This Farming Life

Original version

A BBC TV channel for Scotland which will broadcast every evening and will show drama, factual, comedy and news programmes made in Scotland

BBC Scotland

A BBC TV channel for Scotland which will broadcast every evening and will show drama, factual, comedy and news programmes made in Scotland


Documentaries

Factual: Life Stories

Documentary following the struggles and triumphs of very different farming families.

Documentary series following the struggles and triumphs of very different farming families in beautiful and remote landscapes.

Series 4

Simulcast of network BBC Two in high definition.

BBC Two HD

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England

Simulcast of BBC Two Wales in high definition

BBC Two Wales HD

BBC Two Northern Ireland

Simulcast of BBC Two Northern Ireland in high definition

BBC Two Northern Ireland HD

Until 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales (analogue) was known simply as BBC Two Wales. BBC Two Wales (digital) was BBC 2W. From 03/01/2009 BBC Two Wales schedules on both analogue and digital became identical

BBC Two Wales

BBC Scotland HD

James Thornton

Fiona Wilson

Jo Roe

This Farming Life: Series 4: Episode 3

Episode 3

BBC Two - This Farming Life, Series 4, Episode 3

The stags are roaring on Isla and George’s farm.

The stags are roaring on Isla and George’s farm, and Matt and Murray shop for a new tup. Joyce rescues her ewes, and Helen and Graham fear the worst for their poorly piglet.

It is late autumn, and the breeding season has arrived. It is an important time - success or failure later in the year depends on the hard work farmers and their stock put in during these crucial months.  

In Aberdeenshire, new entrant farmers Isla and George French wrangle their herd of semi-wild red deer closer to the farm to tackle one of the more difficult jobs as a deer farmer. The rutting season is here, and soon the stags will fight for dominance, so removing their antlers, painlessly, is a necessary but daunting task. Later, two new young bucks join the group, and the older stags begin to roar, signalling the beginning of the mating season.    
 
In the Lake District, Matt and Murray prepare for a big shopping trip. Their new, bigger farm is in need of some top-quality breeding rams, or tups. Matt and Murray are heading to the Kelso Ram Sale – a one-stop shop for any farmer looking to expand their flock. Vet Dani is usually in charge of the purse strings, but the boys have been let loose and end up blowing the budget. 

At the northernmost tip of the Scottish mainland in Armadale, Joyce Campbell is gathering her 600 ewes off the hills in preparation for tupping season. The farm's 6,000 acres are home to a number of peat bogs, and when the stubborn ewes decide to use a different route, they get stuck in the mud.

In the remote Stoer Peninsula, Helen and Graham take advantage of the unusually settled weather to take their small boat out to collect their creel pots. Later, Graham is worried about one of their piglets, Melon, and when he goes missing the following morning, Helen sets out on her morning rounds with a sense of dread.

This Farming Life: Series 4

BBC Two

Knowledge, drama, comedy and the arts for a broad adult audience.

BBC Two is a lively channel of depth and substance, carrying a range of knowledge-building programming complemented by great drama, comedy and arts.

Following the ups and downs of six farming families in Scotland and the north of England.

Following the ups and downs of six farming families in Scotland and the north of England as they face up to one of the toughest years for farming to date.

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This Farming Life

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Episode 3

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