North Wales. 'This isn't like a competition where you win a trophy - this is a life change. To be offering that opportunity is incredible.' As before, the candidates will need to get to grips with the area's rich diversity of pasture and woodland, tackling real agricultural tasks in the hope of impressing National Trust custodians Trystan Edwards and Giles Hunt. Here, Matt tells us more...

Why do you think the first series, which aired in 2024, struck a chord with viewers?

I don’t think people really knew how we farm Britain or realised that a third of British farmers are tenant farmers, because farms cost a fortune to buy.